Launched in 2009, the Dash is the latest model to go on sale from Phil & Teds after the original Classic, ever-popular Sport and stylish Vibe, and has already picked up a silver in the Practical Parenting Awards 2009/2010. Colours are more limited on this new model, confined to red, black and grey, or the gritty urban version in black graffiti.
Depending on whether you clip the doubles kit seat into place at the front or the back, you can carry a toddler with a newborn lying flat, or two toddlers in the Phil & Teds Dash Inline Double. Parents who plan ahead can even buy the Dash for their first child and use it as a single buggy, before number two comes along.
As the Phil & Teds Dash Inline Double is narrower than a double buggy where two children sit side by side (called a ‘twin’), you’re not restricted to wide open spaces and can still get through doorways, along shop aisles and onto public transport.
As a single buggy, the Dash is £414.95. For the Dash, doubles kit to covert it to a tandem, cocoon and double rain cover, the price is £559.85.
What we love
The Phil & Teds Dash Inline Double is beautifully balanced so it hardly needs pushing on the flat, smoothes minor obstacles out of the way on its big air-filled tyres and twiddles round easily with the swivelling front wheel.
The single handlebar made it possible to operate one-handed, although I missed being able to sling my handbag over the handlebar.
I was concerned about the “one child behind another” arrangement, that I wouldn’t be able to see my friend’s baby Sophia lying in the cocoon carrycot under the front seat, and that any child in the back seat wouldn’t be able to see very much. However, I actually had a clear view of Sophia in the carrycot, and by the time she moved into the doubles kit seat she seemed happy looking out sideways.
Even when I used the Phil & Teds Dash Inline Double with my 2-year-old daughter Isabel and her friend Athena, it coped well with two toddlers and was easier to push than I expected.
Meanwhile parents who own the Phil & Teds Sport looked longingly at some of the improvements made to the Dash, especially the brake which is operated by pressing two buttons on the handle, rather than a hard-to-reach position between the rear wheels. The Dash seats have more padding than the Sport, the hard plastic footplate is easier to clean than the fabric version on the Sport, and the harness and recline on the main seat both use much simpler clips.
The Dash also has a useful small pocket on the back of the main seat, although as your baby grows into an inquisitive toddler the pocket contents may not be safe any more.
Once you have removed the doubles kit and any cocoon you can fold it up pretty easily with a reassuring click, and once folded it doesn’t take up too much space especially if you take the wheels off.
What to watch out for
The Phil & Teds Dash Inline Double may be one of the lighter tandem pushchairs around, going from 10.5kg to 13.2kg with the double kit and cocoon in place, but I really struggled with pushing it onto its back wheels to cope with kerbs, steps and buses.
The first time I tried negotiating stairs with baby Sophia lying under toddler Isabel was a heart-stopping moment, because the carrycot seemed likely to bump its precious contents onto the stairs, but there was sufficient clearance and I did gain confidence.
Phil & Teds sell loads of accessories for the Dash, but the cost quickly adds up, making it particularly frustrating if your children grow too big for different elements sooner than expected.
For example, the cocoon carrycot is marketed for newborn babies up to 6 months old, but Sophia was already finding it restrictive by 4 months, and a taller baby would have shot out of it even faster. Phil & Teds does produce a roomier “peanut” bassinet, but if you clip that onto the Dash frame you can’t carry a second child as well.
With 2-year-old Isabel sitting high up in the double kit above Sophia, her head was getting pretty close to the sunhood and I don’t think it would fit over a 5-year-old. The back of the double kit seat isn’t very high, so older children will end up with their head resting against the padded bar along the back of the seat, and Isabel only just fitted under the bar when the doubles kit was reclined.
The storage space underneath the Phil & Teds Dash Inline Double isn’t terribly easy to access when you’re set up for a newborn and a toddler. Once you have a second child sitting in the lower seat you’ll be reduced to piling your shopping round their feet. Phil & Teds do sell pannier bags for extra storage, but these make the buggy much wider.
Who is the Phil & Teds Dash Inline Double best for?
Parents after a flexible buggy that will transport two children in not much more space than a single buggy.
The Phil & Teds Dash Inline Double has fixed some of the niggles with the Sport, but all for a lower price than the Vibe. With one child sitting behind the other, this tandem buggy boldly goes where other wider double buggies cannot hope to reach, although you may still struggle with stairs.
