The Explorer Inline Double is set to replace the existing Sport inline, which has come in for some criticism in the past. As a result, improvements - such as a better brake, improved harness and a larger sunhood - have been made. The Explorer Inline Double also features a new, contoured, vented seat system, a one-hand fold mechanism and, most impressive, has the ability to work as a travel system and carry a second child at the same time.
The Explorer is suitable from birth right up to a whopping 6 years but this flexibility does come at a price. As a single buggy, it’s £400. The doubles kit - the second seat that makes it a tandem buggy - costs £69.95 with sunhood. However, forking out an extra £70 when you have a second child can be more economical than ditching your first buggy entirely for a whole new double option.
Other extra costs include the cocoon used to transport a newborn, £49.95; car seat adaptors, for Phil and Teds bebe, Phil and Teds bebe HS or Maxi-Cosi CabrioFix car seats, £24.95; a carrycot, or ‘peanut bassinet’, £122.95; raincover, £21.95; and UV cover, £26.95.
The Explorer Inline Double comes in Black, Red, Apple, Navy, or All Apple.
What we love
Compared to the Sport, the Explorer Inline Double is streets ahead. Details like the infinite number of seat recline positions (compared to only four), the addition of a sunhood to the doubles kit and the one-hand fold (which does actually work) make this a much better buggy.
Minnie, 18 months, tested this with her best friend Maggie, also 18 months. The second seat may seem a little small but in reality it is perfectly suited to a toddler, even when used up front with a newborn in the cocoon below.
Pushing the two toddlers together was a cinch and we cruised around the park easily. The Explorer’s pneumatic tyres make this the perfect buggy for going off-road.
Being able to use an inline buggy as a travel system, whilst still carrying a toddler, is a new innovation and one that solves the problem of only having a forward facing pushchair for a newborn. The seat attachment fits into the chassis using a click fit system and is easy to fit and remove.
As a 3-wheeler ATP for one child, this buggy also offers a lot – check out the full review of single Phil and Teds Explorer for details.
What to watch out for
Most of the niggles are to be expected when you’re trying to transport two children and most have been acknowledge to some extent by Phil and Teds. For example, the shopping basket is difficult to use with the second seat attached (it becomes a footwell for number two so expected battered shopping). The solution is to buy panniers, but these do come at extra cost.
Like all 3-wheelers, the front wheel has a tendency to shoot off when you go up kerbs and steps are a bit of a nightmare. In reality, it’s best to ask for help rather than try and bounce a 12kg chassis, 1.9kg doubles seat and two children down them.
One thing to be aware of is the order that you take your children out of the buggy. With Maggie sitting up front I naturally took her out first but Minnie’s weight below caused the front wheel to lift and the buggy to tip backwards.
Trying to get the raincover back into the bag is like trying to fit a toddler in a newborn sleepsuit. Impossible.
Who is the Phil and Teds Explorer Inline Double best for?
Parents, who don’t want to stick to pavements, in need of a versatile product that can cope with their expanding family.
A new, updated inline double buggy that, with seven different modes of use, should meet the needs of most parents-of-two. The Phil and Teds Explorer Inline Double is great around town and off-road, but be aware of the mounting price tag – the accessories needed to make the system work can add up.
