my groovy joovy

Yesterday morning, Kyle and I found ourselves talking about jogging strollers (again). We'd researched them a lot a few months ago but just never found anything that felt right and I had decided that I probably wouldn't use it. But, recently, I've felt more and more like I would not only use it, but use it often if I had one. So, Kyle gave me his blessing to look at them again.

After a few hours of internet research, I'd made up my mind. I decided I wanted a Joovy Zoom 360. This particular stroller wasn't on our radar before - I believe it's relatively new, but after reading review after review after review and discovering that they were all overwhelmingly positive, I got up the courage to order one.

I ordered mine from diapers.com. I wanted the blue one, but it also comes in black and red. On diapers.com the stroller was listed at $199.99. Now, that's a lot of money. Especially for somebody who thinks any clothing over $5 or $10 is too extravagant for her. BUT. If you've ever researched joggers, you know that anything under $200 is considered affordable. I mean, sure, if I had an extra $500-600 lying around, I'd probably just go buy myself a BOB (a higher end and very popular stroller) and not bat an eye. But, no can do. We wanted to keep our budget under $200 for sure. I found a promo code "10percent" and saved $20 off my total. Shipping is free AND (here's the best part) it is next day shipping! So. My grand total was $179.99 and I got it 26 hours after I ordered it. Sweet!

I'm not a reviewer. I'm not trying to get all technical about anything, but I thought I'd give a little bit of a closer look into this stroller. One, because it's kinda new. And two, I would have found more pictures helpful when I was searching. If you want to read about the technical aspects of the stroller, go here. Here are a few of the features I liked about this stroller.

1) Aesthetics, I know looks shouldn't matter, but they do of course, and I like the look of this stroller. :)

2) The weight limit! This stroller is built for kids up to 75lbs - which means I can jog with Abs until about 5th grade. Most strollers are built for kids up to 40-50 lbs, so this one exceeded my expectations.

3) The sunshade - the Zoom comes with a fantastic sunshade that can come out in 3 different lengths. When pulled out all the way, the baby's face is fully protected from the sun. The top of the sunshade has a generous window with a flap that rolls back so that the parent can keep an eye on things below.

4) the storage. The parent tray is a soft tray that straps to the handles. I don't know if this would bother some people, but I kinda like it. It means that I can put my keys in the pocket and there's no rattling. The cupholder pockets and zipper pocket are generous. My tall smartwater bottle fit fine in the cupholder and I fit my wallet, keys, camera, and phone in the zipper pocket without issue.

There's also mesh pockets on the back of the seat should you like to use them as well/instead.

This stroller doesn't come with a snack bar for the kiddos - something I had originally wanted. But, these mesh pockets serve a similar purpose. On our test run, Abby was able to enjoy her bag of popcorn (without spilling it) and drink her water with ease. There are pockets for the kiddo on both sides.

and of course, the underneath storage. There is plenty of space for stuff down there and it's open and easily accessible. I also like that the storage area comes with built in velcro straps meant to hold the (included) air pump so that you can always have it with you.

5) The ride. I read a ton of reviews before reading them and I actually had to go search for negative ones. Everybody liked the ride, and while I'm no expert, I can't complain. The Zoom has a swivel front wheel that can be locked in for jogging. We tried both.

I found that jogging with the swivel wheel was fine - I wasn't going quickly or far, but for a brisk walk/ short run it was at least a smooth ride and very easy to handle. When I locked the wheel into lock mode, the whole stroller tended to veer to the right. This was more noticeable if I was walking with the locked wheel than jogging - but it was noticeable while jogging too.

I had read that other people had the same problem. Supposedly, tightening the wheel screw can fix the problem. I haven't attempted it, but probably will eventually. Overall, the ride was very smooth and enjoyable. The swivel wheel option means we can use this stroller on shopping trips or other more leisurely activities - and knowing how much we love the Freedom Trail - I'm excited to get good use out of the stroller for everyday trips as well.

shocks

lots of reflective stitching built in for those dusk and night jogs

6) folding. Folding is easy. Behind the footrest is a wire. You pull the wire while pressing another lever and the whole stroller collapses effortlessly. You do need two hands to do it, so keep that in mind, but it is not difficult to do.

I had no problem fitting the stroller in our trunk, although I have a small SUV, so I'm unsure how the stroller would fit in a smaller car. The wheels pop off easily for smaller storage if needed. In this picture, the stroller is laying on top of our umbrella stroller - thus the awkward angle. So, I'd have room for both of those strollers and a full grocery trip still.

7) The details. I mentioned before that the stroller came with an air pump, which is a nice addition. It also comes with a full rain cover and, of course, the parent tray. The stroller took me, maybe, 15 minutes to put together, and most of that was unpacking. It was very simple. And I like simple.

The only other complaint I read about this stroller was that the handle bar is not adjustable. I'm not sure how this would affect people who are overly tall or abnormally short - but I'm 5' 3" and was comfortable. My husband who is 5' 10" ish was fine as well. I read reviews that people 6' were also comfortable, but still, something to keep in mind. Also, there is no hand brake if that's on your must-have list. There is a wrist strap that you can wear to make sure no run-away stroller incidents occur.

So, here's to the beginning of what I hope is a long and beautiful relationship. I'm excited to get out and get moving with the little one in tow. I'll let you know if anything crazy happens, but from our experiences today playing and prodding this thing - we would definitely recommend it for somebody looking for a nice stroller on a budget. :)