Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

To be honest, I really wanted a Burley trailer for my kids and I do even more now after having dealt with the Quick N EZ trailer for a year. Our first trailer we got for $25 at a garage sale. It was also InStep but I don't see that they make this style any longer. It had a hard plastic base as opposed to the canvas most (if not all) trailers are made of these days. My son would slip and slide all over. After just a few minutes of biking with no suspension and no seats, he'd be slumped down with the straps around his neck. Needless to say, I wasn't going to make him endure that any longer! So we picked up the Quick and EZ for $80. We were pleased with how easy it was to set up and how quickly it folded down, though it still wasn't small enough to fit in the trunk of our Grand Prix. We now have a Sienna so it's no longer an issue, but my son's comfort was immediately a factor from the first time he was put in it. The hammock-style seat is straight up in the back, so when he falls asleep he just slumps over and looks very uncomfortable. Not only that, but the airflow inside the trailer is a HUGE concern for me. After 10 minutes of biking in 80ish degree weather, he is beet red and soaked in sweat. Now, he is not in direct sunlight so that's not what's heating him up. It's that because the hammock seat is canvas and because the seat effectively goes from "wall to wall" inside the trailer, there is nowhere for the air to go, even though there is a vent in the back of the trailer. We started putting him in shorts and nothing else to try to keep him comfortable but he still gets extremely hot. How can I enjoy my ride when I know he is miserable? And you can forget about putting two kids in this thing unless they're very easy-going and don't mind being squished together. When I was a daycare mom, I would regularly take my son and one of our daycare kids who was only 4 days younger than my son and about the same build, and the first few times they did nothing but fight! Sure they were two 2-year-olds, but can you blame them? The hammock seat forced them to lean into each other and make them even MORE hot! Would you really enjoy riding in the car if you were pressed up against the person in the seat beside you the entire time? Not likely! Aside from that major complaint, I do have to complain that the small wheels and lack of suspension make for a very bumpy ride and I also feel bad subjecting my kids to that. Also, it would be nice if you could only partially lower the sun shade to keep your baby protected. When we're going in the wrong direction, he always gets sun on his thighs and sometimes even his arms if the sun is high. We always put sunscreen on of course, but if I'm going to expect him to sit in there while I bike for two hours, I'd like to make sure he's comfortable. So, all complaints aside, the trailer has one big plus. It's price. You can't beat the price, but you get what you pay for. This summer I am seriously considering spending one of my bonus checks to get my son a wonderful Burley trailer. Yes, it's $450 and probably not practical if you only bike once in a while, but seeing as we bike daily in warm weather and sometimes 2-3 times a day, I think the price is justified to make sure he enjoys it as much as I do. Burley trailers come with large wheels with suspension, a roll bar, PADDED BUCKET SEATS!! with mesh on the upper part to allow for good airflow, and padded seatbelts. Yep, definitely getting a Burley this year! I've waited long enough! ;)