Double Strollers, Please help!

Bob Revolution Duallie

I am expecting Baby E2 in a couple of months.  I'm looking ahead at double strollers and could really use some advice before I plunk down big bucks for one (or two) of these rigs.

Currently I have a Bob Revolution Single and it worked great for carrying the infant seat and I love it for walks/jogging with Tink.  Yes, it's big but it turns on a dime so I've never had problems with it.  I wanted a second stroller for travel (aka Walt Disney World) and bought a Maclaren Volo.  I love the Volo too.  It is lightweight, easily maneuverable, well-built, and has a high weight limit for an umbrella stroller.  (I watched sales and got smokin' good deals on both strollers.)  As much as I love my Bob, I don't know how it could be your only stroller.  There are places where it's just too big such as trips to the doctor's office and we do that often since the baby will be here soon.

Baby Trend Sit N Stand

For E2, I've looked at the Bob Dualies (sticker shock!) as well as sit and stand-type strollers, inline strollers, and double umbrellas, like the Maclaren Twin Triumph.  I need somewhere for the kiddos to be safely contained when I'm running errands but I'd love for it to be tough enough for the park and ultimately jogging.  I'd really like to think I could get one good double and let that be it. **wishful thinking**

Tink will still sit well in a stroller, so I think a sit and stand is out.  Why encourage her to run around if I don't have to?

Maclaren Twin Triumph

The BOB Dualie would be awesome and I want to get back into running but I could pay for many months at the Y for that cost ($700-800 with a few basic accessories.)  We now live within driving distance of Walt Disney World (woo hoo!) so I would be able to take it to the World in the van.  I know a stroller that large would be a nightmare with buses, so maybe we'd just drive to the parks during the stroller years.  Even for their large size, Bob strollers maneuver well, have a high weight limit per child, go over all terrain with ease, and are high quality construction.  The huge canopies are a real plus in the Florida (and North Carolina, for that matter) sun.  (While I am a huge fan of Bob, I have also looked at less expensive joggers for once the girls are a bit older.  I'm no speed demon anyway so the lower cost option would work fine.)

Something like the Maclaren Twin Triumph would be nice for errands and much lighter-weight for travel.  However, it's not suitable for infants under 6 months old and will not hold an infant car seat.  They have better suspension than most umbrellas but even a walk on a suburban sidewalk is jarring compared to Bob.

Britax B-Ready in single mode

I don't care for the larger, inline Graco-type strollers.  Graco does many things really well, but in my opinion, strollers are their current weakness.  I've recently found a very cool inline stroller with tons of options, the Britax B-Ready.  It converts in all sorts of ways (14!).  You can carry one single child in the standard seat, a car seat or a bassinet. Or you can add another seat or car seat to the lower portion and have space for two kiddos.  Unlike some of the other options I've considered, this one has a large basket that is accessible from several angles.  It's also not cheap.  The basic stroller plus the jump seat and car seat adapter is about $600.  I saw a very detailed video review of this system and it seems to be better thought out than more expensive versions of the same idea, such as the Phil and Ted's line.  Definitely not a jogger, but it's better suited for a long walk than the Maclaren.  (Ooh!  After I had written and scheduled this article, I was doing a bit more research.  Britax is currently running a "Free Ride" event and offering a free Chaperone car seat, 2nd seat for the B-Ready, or the B-Ready bassinet.  Even more research has turned up a similar offer for a Phil and Ted's stroller.  It's a little less convertible and more jogger friendly.  Still hunting...)

I carried Tink around quite often in a sling when she was very small and I plan on doing the same with her little sister.  So to begin with, I'll wear the baby and Tink can use one of her current strollers or walk.  I know the time will come when I will need to corral them both.  I'd like to hold on to my current strollers because I know we'll get back to needing only a single.  And speaking of that, some people use stroller connectors at Walt Disney World.  This means they take two single umbrella strollers and link them with the connectors.  This works best with two of the same stroller.  While it doesn't work as well as a dedicated double, it does give you the option of splitting up.  Maybe you could take one stroller and the older child, while Granny takes a break with the sleeping little one.

Ugh, so many options!  I just want to make the best investment I can, getting the most use and the least hassle for my money.

What have you done, good or bad?  I'd love to hear your tips both for the real world, Walt Disney World and other travel.  Many thanks!

--Amy