I have always loved Bugaboo strollers. They’re lovely to look at and easy to push. The design is always exceptional and functional. And they’ve got pretty darn good street-cred. But until now, my existence in a city that’s covered in snow for at least half the year has kept my lust in check.
All of a sudden, however, the all-terrain Bugaboo Buffalo stroller has charged onto the stroller scene and I’m ready to forget everything I ever thought I knew about Bugaboo strollers.
The Buffalo is everything the Cameleon 3 is, only–in my humble opinion–better. It’s bigger (literally–the seat is higher and wider and holds up to 50 lbs) and bolder in so many ways.
First, there’s the fold. The Buffalo folds in one piece with one hand. Know what that means? You don’t have to take the seat off the stroller in order to fold it. Which means something even better for parents: you don’t have to put down your baby when you’re trying to put the stroller away. Love that. Plus, once the stroller is folded, it’s also self-standing (with the carrycot or the seat), so no awkward leaning or propping, either.
There’s also a new extendable sun canopy, which will surely have Bugaboo fans rejoicing. A zipper at the top makes it easy to extend the canopy when the sun gets intense or baby gets sleepy and put it away again when your little rider wants to look around.
Of course, the fact that this stroller rides easily over all kinds of terrain is what makes the biggest difference for a snowy-city-dweller like me. The Buffalo’s wheels are foam and much larger than the Cameleon’s. The front wheels swivel–or lock when you’re pushing in sandy or (hooray!) snowy conditions–and the stroller really does make its way through anything.
Here’s a random stroller fact that may surprise you: the Buffalo is the world’s first stroller with an official safety certification to hang up to 13 pounds on the handlebar. Who knew? We parents have been risking the dreaded stroller-tip-over-effect for years and now there’s a stroller that won’t do it. Pretty cool.
Speaking of storage, the under-seat basket is bigger than on the Cameleon, too. And it really is roomy, with a big opening to access everything.
I still wish Bugaboo would figure out a way to make a side-mounting ride-on board for an older child. As far as I’m concerned, no matter how much space is between the pusher and the child on the board (and with the Buffalo they’ve added some room), it’s still kind of in the way when it’s mounted right in the middle. I really don’t want to bang my toe or scuff my shoes every time I’m taking my kids for a walk.
When you’ve been pushing strollers for as long as I have, it takes a special one to make any kind of impact. The Buffalo does just that. And unlike the Bugaboo Donkey, not even the name can dissuade me this time. –Stephanie S.
The Bugaboo Buffalo all-terrain stroller is available now in Canada and select European countries. A US launch is coming (hopefully) soon. Special thanks to Bugaboo for the super-fun Canadian launch event where I got to test drive Buffalo strollers on all kinds of nifty terrains.
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