This article is all about whether or not the UPPAbaby Vista is actually worth it.
A stroller is one of the largest expenses of becoming a new parent. Strollers can range anywhere from $300 on the low end to $1400 on the high end.
It’s no secret that the UPPAbaby Vista is one of the best-selling strollers in America and around the world.
Before having kids, I would see the UPPAbaby Vista around a lot and I really liked it because I thought it was pretty. When we became pregnant with our first child, I began to wonder if it was actually worth the price.
After doing some research and cost comparison, it is clear that the UPPAbaby Vista is worth it. The stroller is worth how much it costs because of what is included in the price, its quality, its modularity and ability to convert into a double stroller, and its longevity.
Understanding the high price point is one thing, deciding if you want to spend that much money is another. In this article, I provide information that will hopefully make that decision easier.
This is not a paid promotion, all opinions are my own. This article contains affiliate links from which I receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
UPPAbaby Vista- Is it worth it?
Before having kids I had very little interest or knowledge of strollers. I would see people walking down the street and if they had a nice stroller I would just ask out of curiosity which stroller they had. Often times the answer was the UPPAbaby Vista.
At the time, I had no idea what strollers cost, but it was a nice-looking stroller so I never assumed that it would be cheap. When I became pregnant with my first baby and I started to research and compare strollers, I realized that it was actually really expensive.
I was wondering why this stroller costs over $1,000 while other strollers cost anywhere from $300 to $600. It seemed like a pretty significant difference in price.
My mom was helping me compile my baby registry and she was blown away that a stroller could cost so much. She honestly expressed that she thought it would be ridiculous to spend that much money on a stroller. I kindly reminded her that we live in different times and that gas no longer costs a nickel (just kidding, sorry mom love you xoxo).
Why is the UPPAbaby Vista so expensive?
Here we are almost 3 years after purchasing our UPPAbaby Vista, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard my mom say, “now I understand why it costs so much.”
After having our first baby, I finally convinced my husband that we should buy the UPPAbaby Vista and I’m so glad that I did. When we purchased it, I guess I didn’t really think a lot about why it was so expensive. I must have justified the cost because so many people had it, so obviously it must be good.
Having owned the stroller for a while, I can attest that the stroller is worth the price for reasons I will get into below. But I recently heard an interview with Bob and Lauren Monahan, the couple that created UPPAbaby, and it made me even more confident that their strollers are worth the price.
The interview was on a podcast called How I Built This with Guy Raz where he interviews entrepreneurs and business owners about how they got to where they are today. I was introduced to the podcast by the blogger By Sophia Lee in one of her Youtube videos and now I listen to it all the time while driving my kids to school.
Anyway, in this episode, you learn a lot about UPPAbaby as a brand. I’m really not the type of person who does a lot of research on companies before I buy things. But when I hear positive things about the brand it definitely makes me more comfortable in my purchases.
Interview with UPPAbaby Founders
Here is an excerpt from the interview of Bob Monahan explaining why the UPPAbaby costs what it does. The timestamp from the podcast is 46:09 if you want to take a listen.
Guy: “I want to ask you about affordability because UPPAbaby strollers are generally things that a certain type of consumer can afford…the main ones, the modular strollers… they are not cheap. When you thought about who you were going to target, did you land on this idea that the consumer who could afford this stroller was probably where you should target your energy because that was going to be the way to create a sustainable business? Or did you ever think about a lower-end modular stroller, much less expensive than the ones that you sell?”
Bob: “…We want to make the stuff, again with us as the target audience…we want to make what we like. And so it wasn’t about hey, we want to make something that costs this much so people can’t afford it and people think we’re cool. No, this is what we want and this is what it costs… There’s no gold, there’s no fake chrome, there are no rhinestones, there’s no anything you don’t need. So it’s all the stuff you want and this is kinda what it costs. And yeah, as a consumer you’ve got different choices. And we didn’t do it to be elite or anything this is just what we felt the best product would be.”
Guy: “But can you make… is it possible to make a quality stroller with quality features like the UPPAbaby stroller at a price point that, you know, somebody making a lot less money a year could easily afford? Somebody who might go to Target or Walmart to get their stroller?”
Bob: “…It would be less. It’s just not as good… Either the rivets aren’t stainless steel and they’re gonna rust. Or it doesn’t have bearings and they’re ultimately going to wobble. Or it’s got EVA foam instead of PE foam in the tires and it’s gonna wear out. I can go on and on… there’s like everything on the stroller… you can buy steel powder coated or aluminum anodized. There are just a million little things and each one you can choose in terms of manufacturing and what’s on it, what the materials are, the durability, this is what it costs.”
