The design of the Stokke Xplory is most certainly eye-catching. But it is a little like marmite, you either love it or you hate it. Whichever way you look at it, there is no question that it is one of a kind.
I love a good stroller and after 5 children I have certainly seen my fair share of them.
The Stokke Xplory may be a beautifully crafted piece of engineering but how will it hold up to the real-life wear and tear of having a baby. Check out our review to find out.
In this article
About Stokke
Stokke (Stok-ah) was founded in Norway in 1932 where the company originally produced bus seats.
But moving with the times, they now spend their resources crafting smart, sustainable products that promote bonding and healthy development for a whole generation of children. One of those products being strollers.
The company believes that ‘higher is better’ and ‘parent facing’ is the best type of stroller to have, therefore they use ergonomics to ensure their products work for parents of any height.
There is no doubt about it when we say that these clever designs also come with quite a hefty price tag but there are also much higher priced strollers of similar design. So what makes the Stokke Xplory so special?
Stokke Xplory Review
What’s In The Box?
Not only does the box include a stroller, it also includes accessories and safety precautions for your baby. Inside we have:
- Chassis
- Seat unit
- Canopy/Hood
- Rain cover
- Newborn insert
- Bumper bar
- Mosquito net
- Shopping bag
These add on’s and accessories make it possible for you to use your stroller in any weather no matter where you’re going. The rain cover and mosquito net also ensure your child is protected at all times whilst also being comfortable.
Specifications
This stroller is perfect for use straight from birth as it comes with a newborn insert.
Its open height is a maximum of 48 inches which allows the stroller to be used by people of all heights and with an open width of only 22 inches, making it smaller than the equivalent Bugaboo Fox 2.
The Stokke Xplory can be used in a wide variety of spaces including where space is limited.
- Open height: 35 to 48 inches
- Open width: 22 inches
- Open length: 29.5 to 40 inches
- Weight: 23 pounds with seat; 27.5 with carrycot
Color Options
The Stokke Xplory is available in a range of beautiful colors including Deep Blue, Beige Melange, Urban Blue, Black Melange, Red, Brown, Purple, Black, and Beige.
Accessories
You can also personalize the stroller to fit your needs and preferences with the use of their extensive range of accessories:
- Carrycot
- Style Kit
- Summer kit
- Winter kit
- Sibling board
- Sleeping bag
- Footmuff
- Sheepskin
- Pram pack
- Changing bag
- Parasol
- Knitted blanket
- Cupholder
This is not a complete list of all accessories that you might need for your stroller and in fact, any stroller that you may decide on. Some accessories will very much depend on the climate in which you live and the season.
For example, if you live in a warm climate you may need accessories that will help to keep your little one cool and comfortable – you may be thinking about a stroller fan.
Although Stokke Xplory doesn’t offer this as an accessory, there are plenty in the market that will fit this beautiful stroller, why not check out our stroller fan recommendations.
Chassis
This stroller comes with some great features, each and everyone feels intuitive and designed with both parents and babies in mind. To begin with, the Stokke Xplory does not require an engineering degree to construct.
Straight out of the box it is easy and quick to build. One thing that you may notice straight away about this stroller is its very unusual basket or lack of one.
Instead, Stokke has designed a bag that sits on a raised platform between the front wheels, it is attached using two plastic clips. This bag is not the biggest especially considering all the stuff that comes with a baby.
But it does have a beautiful and practical design. It comes with an internal net bag that prevents items from falling out. The bag can also be removed and carried with the included strap.
All four wheels come with black EVA tires. The new wheels brilliantly complement the Stokke stroller as they are lighter, stronger, and more durable.
This allows the stroller to withstand the wear and tear it will go through whilst still being easy to use. Its two-wheel function allows the stroller to be used on surfaces that are usually tricky to navigate such as sand and pebbles.
It also is great for maneuvering through tight spaces with the front wheel swivel function.
Surprisingly there is no suspension, so every bump, ridge, and cobble can be felt in both the seat and handle. The seat is very well padded so this lack of suspension shouldn’t really be a problem.
Another of its great practical elements is the ergonomic Handle. It is not one of those design features that looks good but is completely impractical. The handle is height adjustable from 33 to 40 inches.
This is a feature I thought was severely overrated until I had a stroller with an adjustable handle (Bugaboo Donkey) and it is life-changing- I’m average height at 5′ 6″ and my partner is 6′ so there isn’t a great height difference.
