Best Travel Stroller - gb Pockit Review

This post was sponsored by @GBChildUsa as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. I received the gb Pockit to facilitate my review.

I have a thing for strollers. It drives my husband crazy, but I just can't get enough of this integral piece of baby gear. I've bought and reviewed many strollers over the years and although many have a unique feature here or there, I'd never seen anything like the gb Pockit compact stroller. It's sheer size, or should I say mere size, sets it apart from all others. I'm talking about a record-breakingly small stroller. The gb Pockit  folds small enough to fit into a tote bag or backpack and I couldn't wait to see it for myself.

The entire concept behind the gb Pockit is to make everyday life easier and less hassle. When I first saw a video of the gb Pockit, my immediate thought was that having a super compact stroller would indeed make our everyday life a lot easier. Despite having a large SUV, I don't have enough room to load our full size stroller in when the third row of seats is up. Even with the third row of seats folded down, it's cramped and my husband has a fit when the stroller rolls around and scratches the cargo interior. I knew the gb Pockit would alleviate this problem, plus it would be so convenient for travel.

So, how small is the gb Pockit stroller?

It truly does fit in a backpack! When folded, the gb Pockit measures an astoundingly small 14' x 12" x 7" and weighs in at only 9.5 pounds. Considering it can accommodate a child from around 6 months until they're 55 pounds, that's pretty amazing. The stroller comes in a small box and it's fully assembled so you can simply unfold it and go.

If you've ever taken a flight and had to check or gate-check your stroller, you know the possibility of it coming back to you damaged is real. I'm so thrilled that we'll never have to deal with this again. We can take our Pockit stroller and simply stuff it into a backpack or tote and store it under the seat or in the overhead compartment.

The gb Pockit has all of the features you might expect in a typical umbrella stroller. It's lightweight, has an adjustable harness with protective pads for comfort, a locking brake on the back wheels, and front wheels that swivel but can also lock into place. Since the harness is adjustable (and doesn't require rethreading - thank you gb!), I can use this stroller with my 10 month old baby girl and my almost 4 year old toddler. All I have to do is slide the harness height adjuster up and tighten or loosen the harness straps.

Since this is a convenience stroller, the basket on the gb Pockit is pretty small. I'm able to toss in our handy diaper clutch and a bottle so this hasn't been an issue for me. For longer outings, I just know that I'll be carrying my diaper bag myself instead of storing in the basket.

The seat on the Pockit looks comfortable, and although it doesn't recline, my daughter did take a short nap in it while we were out and about. The seats is 10" wide at the very back (where the child's rear sits) and tapes outward to 13". The seat back measures an impressive 25" high, so this is great choice for older and taller children.

The gb Pockit does have a sunshade, although it's meager in size. The canopy is a fixed in the shape of a square and you simply flip it backwards when you're ready to fold and store your stroller. The small canopy is a bit limiting since it only blocks the sun when it's directly over the child's head. I'm going to experiment with different options for a canopy extender, but until then we're sticking with hats for added sun protection and shade.

The magic of the gb Pockit is in the fold. Just by compressing the white buttons on the handlebar and pushing the stroller downward, you initiate a super quick and easy two-step fold. There are actually two fold options, compact or ultra compact. You can simply fold the stroller down and initiate the latching lock for the standing fold you see above. Or, if you need that ultra compact fold, you simply slide the white button on the back of each rear wheel and fold that wheel backward, locking it into place. Then fold the stroller as you normally would and you'll be left with the super compact fold you see below.

You almost have to see it to believe it,
so here's a clip of me folding the gb Pockit:

The handlebars on the gb Pockit stroller are at a fixed height and measure 39.8" inches from floor to the very top of the handlebar. The handlebars have foam padding for comfort and I've found that pushing this stroller is quite easy and you can even do one handed steering. I did notice was that it's easy to step on the rear wheels if you don't keep your arms somewhat extended while strolling. This only happened a few times for me and once I realized what I was doing wrong, I was more aware of my stride.

I mentioned earlier that the gb Pockit is lightweight and I mean it. It almost seems too lightweight at first, but after using it for a few weeks I know it's durable and stable. There are so many things that are designed to be "portable," yet are so heavy that you can't really carry them with you. The gb Pockit is truly portable and what you lose in features (like a reclining seat) you absolutely gain in convenience.

Overall, I think gb has done an amazing job with the design of this stroller. I've already off-loaded our other convenience strollers because there is no way I'd ever reach for them again since we have the Pockit stroller. I foresee lots of adventures in our future and I know the gb Pockit will make our lives much easier. I'm already looking forward to taking the Pockit with us to Disney World next month. Now we won't even have to deal with stroller parking since we can just fold and go!

You can purchase the gb Pockit stroller at Babies "R" Us for $249.99.

What do you think of the gb Pockit stroller?
I'd love to hear your favorite feature!