Why, when my children are well old enough to walk, did I even consider the Yippie Yo crossbuggy? Well, when we go out walking - we tend to GO out walking. A short walk can often turn into a six mile hike - often with tired little legs in tow.
We also camp A LOT - often at festivals which means traipsing long distances with heavy equipment. In comes the Yippie Yo.
What is a Yippie Yo crossbuggy?
Well it's an off-road, all-terrain, two-wheeler buggy - I'd liken it more to a wagon or a trailer really. They have taken and combined elements from a pushchair, a hand-drawn cart and a child carrier to create an all-terrain buggy kind of like a chariot.
So far we have used our Yippie Yo on a long countryside hike through fields, woodlands and uphill and it has coped extremely well. We've also used it at Joy Festival recently, it worked brilliantly to transport our very heavy 5 metre bell tent from the car park to the camping field. Something we may have struggled with otherwise. One little boy, whose Dad was pulling a garden trolley full to the brim with camping equipment said: "Oh that's not fair, their trolley is really cool, it even has a hand brake."
(Finley taking a ride at the festival, the seat was folded flat so we could carry our camping chairs on it).
"The combination of just one axle, 14 inch wheels, a generous amount of ground clearance, comfortable suspension and stable disc brakes make the all-terrain buggy unbeatable when out and about. Thanks to a low centre of gravity, additional anti-tip mechanisms, a 5-point safety harness system, a handbrake and a parking brake, the YippieYo offers maximum safety."
"The story begins in the 1960s in Germany. Heinz Höfelmann, an active, sporty father, of two, wanted to be able to take his children with him on longer tours in the great outdoors, but he couldn’t find any suitable means of transporting them. Therefore, he designed and developed a new “vehicle” for his sons that was especially suited to walks over uneven terrain. He combined the advantages offered by a hand-drawn cart, a pushchair and a child-carrier. But unlike a child-carrier, he didn’t want to have to carry his children on his back. From the hand-drawn cart he borrowed the principle of pulling the vehicle by means of a handle, making it easier to negotiate obstacles. Unlike the traditional hand-drawn cart, however, he constructed his vehicle with just one axle which rendered it much more flexible and manoeuvrable. With his homemade “kiddie cart” Heinz enjoyed many tours together with his sons through woods and meadows. The original version of the YippieYo was born!"
The buggy has one bench seat for two children, with two harnesses. It is designed to carry up to 40kg and is aimed at children from 12 months to 6 years. Clearly my 11 year old and 9 year old have also had a go in it - which they've loved. The shoulder bag it comes with is very useful too, this can be attached on to the back of the buggy.
It handles well, we've all managed to pull it along with ease and it feels very sturdy. It does fit in the boot of our Vauxhall Signum but it also fits in our car roof box which is an added bonus. The wheels pop off easily and it folds down fairly flat.
Our verdict: We love it! For an active outdoorsy family it is a great buy, especially if you are avid campers and festival goers too.
*We are part of the Yippie Yo family of reviewers - all opinions are mine (and my childrens).