If you listen to the whole podcast, you learn about Bob’s background. He has been engineering and designing baby products for a long time so he really is an authority on what would make a quality stroller. And in my opinion, he just seems very genuine. He doesn’t sound like a money-hungry CEO type. He sounds like a regular guy who wants to create a high-quality product to benefit parents.
Now that you’ve heard directly from the creator of UPPAbaby, here are some reasons from personal experience why the stroller is worth it…
Features That Make The Uppababy Vista Worth The Price
As a single stroller:
1. The price includes a lot.
As mentioned earlier, the UPPAbaby Vista costs around $1100. This includes the frame, the bassinet that has a removable footmuff and a mosquito net, and a toddler seat that has a rain cover and a mosquito net. The bassinet is approved for overnight sleep so this purchase can double as a stroller and sleep solution. A lot of strollers that do not include a bassinet are officially only approved for babies 6 months and older because that’s when they can sit with more support. So this stroller is ready to go from birth.
2. Shock-absorbing wheels.
This stroller glides on air because of its all-wheel suspension and shock-absorbing wheels. When you push the stroller it literally takes zero effort. You cannot feel the weight of the stroller or your baby at all. Like you could push it with one finger. This was one of the biggest differences that I noticed when testing out different strollers.
3. One-handed push.
You can push the stroller with one hand very easily. This may not be a huge deal all the time, but if you like drinking water or coffee, or looking at your phone while walking then it is a noticeable benefit. Compared to other strollers that require two hands to push, you would have to stop to do those things.
4. All-terrain.
You can take this bad boy virtually anywhere. When you walk on a not-so-smooth road, again, because of the shock-absorbing wheels, your baby won’t be bumping around. We’ve taken it to an apple orchard where there are like giant rocks and vines and divets and it handled no problem. You don’t get the added benefit of seeing your baby’s chubby cheeks giggle, but it’s a good trade-off.
5. Large under-seat basket.
The basket is giant and has room for all of your stuff no matter where you’re going. I’ve packed food for like a 5-course picnic under there with room to spare. When I go on walks with other moms, they ask me if they can store some of their stuff under our stroller because we always have so much extra room.
6. Machine washable fabric.
This is a big one for me. Baby stuff gets capital disgusting. Like, imagine the worst-case scenario for a child-made mess. Now imagine that happening all the time. ‘Cause, it does. The textiles on the Vista are so nice looking but they are also machine washable! I cannot even imagine trying to hand wash these big awkward pieces of fabric and trying to make sure I got it all clean. Hard pass. This makes it easy to clean whenever I need to.
As a double stroller:
1. Inexpensive transition to a double stroller.
The UPPAbaby Vista can be converted into a double stroller with just the purchase of adapters which cost around $50. This allows you to configure the toddler seat on top, and the bassinet on the bottom. Which is perfect for adding a newborn to the family. Eventually, you have to buy a rumble seat once your baby outgrows the bassinet, but you don’t have to buy it immediately to use the stroller as a double. So really you’re getting a single and double stroller for the price of one. For me, this was a huge price justification.
2. Modularity
As a busy mom, my daily mission is constantly changing. Sometimes I have both kids with me, sometimes I only have one. Sometimes my toddler wants to walk, sometimes she wants to sit. Having a stroller that can adapt to any situation is really helpful. We live in a somewhat rural area so we carry the stroller around in our trunk and I just use whatever pieces I need for each situation. Instead of having to store a single and a double stroller in our trunk. And instead of needlessly having to push a double stroller in a situation where I only have one of the kids with me.
3. The suspension.
I’ll talk a little bit about the maneuverability below, but the push on the stroller is still really good with the second seat added. I’ve pushed my friends’ double strollers before, and let me tell you, it is an arm workout. It is legit so hard to push the weight of the stroller and the weight of two children. With the UPPAbaby as a double, you still really don’t have to put effort into pushing which makes outings much more enjoyable for me.
There are some other features that I really like on the UPPAbaby but I’m not sure if they necessarily contribute to the justification of the price.
Other added benefits:
- one-touch brake
- leather handlebars and belly bar
- easy to fold
- compatible with many different car seats (with adapters sold separately)
- easy to buckle
- easy to adjust, no-rethread harness
- height-adjustable handlebar
My final piece on why it’s worth it:
It looks good.
