The Armadillo Twin is Mamas & Papas' brand-new side-by-side pushchair. Let's see how we got on with it...
Quick Summary: The Armadillo Twin has been made to an excellent quality standard. The finish on the chassis and seat fabrics is lovely.
Whats good?
- Good sized hood
- Quick and easy fold
Whats not so good?
- Seats don't sit upright
- Wide
- Heavy
- Broad folded package
Things we love
It’s great to have a side-by-side double with two independently reclining seats and two independent hoods. We found it really versatile for both twins and babies of different ages. The hoods are big and extended over each baby to give brilliant coverage. We also really loved the amount of basket space we had underneath the two seats. Storage never proved a problem, thanks to the mesh sides of the roomy basket.
Each seat has its own strap recline and the positions were great. When reclined, the seats were cosy and nicely sheltered from the autumn breezes we were testing the pushchair in. The handlebar is also great. As it’s part of the Armadillo fast-folding family, you would expect an easy and quick fold and that is certainly the case. The fold is also one-handed, which we feel is something of a luxury in the double pushchair world.
Things to look out for
The concept of the Armadillo Twin sounds brilliant but there are quite a few practical features that we didn’t get on with so well. The sheer size of the pushchair is the first thing we came across that posed us problems. There were quite a few doorways that we were unable to get through due to the width of the pram. The seat reclines may be a positive, but the seats never seem to sit upright enough to suit older passengers, which resulted in frustrated and very grumpy toddlers constantly straining whilst trying to pull themselves up in the pushchair seat.
The weight of the pushchair was also difficult to manage. At 12.7kg empty, by the time it was fully laden with 15kg in each seat, it really was quite a beast to push, especially up hills. Perhaps some spongier or air-filled tyres might help to lighten the load.
Our Verdict
The Armadillo Twin has been made to an excellent quality standard. The finish on the chassis and seat fabrics is lovely. Having a quick and easy to fold double pushchair is great, however you need to be prepared to cope with the fact you will not be able to fit into quite a few shops, and that it is very heavy to push and manage up and down kerbs. If you have an inquisitive toddler that likes to sit up and take in the world around them then you might want to try them in the seat before you buy as the seat’s most upright position is still reasonably reclined.
