What is a Sammy Sack? The bestest and neatest jogger stroller accessory out there and it is made in the USA (talk about local, it is from the Seattle area). It is a weatherproof outside with a fleece lined interior that buckles onto your stroller quickly. The baby/child has a warm place to tuck their feet into, the shell repels water and wind and no worries about blankets falling off. When Ford was little we did a lot of trail walking with his jogger and I ended up with nasty muddy/wet fleece blankets that he kicked off or slipped off and then, bam, went under the back wheel(s) and were useless. No kicking this one off – it is attached to the stroller! It also cinches up over the leg area so that it can tighter as needed.

As for the hike/walk/stroll Kirk and I took Walker out on? Quite nice! Rain had been predicted all day and instead it was an unseasonable 55° (warm!) and no rain. Well no sun but still quite pleasant crossing the many trestle bridges of the Cedar River here in Washington State.

It was a nice way to get out before making Christmas dinner.

Hope everyone had a great weekend and with the Solstice passed, lets start the countdown to longer days and spring

~Sarah

The Chariot chassis retails for $400, the wheel kit for $90. The deal at Costco is $349.99, a $140 savings!

Yes, the Chariot is a pricey setup – it is Ala carte where you buy the main part and whatever accessories you need. The beauty of it is you can have a multiple setups – regular stroller, jogger, the hiker kit, for snow and for bicycling. If you are like us, this can be awesome. When Ford was young I had both a jogger stroller (that was used constantly) and a bicycle trailer. Most bike trailers are clunky and extremely heavy – this one isn’t. I like most that the whole chassis is enclosed, windows to see out but the child is protected from the cold and wind. I had been pondering which way to go – either a Chariot or a BOB stroller when our little one comes. Part of me loves the traditional jogger  (I used one for 4 1/2 years with Ford, almost daily. I wore out two cheap ones in that time!) But then I though about what I hadn’t liked. The biggest issues I had with traditional joggers was the kid being exposed to the elements in a narrow confine. Their whole front side was open to wind, rain, sun, etc. I had rigged a fleece blanket system for Ford but periodically we’d lose it….always in a mud puddle. Ye-ch. And if he had toys or food I had to be careful to not jerk the stroller and have him lose the items. Kirk got me thinking on the decision and I came to it that the Chariot was better for what we needed. I love them for getting in training and just getting around. Any kind of jogger will give a new mom a sense of freedom that is worth every dollar it costs. You can get outside! Sunshine! Fresh air! Most kids love riding in them. If a trail is multi-use and or bike friendly get out there. And hey, the chassis can haul all of mom’s gear as well – it can take up to 75 lbs of weight.

Kirk and I are thinking that we will pick up the bike trailer kit, hiker kit and the infant sling with part of our REI dividend later this month. I can’t wait to get on one of the local rail to trails again!

~Sarah