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Joolz produce good looking, well made and sustainability-focused buggies and the Geo3 is no exception. The fabric of the pushchair is made from recycled bottles, yet this doesn't compromise its style — it looks and feels smart and luxurious. The large wheels and solid handles make it a very pleasant buggy to push and steer, plus the lay-flat fold is quick and intuitive. The clever design of the Geo3 also allows you to go from a single buggy to a duo with relative ease, with an impressive variety of combinations.
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An upgrade on the Joolz Geo2, the new version has a more straightforward build, a larger (very generous) shopping basket and a larger second seat unit when using the buggy in duo mode. The Geo3 is a very smart, versatile and thoughtfully-designed buggy that will grow with your family.
Alice Skidmore lives with her partner, two young sons (aged 16 weeks and 3 years) and her 15-year-old stepson in a maisonette in Walthamstow, East London on the edge of a forest. She tested the Geo 3 there as well as on high street shopping trips.
Alice has over 10 years experience as a television producer working across consumer content, current affairs and factual entertainment for major terrestrial broadcasters.
What are the first impressions of the Joolz Geo3?
I thought that the Joolz Geo 3 looked like a smart and pretty formidable buggy. It arrived in a number of smart cardboard boxes which were printed with shapes to cut out and make animal models with. Inside, the packaging was all really well considered, with the majority being cardboard and recyclable.
How easy is it to build?
There wasn’t much to put together, the instructions used pictures over text and were pretty clear. It took about 30 minutes to build the basic pushchair and then a few more minutes to figure out how to adapt it into a double or twin set up. The only part I found tricky was removing the leg rest from the seat unit if it's going in the lower position as it's clipped on quite tightly. Apart from that, it was easy to build.
How does the Joolz Geo3 compare to the Geo2?
Visually, the Geo3 looks much sleeker and more luxe than its predecessor. The chassis is matte black rather than silver but the folding mechanism, the wheels and suspension seem unchanged. Size-wise it is pretty much identical, with a centimetre or so bigger in some places and smaller in others.
The shopping basket in the Geo3 can take around double the volume and 5kg more than the Geo2, though it has lost the carry handles to lift the basket out which is a shame. It was more complicated to convert the Geo2 into a double buggy and it had a smaller seat or carrycot that sat underneath when it was in duo or twin mode. The extra seat unit/carrycot for the Geo3, however, is the same, generous size.
What do you think of the Joolz Geo3 carrycot?
The carrycot is fantastically spacious, well-ventilated and, helpfully, suitable for overnight sleeping. However, you will need to buy sheets separately. It measures longer than a moses basket and the maximum weight capacity is 9 kg, so I’m confident that it will comfortably last my son until he is 6 months old.
The hood, which can attach by zip to either the seat or the carrycot, is HUGE. There would be no need for a rain cover and in fact, I’ve been caught in the rain a couple of times and the baby has stayed dry and cosy. There are ventilation panels in the hood, but no ‘peekaboo’ window — so you need to open the hood to check on the baby. There is also a large ventilation panel in the carrycot for summer days and overnight sleeping — they’ve thought of pretty much everything!
How easy is the carrycot to add on and take off the pushchair?
There is a really clever handle underneath the carrycot at one end which releases it. This took me a while to find at first, but it makes taking the carrycot on and off really easy. When using the adapters for double and twin mode, it's slightly more of a fiddle, but the sturdy bumper bar acts as a handle so that you can get a good grip of the carrycot while pushing the button to free it.
What do you think of the toddler seat unit on the Joolz Geo3?
The toddler seat unit has been really well thought through, it's a good size with a great, easy-to-use harness. The seat reclines using a one-handed lever behind the head and it reclines sufficiently so my son can have a decent snooze. My son is nearly three and a half and around 50th centile and I’m confident there will be room for him until the recommended upper age limit of approximately 4 years (22kg). The foot rest is fabric, so any serious muck on shoes will transfer to the buggy and be tricky to clean off.
How well does the toddler seat work in duo mode?
When in double mode, the seat can attach either underneath or above the carrycot, depending on the weight and size of your toddler (max 22kg in the upper position and 15kg in the lower). My eldest is under 15kg so I’ve tried sitting him in both positions. He doesn’t enjoy the lower position so much — it’s difficult to get in and out underneath the cot and he has a restricted view. He also complains about the pavement feeling bumpy.
Which double combination works well with a baby and a toddler?
For my kids, it works best to have the baby in the carrycot in the lower position and the toddler at the top — he can see around from up there and I can easily check how the baby is doing. The buggy works great as a double in either configuration, the only real criticism I have is that when the seat unit is in the lower position, his feet go straight into the shopping basket so you lose it completely.
How easy is it to fold the Joolz Geo3 in single and duo modes?
The folding mechanism is easy enough:
Put the foot brake on
Lower the handle
Slide the catches on either side of the handlebar which folds the chassis down to the floor where it clips agains the wheelbase
It can be folded with one seat attached, but not with the carrycot or with any adaptors left on.
How big is the Joolz Geo3 when folded?
