UPPAbaby Minu Duo Review

American-born, UPPAbaby has more than ten years of juvenile product experience. The company gets inspiration from everyday family experiences; they seek opportunities to create better products that are easier to use, safer, or more fun. UPPAbaby makes multiple types of full-size strollers and some of the car seats.

Ease of Use

The UPPAbaby Minu Duo is a favorite side-by-side stroller for parents seeking an easy-to-use stroller. The Duo is a stylish cruiser that is easy to fold and unfold, with ample storage, quality harnesses, and a straightforward braking system.

Fold and Unfold

You don't need to read the instruction manual to fold the Minu Duo; it's easy and straightforward. Just push the button on the handlebar when you move the slider out of the center position, and it folds automatically into itself and locks.

To unfold, push the button on the handlebar again, shift the slider, and shake it slightly to return to its travel-ready position. Since it's designed to be folded rapidly, it's more compact than traditional double strollers.

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Storage

The roomy storage area is divided into two compartments by a bar located where the seats are separated. The bin holds 25 lbs. and is deep by design to hold as much as possible. However, it doesn't offer much height, so taller items may have to be pushed down to compress into the available space.

Two large diaper bags fit easily, but anything larger requires finagling to get the item in and out. Fully loaded, the bin will hit the ground when going over curbs or off-road debris, but the bottom offers reinforced fabric to protect the compartment and your items. There's also a small, hidden pocket for a tracker, so you don't have to worry about losing your stroller when traveling.

Harness

The Minu Duo has a 5-point harness with a 3-point buckle system. The buckle requires a small amount of force to engage, but it will prevent little ones from opening it on their own. The harness adjusts without re-threading, the strap material is soft to the touch, and it comes with removable shoulder pads for additional comfort on long rides.

Brakes

The Minu Duo's braking system is simple, sandal-friendly, and easy to use. To engage the brake, press down on the red color-coded pedal near the right back wheel, and you'll hear a click when it engages. To release, push down on the green pedal near the back left wheel, and you'll hear another audible click as the braking system is disengaged. A quick visual check of which brake is down lets you know quickly when it's locked or unlocked.

Maneuverability

Even with its wider width, this stroller offers impressive maneuverability for a side-by-side stroller designed for occasional use.

On smooth surfaces, the Minu Duo is agile and easy to push with one hand, but it is most responsive and energy-efficient with two. Its buttery smooth turn radius is stellar, and it easily navigates tight turns and circles. Standard doorways are a breeze with this stroller, making it the ideal pick for shopping, travel, and tourist destinations packed with people and narrow lines. Did we mention the Minu Duo is Disney-approved?

Off-road, this stroller struggled, probably due to the smaller wheels, which are not designed for more challenging terrain. In a pinch, it will maneuver okay off-road over packed dirt, involving pine needles or small pebbles, for a short duration. However, the Minu Duo primarily shines and was designed as a travel stroller, so more adventurous parents planning on traversing uneven terrain will find it isn't well-suited for those kinds of adventures.

The storage bin sits low and will scrape any terrain that isn't flat. With the smaller wheel size, navigating over steep curbs is slow and frustrating, and the storage bin bottoms out.

Transporting and Storing

Thanks to its lighter weight and smaller fold size, this stroller is designed to be easy to take on trips, load up into your trunk or onto a plane, and store discreetly at home.

Weight and Folded Size

The Minu Duo weighs 27.3 lbs, making it easy for even the most petite users to lift and transport. Its fast folding and comfort when lifting and lowering from waist height are also huge parts of what make this stroller ideal for travel.

Its long, somewhat flat, rectangular shape measures a storage-friendly 6,654 cubic inches when folded. It takes up a minimal amount of space in any vehicle's trunk. In fact, it may even slide behind the front seats in your car without obscuring your line of sight.

Kid Ride

The Minu Duo is designed for your children's comfort. Its seating includes an adjustable leg rest and a straightforward seat recline.

Seat

The attractively designed, spacious seats accommodate up to 50 lbs each and are identical, which reduces sibling disagreements about seating location. Both include adjustable legrests set at a standard angle or flat, utilizing a hidden latch underneath.

The adjustability of the Minu Duo offers multiple options for customizing your child's traveling experience. Each seat reclines by releasing a soft, nylon pull tab on the back. Returning to an upright position is easy using one hand to pull the tab in and reducing the angle with your other hand. Each seat is independently adjustable, can sit almost completely upright, and recline flat. The option to set for infant mode exists by fully reclining the seat, putting the leg rest in its flattest position, and attaching the foot pouch to the frame.

Sunshade

The canopy is crafted using SPF 50+ fabric that fits tightly to the frame for a sleek appearance with excellent coverage. A flap on the back rolls up and is secured with a toggle, revealing a large mesh window for keeping an eye on your children.

The canopy can also be unzipped entirely to maximize ventilation. The overhead height accommodates taller kids, and the structural support is solid and sturdy.

Quality

The Minu Duo is pricier but offers great value and durability. Thanks to the quality of all its materials, it will last for years with moderate usage.

The premium, rip-resistant fabric that UPPAbaby is known for is a defining feature of the Minu Duo. The deep seats are soft, densely padded for comfort, and feature durable, removable covers for easy washing. The non-adjustable handlebar is covered in full-grain leather and is set at a height of 40.5 inches, which will accommodate almost all users. The wheels on the Minu Duo are foam-filled plastic that will never go flat, and the upgraded all-wheel suspension offers a smooth ride. The stroller frame is sturdy, lightweight aluminum, with no noticeable weak areas or structural bending.

Car Seat Compatibility

The Minu Duo is compatible with various car seat brands, but you must purchase the necessary adapters. Several brands that will attach with adapters include Mico, Maxi-Cosi, Pebble, Cabrio, Citi, Nuna, Cybex, Clek, UPPAbaby, and Diono. Once the adapters are installed, the stroller will still fold quickly, even with them attached.

Ease of Setup

The effortless setup of the Minu Duo stroller takes less than five minutes. It comes completely assembled in the box, except for the front wheels. You are ready to hit the road once you remove the protective packaging and install the two front wheels.

Twins

Twin parents will love the Minu Duo's side-by-side, identical seating arrangement that allows you to customize your kids' riding experience. Both seats can quickly recline into infant mode with integrated foot barriers. It is worth noting that although you can purchase an adapter to accommodate one infant car seat, this stroller will not hold two of them.

Should You Buy the UPPAbaby Minu Duo?

In the Minu Duo, quality and function come together to offer a lightweight, compact cruiser that is easy to push, quick to fold, and delivers fluid maneuverability for all your travels. While it's marketed as a travel stroller, the Minu Duo's quality and craftsmanship lend themselves to day-to-day regular use. Still, it isn't designed to traverse much outside flat surfaces or pavement. For families with the budget for a steeper price tag and looking for a high-quality, dual stroller that features premium materials, the UPPAbaby Minu Duo is the stroller for you!

What Other Double Stroller Should You Consider?

If you love the side-by-side design of the Minu Duo but don't love the price tag, you might want to consider the Zoe Twin v2. The Zoe offers comparable ease-of-use, identical seating style, and a large storage compartment, but with slightly better maneuverability at a fraction of the price. It does sacrifice on quality, which is reflected by the lower price, but if that isn't a priority, or you only anticipate using this stroller infrequently, we recommend doing your bank account a favor and purchasing the Zoe. However, if you travel often and have budgeted to benefit from premium materials coupled with years of long-lasting durability, the Minu Duo does not disappoint and is our favorite.

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