THERE I said it. My materialistic side is coming out. I wanted a stroller that was pretty. I honestly can’t even tell you how many times people have complimented my stroller. Women, grown men, even 13-year-old boys, believe it or not. It is an extremely good-looking stroller. This obviously should not be your number one consideration when choosing a stroller because if it doesn’t do what you need it to do, then what’s the point?
But in a lot of ways, I feel like the UPPAbaby Vista is the full package.
If you are looking for a pretty stroller that has the ‘leather handlebar sleek’ sort of look, but you don’t want to spend that much money, there are other options. You can get any stroller that you like and add personalized leather handlebar covers from this company, Lux and Leather.
photo courtesy of @luxandleather
I discovered them on Instagram and they make any stroller look super fancy for a really good price. You don’t have to spend a ton of money if you want a nice-looking stroller especially if you don’t need something with all the specs of the UPPAbaby.
How Long Does The UPPAbaby Stroller Last?
There is no definitive answer on how long a UPPAbaby stroller will last, but I’ve gathered some anecdotal evidence.
If you ever go onto sites like OfferUp or Facebook Marketplace, you’ll see UPPAbaby strollers that are 5 to 6 years old that still have a decent amount of life left in them. You can even find models for sale from 2008. That far back isn’t so common, but there are many online from around 2015. That means people are willing to pay money for 7-year-old strollers to meet their family’s needs. That’s pretty impressive.
Based on Bob Monahan’s description of all the thought and care that went into developing this stroller, I’m confident that it would last a lot longer than other, less expensive strollers.
The majority of Americans have 2-3 children that are spaced out between 2-3 years. So let’s say you have 3 kids and you use the stroller beginning with your first baby until your youngest child is 4 years old. That’s anywhere from 10-13 years of use.
So if you go buy a stroller that is $600, but then it stops working after a number of years, you have to buy a new stroller anyway and you end up losing more money. I know people who have had to buy 2 or 3 strollers just because there’s kept breaking.
One of my friends has had her UPPAbaby Vista for 8.5 years, through 4 children. And let me just say that their stroller was well-loved if you know what I mean.
Strollers are kind of like cars in how the fashions change. The thing still works, but for whatever reason, you may want an upgrade. In my personal opinion, it is likely that the fashion of the stroller will be outdated long before the stroller itself stops working.
UPPAbaby Vista vs Other Strollers
I put together this table to see how the UPPAbaby Vista stacks up against other single-to-double strollers on the market. All of the strollers in the comparison chart start as single strollers and can be converted into double strollers as your family grows.
What I Don’t Like About The UPPAbaby Vista
What’s an honest review without the things I DON’T like about the UPPAbaby? Here they are:
1. The Bassinet can only be on the bottom in a double configuration.
I think this is probably the main complaint about the UPPAbaby Vista as a double stroller. When you have the toddler seat and bassinet attached, the bassinet can only be on the lower adapters. Typically the newborn is the one who needs more tending to on walks because their pacifier will fall out or you want to comfort them, etc. It makes it more difficult when the bassinet is on the bottom because you basically have to stop in order to do anything. This can make walks very stop and go. And you can rest assured that your toddler will have something to say about that amirite?
2. Maneuverability
As I mentioned before, the push is still really good on the Vista as a double stroller. However, the maneuverability is noticeably worse. As a single stroller, the Vista can turn on a dime. When you change the configuration it obviously also shifts the center of gravity on the stroller. This changes the weight distribution and makes it more difficult to turn corners and hop curbs. I have never owned a side-by-side stroller, but I think people say they are easier to maneuver with multiple kids. I also haven’t tested any other in-line double strollers so I’m not sure about their maneuverability either.
All in all, these were not deal breakers for me just minor annoyances.
Conclusion
My advice is to go to test out different strollers. Strollers are a big purchase and you want to buy something that you really feel good about. Go to Nordstrom or BuyBuyBaby or any other local baby store to try them out. You can try pushing them around and folding them and buckling them to really see what you like or don’t like.
Again, it is not my mission to sell you on the UPPAbaby stroller. It’s my goal to give you the information to help you make the decision that is right for your family. We have been incredibly happy with our UPPAbaby and if I could go back, I would make the decision to buy it again.
In conclusion, I think that the UPPAbaby Vista is totally worth the cost.
Being pregnant and having babies is hard. Like really hard. I think that new moms should have something that they are excited about and something they really enjoy. Some people go as far as to get ‘push gifts’ like diamonds and jewelry for new moms. I think getting a nice, high-quality stroller is a good investment, something that will make parenting a little bit easier, as well as something that can be enjoyed.