It’s a lay-flat fold rather than a self-stand, so takes up quite a bit of space when folded (92cmx60cmx33cm) so I rarely bother to fold it at home. At my toddler’s nursery we need to lift it up into a cubby on the wall and that’s not too heavy or difficult. We have a small car with no boot space, but I wouldn’t have a problem lifting this into a normal boot.
How easy is it to push and steer the Joolz Geo3?
In mono or single mode the buggy is pretty effortless to steer and handles curbs and uneven ground easily. As a double, the centre of gravity shifts as it does with similar pushchairs of this design. This means that it can take a bit of effort to mount curbs and I tend to pick where I cross the road very carefully.
The whole pushchair is quite heavy and not the easiest to steer one-handed, although this is easier when in single mode and not impossible in duo mode. The turning circle is really tight, making it easy to steer around even small shops.
The other double buggy I’ve used is a side-by-side pushchair, the Out'n'About Nipper Double v5. This was far easier to steer, but much more difficult to get into shops and cafes with due to its larger width.
How well does the Joolz Geo3 work on public transport?
As a double, this buggy is pretty long, so if there are other buggies on the bus, you’ve had it. However, because of its single width, it can fit through all the gates and doors that most other buggies can.
What’s the chassis like?
The metal chassis feels incredibly strong and durable. The coating is a sleek, matte black which is gorgeous but shows my toddler's fingerprints instantly! Luckily it’s easy to clean, just wipe it down with a cloth dampened with plain water.
What are the wheels like?
The wheels are nice, big and puncture-proof. When you convert the buggy into a double, the adapter kit comes with some shields to cover the insides of the wheel so that kids don’t stick their fingers through the ‘spokes’. However, there is nothing to stop children rubbing their fingers on the dirty wet wheel, but that could just be my child..!
Because of their size, the wheels can handle most terrains — I’ve tested the Geo3 on pavements and woodland and it coped really well on both.
How do you rate the buggy handle?
The adjustable handle is covered in a synthetic leather and is super thick (my fingers don't meet around it). It’s ergonomic, adjustable and comfortable to hold for both me at just over five-and-a-half feet and my six-foot partner.
What’s the hood like?
The hood, which can move between the cot and seat is really generous and has UPF50+ protection. It's easy to use and it creates a dark, dry space making it perfect for naps in any weather. I do miss a peephole or peekaboo window, but I can live without it.
How good is the brake?
The brake is really well-positioned and easy to use. I haven’t found myself struggling to engage or disengage it and never kick it by mistake.
How do you rate the basket?
The basket is massive and can hold 15kg of stuff. It’s great, but reduces to NOTHING when the pram is in duo mode, so don’t get too attached.
What’s in the box?
Depending on your needs, there will be different things in the Geo3 kit you choose. (If going from mono to duo, the duo kit turns the buggy into a double with just a few accessories).
Mono kit:
Chassis with wheels
Cot
Seat
Shopping basket
Bumper bar
Manual
Mono+duo kit:
Duo adapters lower seat/cot
Bumper bar
Sun hood
Wheel caps
Twin:
Chassis with wheels
2 cots with sun hood & bumper bar
2x seats
Duo adapters upper cot
Duo adapters lower seat/cot
2x raincover
What are the additional accessories that you can buy?
Any accessory you can think of seems to have been thought of and made by Joolz. You can buy anything from a cupholder to a footmuff via footboards, changing bags and food trays. The only essential you will need to purchase is a sheet for the carrycot at £14.95, if you want to use it for overnight sleeping.
What did you think of the packaging of this product?
The vast majority of the packaging was cardboard, it was really protective and secure, without it feeling wasteful or over the top. Printed onto the box are animals to cut out and construct, should you want to re-use the packaging rather than recycle.
How sustainable is the Geo3?
Joolz have made a big effort to consider sustainability at every point — they plant a tree for every Joolz buggy sold and the Geo3 is covered in rPET fabric (made from recycled plastic bottles). A single Geo3 is made from 155 plastic bottles and the twin from 276! The 10 year warranty is transferable, so if you pass the buggy on, the new owner will also be able to benefit from it and there are plenty of spares available on the Joolz website to keep the buggy in perfect working order.
Can the pushchair be used with a car seat to create a travel system?
Yes, car seats can be used with a special adapter (£42.95) to fit them onto the chassis. I haven’t used a car seat with this buggy so check for suitability.
Who would the Joolz Geo3 be most useful for?
The Geo3 is perfect for new parents who are undecided about further children and it's an obvious choice for twin parents. For us, as parents of a toddler and a newborn, we had never considered a duo buggy, assuming we’d use a buggy board and our toddler’s scooter. However, he still likes to nap and we still like to get places in a timely fashion, so it’s definitely worth considering for families like ours, where it will still get a good 4 years’ use.
Is the Joolz Geo3 worth the money?
This buggy is at the higher end of the market, but you get a lot for your money. Especially as it's clearly been carefully and thoughtfully designed and built, both for your family and for the environment.
How does the Joolz Geo3 compare to similar pushchairs?
The Jools Geo3 is a really well thought-out buggy, offering comfort and flexibility whilst being really good-looking and stylish. Growing families can adapt their existing mono set up into a duo for just under £125 which would save buying a whole new pushchair. Starting with the twin set up is also a great option for families with two babies who want a solid and flexible buggy built to last.
