I am a person who has owned 5 strollers. At this point I consider myself somewhat of a stroller expert. I have just one child to show for all these strollers. Out of these strollers I have only liked 2 of them. One I've liked is the Chicco Caddy. (If you want, you can read my review of the other stroller I liked, the Peg Perego Plikomatic.)

With my daughter's 2 year birthday approaching, I had been noticing that my larger, more cushy Pliko has not been keeping me satisfied. My girl does not need to be totally reclined as often. The 30 lb girl plus the 16 lb stroller and its sizeable girth makes it less and less convenient to use in an urban setting. So I went out to Babies R Us in search of yet another stroller, one I could take everywhere. This time I was looking for something with these features:
1. lightweight
2. easy to maneuver (not rickety, very tighly assembled) with good wheels & handles
3. reclinable with a sun shade/comfortable enough for my kid to sleep in.
4. easy as heck to fold
5. affordable.

After online research it became apparent that the only stroller that would be good enough was the Maclaren Volo. (In case you missed that memo, Maclaren strollers are top-of-the-line and have a solid reputation of being the best strollers around.) Despite that the Volo doesnt recline, I'd heard it was still pretty comfy. So I went to Babies R Us emotionally prepared to pay for a Maclaren if it came to that. I also went in there open-minded about those cheapo umbrella strollers that they sell for 19.99. You know the ones, those bare-bones umbrellas made by, I believe, The First Years. Anyway, those were quickly shot down, as they didnt have a 5 pt harness which we desperately need, and also because the handles on the cheapo strollers felt like they were made out of yucky Gummy Worm flesh or something.

So we were left with the Maclaren Volo and the Chicco Caddy to choose from. I put the Maclaren Volo next to the Chicco Caddy and compared them feature by feature and guess what? The Caddy just kicked Volo butt!!!

Here are the CADDY FEATURES (with my comparisson to Maclaren's Volo):

-Sturdy trekking swivel wheels. Easy to maneuver big all terrain wheels (the Volo has very small smooth wheels)

-Linked brakes for added safety (don't know if Volo has this but it sure is nice!)

-Adjustable two-position back rest for baby’s comfort (The Volo *doesnt* recline!!)

-Five-point harness (Maclaren's Volo also has this feature)

-Easy fold mechanism (very sturdy saftey lock mechanism) I have to add that the Caddy locks closed UNLIKE some strollers! My Evenflo stroller didnt lock closed. What a nightmare that was!

-Adjustable sun shade (has internal wire so you can shape it as you like) (Maclaren's Volo has sun shades sold separately so dont forget to factor THAT into the cost and weight if you're buying a Volo!)

-Rain cover (included!!!!!)

-Storage bag (included!!!!)

-Carrying strap (Maclaren's Volo also has this feature)

-Frame made of anodized aluminum (very lightweight. Maclaren's Volo is lighter at 8 1/2 lbs but I lifted them both and the Caddy doesnt feel much heavier. [With the sold separately sun shade, the Volo might weigh the same.])

-good up to 40lbs. (Maclaren's Volo also)

-Caddy is moderately priced (49.95 at Babies R Us and Maclaren's Volo was 99.00!)

-The Caddy has handles at a good height for non-petite stroller-pushers. I can push this stroller comfortably, w/o stooping (I am 5'7"). (However, I've read reviews that said the Caddy was not as comfortable for petite people to push.

-It's well-balanced so that if you hang (light) shopping bags over the handles it will not cause the entire thing to tip over. I am going to test it to find out exactly how much weight it can hold w/o a child in the stroller before tipping over and then update this review.

-The fabric seems nicer than the mesh on the Volo. Softer.

The downside of the Caddy when compared to Maclaren's Volo, is that there is no attached basket underneath like the Volo's. I liked the Volo's basket design. I had to buy a mesh stroller bag separately. Also I REALLY liked the Volo's handles. They are very comfy spongy and ergonomically positioned. The Chicco's are plain plastic and therefore are not nearly as luxurious.
I really like that everything I needed (less the basket) was included with this stroller for under 50$. We took our new Chicco Caddy out for a brisk 3 1/2 mile walk around the bay yesterday and it was a nice, smooth, fun ride. The Peg Perego Plikomatic that this stroller is replacing looks like a dusty old dinosaur next to our new sporty Caddy. I don't think its really fair to compare the Caddy to the Pliko as they are totally different style of stroller, good for different needs. But I must confess, it sure is nice to have a stroller that suits our needs perfectly! The Caddy is exactly what I was looking for!

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UPDATE: (added September 14, 2003)
I've had this stroller for a few months now, and I can think of some ways it could be improved:

1. The sun shade should be entirely removable. The Caddy's shade is not removable as far as I can tell. It flips back and sort of hangs along the back of the stroller when not in use. There have been many times that I wished I could remove it entirely.

2. The foot rest is made from very flexible rubber. This must be to allow it to fold. However, using this sort of material makes it all too possible for a strong 2 year old to push the footrest down onto the front tires. I cant tell you how many times I have (eventually) come to the realization it was her foot slowing down the wheel. I dont know about your 2 year old, but mine keeps forgetting that I've asked her to "keep her feet off the wheels." It seems to me, this could be solved by just making the stroller a couple inches higher.

3. The handle height. Okay, I said it was comfortable before, but I have been pushing this stroller 3 1/2 miles on a jogging path for 4 days per week, since I bought it. I now know the Caddy INTIMATELY. I have to say, it could be a bit higher for me, at 5'7". Just about 1 1/2 to 2 more inches, and it would be perfect. Seems this one is like the rest, targeted at the "average" height. Unfortunately, that makes it uncomfortable when pushing on uneven terrain, or down hill, especially.

I really do still like it a lot, and I highly recommend it, that hasnt changed at all. If there were other strollers that had this many good features, then the Caddy would have some competition. But so far, nothing beats it, not that I've seen anyway. So despite its flaws, I still give it both thumbs up!

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 49.99
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months