The Best Travel Stroller for Two Kids? One Flight Changed Everything
I knew traveling with two kids was going to require more stuff.
What I didn't fully appreciate was how much I would need the stroller to help me manage all of that stuff.
Two kids. Carry-ons. A big checked suitcase. The airport. Security. The gate.
And only two hands.
We already loved our Austlen Entourage at home. We have the Sit + Stand, and our oldest loves it so much.
But then we flew with it.
That's when I realized this stroller wasn't just making everyday life with two kids easier.
It completely changed the way we travel.
Getting Two Kids Through an Airport Is Its Own Kind of Adventure
Airports have a way of making simple things complicated.
At home, if my oldest wants to walk for a while, that's fine.
At the airport, I need to know that when those little legs get tired, there's somewhere to ride.
That's one reason the Sit + Stand works so well for us.
Our younger child gets the Primary Seat up front. Our oldest can stand on the integrated Platform Rider when there's something interesting to see or sit on the Jump Seat when it's time for a break.
And when our oldest wants to walk?
It's easy to step off.
There's no need for me to predict before we leave home exactly how much each child will want to ride that day.
That's a big reason I think of the Entourage as the best single to double to Sit and Stand stroller for our family.
It adapts to what my kids are actually doing.
Then I Put Our Big Suitcase Across the Rails
This might have been my favorite part of traveling with it.
We had a big checked bag to get through the airport along with our two kids.
Instead of pushing a stroller while dragging that suitcase behind me, I could slide our big checked bag across the Entourage's lower cargo rails.
And then I kept going.
Both kids had their riding spots.
Our suitcase had its own place.
And somehow, with all of that, I could still push the stroller one-handed.
That's the kind of thing that's difficult to appreciate from a stroller's spec sheet.
A high cargo weight limit is useful, of course. The Entourage a total stroller capacity of up to 200 pounds.
But when you're traveling, where your cargo goes matters just as much as how many pounds a stroller can technically support.
The open, expandable lower cargo area lets us carry bulky items across the rails rather than requiring everything to fit within a small, enclosed basket.
At the airport, that meant our large suitcase could actually come along for the ride.
Two Kids + A Big Suitcase + One-Handed Push
That's the moment I really understood what makes the Entourage different for travel.
I wasn't choosing between using the stroller for my kids and using it to haul our stuff.
It was doing both.
Our younger child could ride up front.
Our oldest could use the Sit + Stand.
Our big suitcase could ride below, along with our carry-ons and a booster seat.
And I could still maneuver the whole thing with one hand.
For me, that's what the best travel stroller should actually do.
It isn't necessarily the stroller that's smallest when it's sitting empty in your garage.
It's the stroller that makes traveling with your actual family easier.
And my actual family comes with two kids and a lot of luggage.
Then We Got to the Gate
Of course, getting through the airport is only half of the equation.
Eventually, you have to get the stroller onto the plane.
We gate checked ours, and I loved how easily the Entourage folded and went into the Austlen Travel Bag.
The Sit + Stand can stay attached when the stroller folds, so I wasn't suddenly dealing with a stroller plus a pile of loose bigger-kid accessories at the gate. I just popped off the quick-release wheels and fenders, put the stroller in, and zipped it up. Done.
The folded stroller measures 33.5" x 24.5" x 19" with its wheels and fenders attached.
That gave us a full-size stroller capable of carrying two kids and substantial travel gear through the airport, and then a much more manageable folded package when it was time to check it.
That combination made such a difference.
Why Not Just Travel With a Tiny Stroller?
Before traveling with two kids, I probably would have assumed that the best travel stroller had to be the smallest stroller possible.
Now I think that's the wrong question for our family.
A tiny stroller might be easier to carry by itself.
But I'm not traveling by myself.
I need to move two children, luggage and all the things those children need from one end of an airport to the other.
Giving up useful seating, cargo space or pushing performance just to make the empty stroller smaller wouldn't necessarily make the trip easier.
With the Entourage, I get the capacity I need while we're actually using it and a fold that works when we're ready to gate check it.
That's a tradeoff I'll happily make.
Why It's Our Best Double — Even Though We Use the Sit + Stand
When I say this is our best double, I don't necessarily mean that both of my kids need two traditional stroller seats.
That's actually what I love about it.
The Entourage can be configured with the optional Second Seat when two traditional seats make sense.
But that's not what works best for our family right now.
Our oldest loves the Sit + Stand.
There's a Jump Seat for sitting and an integrated Platform Rider for standing, with a weight capacity up to 75 pounds.
Our younger child gets the Primary Seat, while our oldest gets a riding option that provides a little more independence.
If our needs change, the stroller can change, too.
We can use it as a single, configure it with two traditional seats, or use our current Sit + Stand setup.
That's why best single to double to Sit and Stand stroller describes it so well.
It's not one stroller configuration that we're trying to make work through every stage.
The Accessories Matter When You're Away From Home
We also love the accessories.
At home, stroller accessories can feel like conveniences.
Travel has a way of turning conveniences into things you're very glad you brought.
The included Market Tote gives us another 30 pounds of removable storage. There are additional accessories available depending on what we need for a particular trip, and we can use a compatible infant car seat with the appropriate adapter during the infant stage.
And for flying, the Travel Bag has become particularly important to us.
Beyond making the folded stroller easier to contain for gate checking, Austlen's Travel Worry-Free Guarantee provides coverage for qualifying airline-caused damage to the stroller and attached Second Seat or Sit + Stand when the Travel Bag is properly used and registered before departure, for the duration of the stroller's original three-year warranty.
After experiencing how useful the Entourage is inside the airport, I definitely want to protect it when I hand it over at the gate.
What Makes It Our Best Travel Stroller for Two Kids?
For our family, these are the features that make the Entourage our best travel stroller, best double and best single to double to Sit and Stand stroller:
- Sit + Stand with two ways to ride, including a Jump Seat for sitting and integrated Platform Rider for standing
- 75-lb Sit + Stand capacity, giving our oldest plenty of room to keep using it
- Independent access, so our bigger child can easily step on and off
- Optional Second Seat, giving us a traditional double configuration if our needs change
- Large, open cargo area, making it possible to carry bulky travel gear such as our big checked suitcase across the lower rails
- 70-lb lower storage capacity + included 30-lb Market Tote, giving us serious room for family travel gear
- Up to 200-lb total kids + cargo capacity, so the stroller is designed to handle more than just its passengers
- Smooth one-handed maneuvering, even when I'm traveling with both kids and our luggage
- Sit + Stand stays attached when folding, eliminating another loose piece to manage at the airport
- 33.5" x 24.5" x 19" fold, giving us a manageable gate-check package after carrying two kids and substantial gear through the terminal
- Optional Travel Bag + Worry-Free Guarantee, providing added protection when flying
- Expandable and retractable frame, so we have the space we need when we're loaded up without being locked into that footprint all the time
I Can't Imagine Traveling Without It Now
There's something funny about traveling with kids.
You can research and plan all you want, but you don't really know which pieces of gear are going to matter most until you're actually standing in an airport with two children and a giant suitcase.
For us, the Entourage proved itself on that trip.
Our oldest loved the Sit + Stand.
Our younger child had a real stroller seat.
I slid our big checked bag across the rails.
I could still push the whole thing with one hand.
Then, when we reached the gate, I folded it, put it in the Travel Bag and gate checked it.
It made such a difference.
We loved the stroller before we flew with it.
Now?
I can't imagine traveling without it.
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