If you are looking for a stroller with a height-adjustable handle, maybe the Stokke is a little out of your price range, take a look at the other strollers that come with this great feature.
Seat
Stokke has had to go back to the drawing board with their seat design purely because of their unique chassis design. But do not panic they have truly excelled.
The seat on the Xplory can be positioned forward or parent facing. It offers 5 different positions; 3 parent-facing and 2 forward-facing. The three parent-facing positions are sleep, rest, and active.
The two forward-facing positions are rest and active. All these positions allow your child to be in any position they find comfortable at any time. It can also be used from birth with a newborn insert which is included.
The seat is uniquely designed due to the fact that it needs to attach to a single stem. While the seat is in parent-facing mode, older children’s legs comfortably rest on either side of the stem and younger children won’t even notice it is there.
The seat also comes with a 5 point harness and has three positions for the padded shoulder straps. The crotch strap is also well-padded ensuring your little one is comfortable.
The fabric is beautiful along with the amount of padding. It has a deep base and high sides giving the feeling of providing your little one with a really snug cocoon.
This cocoon feeling is felt even further when you use the hood and more so when you pull out the sun visor
Probably one of the coolest and innovative features of the seat is that you can raise or lower the height. With the seat removed, just lift the catch at the front of the seat stay.
This allows you to slide the seat stay up and down on the central chassis stem. You can adjust the height by around 4-5 inches and this may not sound like a huge amount.
But what it will allow you to do is bring your child closer to you and allow you to position the seat at the perfect height for a table at your favorite lunch spot.
Say goodbye to dangling feet because this stroller comes with an adjustable footrest that allows for variation whilst seated. The footrest is also removable, by pulling the grey tab and sliding the footrest out.
To adjust the footrest you simply pull a grey catch and slide it into the seat. It can be fixed in two positions, one close to the seat and another further away for older children.
One point to note is that if the seat is in the parent-facing mode you will need to remove the footrest before removing the seat in order to fold the stroller.
Both the included rain cover and mosquito net fit perfectly and are easily removed.
Carrycot
This carrycot has a curved base, is made from hard plastic, and also has air vents to ensure your child doesn’t get too warm when you’re out and about.
There is also optional openings for ventilation over 30% of the hood that is protected by a mosquito net. You will need to swap the hood from the seat to the carrycot unless you decide to purchase an additional hood.
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You’ll never be far from all the necessary stuff that comes with a baby as this carrycot has integrated pockets for storage.
It does require two hands to lift the carrycot off the chassis but as it has a solid base you can easily place it on the floor while you pull out the carrying handles.
You can also ensure that your baby is protected from harsh wind and light with a visor that can be folded back or removed at any time.
The carrycot has a soft interior and comes with a well-padded mattress and like the main carrycot also has removable covers.
The Fold
The Stokke Xlpory is quite easy to fold and has been made even easier on their newer models. One thing to note is that you must remove the seat or carrycot before folding it.
Once the seat or carrycot has been removed, you will need to slide the handlebar stay back down as low as possible. Then pull the grey tab back on top of the ring that is located behind the central stay and pull the ring up.
Next left the chassis and press the bottom of the big grey button on the back of the wheel frame. Let the rear wheels fold towards the front and click in place. Then you can fold the handle back under itself to reduce the footprint of the stroller.
To put the stroller up for use simply slide the tag and lift the ring. Let the wheels unfold and click into place.
Others points to note is that the Xplory is quite big even when fully folded and you have to remove the seat in order to fold it. But there is always compromise with great design.
Pros Of Stokke Xplory
- No axle to accidentally kick
- Amazing versatile hood
- Comfortable bucket-style seat.
- Front-facing and can sit at a coffee table with ease.
Cons Of Stokke Xplory
- Big and chunky even when it is collapsed.
- No under-seat storage basket.
- Small wheels.
- The seat has to be removed for folding.
The Final Thought
If you love great design and want to stand out in the crowd then this is going to be the stroller for you.
There are some things that will definitely frustrate you. The lack of a basket is a big compromise for many parents.
Another compromise could be the lack of suspension, but it will depend on the area that you live in and how rough the ground is. this also limits the ability for any exploring off the beaten track.
Depending on how much space you have the size when folded could be an issue for some, while others will not care as they have the space to accommodate it.
There are some great features that I feel far outweigh the compromises. The adjustable seat height and the huge range of handle adjustments are most definitely a winner. Along with the removable bag and do you know what this stroller actually looks amazing!
