We recently reviewed and loved the single version Out‘n'About Nipper V3, and now we take a look at the double to see if it's twice the fun... or double the trouble!
Quick Summary: The Out‘n'About Nipper V3 Double is a bit of a hidden gem, perhaps overlooked slightly by those looking for the convenience of an umbrella fold, or maybe someone whose head has been turned by something with a higher price tag.
Whats good?
- Light
- Great quality
- Value for money
Whats not so good?
- Strap recline
- Single hood
So here we have it, the new Out‘n’About Nipper V3 double. Here at Pushchair Expert we were yet to see a Nipper double of any version, so are very excited to get our hands on the latest V3 double. We get to grips with the nuts and bolts of this popular people carrier and see how it shapes up in our Out‘n’About Nipper V3 double?
Chassis
The Out‘n’About Nipper V3 double is a substantial piece of kit, but what you notice right away is it’s so light; I can lift it out the box to set it up much easier than many single pushchairs I’ve set up. It’s strong and sturdy with plenty of room for two hefty passengers. It’s well made, and although lightweight, the pushchair feels really good quality.
The frame, exclusive to our Purple Punch colourway in smart black aluminium, matches well with the black of the seat fabric bases. The new version of the Out‘n’About Nipper Double comes in a range of new colours, and these are really shown off well on the black frame.
Looking around the frame, the brake is located at the centre of the rear axle; it’s a rocker type, so very easy to use and flip flop friendly too. On either end of the back axle you find the two giant shock absorbing springs and the two large air filled tyres that work together to give you an easy push and your offspring a comfy ride. These wheels are set underneath the pushchair rather than sticking out to the side; making the chassis narrower overall whilst still maintaining good sized seats.
Unlike a lot of other side-by-side off road style doubles the Nipper V3 keeps just the one swivel wheel at the front of the pushchair, and this works very well. The angle of the seat bases mean children’s weight is kept well back in the seat, allowing you to manoeuver the Nipper round tight corners and up and down kerbs without feeling like it will tip. For bumpy surfaces or long walks the front wheel can be locked into a fixed position with the use of a slightly fiddly and stiff rotating knob under the footrest.
The Out‘n’About Nipper V3 shopping basket is a mesh bag attached to the underneath of each seat, it has a fairly large capacity but items do have to be squeezed in a little around a metal crosspiece on the frame. You can buy a separate shopping under basket to sling beneath the pushchair if you need more space, but the addition of this might reduce your ground clearance if you’re a hardcore off-roader.
As with the earlier version of the Out‘n’About Nipper the V3 also features the fully adjustable foam handle bar, this bar is slightly narrow than the entire width of the pushchair, and I think this really helps in giving you that ‘nippy’ feel, less like you’re pushing a tank around. There is no centre piece to the handle bar either, which means you can get a good grip of it right in the middle to help push one handed; if you have an older siblings hand to hold for example. A wrist strap is included to give you some security (and you’ll be thankful for it when going downhill with two hefty toddlers).
Seat
The two forward facing side-by-side seats of the Out‘n’About Nipper V3 double are a good size, with plenty of capacity for two toddlers to sit comfortably. Although a little narrower than the seats on the single version, the backrest height and seat base depth is very similar, so if you needed to, you can slot in even larger bottoms and taller tots much easier than with some other doubles. The pushchair is also up to the task in terms of weight carrying ability – it can take up to 22kg in each seat, which should be more than adequate to take children right up until they walk full time.
The Out‘n’About Nipper Double V3 features a slider toggle recline system, and you can operate the recline on each seat independently; allowing you to lay one child back whilst sitting the other up for example. It is not the easiest system to use when putting the seat back up, the slider toggle does however allow you to set the seat back at an infinite number of positions between the two maximums. The fully reclined position here is very flat; although the seat base is angled quite steeply to the back itself, so you end up with a slight trough in the middle when fully reclining the seat. When sitting the seat back up from reclined you may need to smooth and tweak the fabrics around the edge of the seat so they do not ruck up at the top, potentially getting in the way.
One of the newly updated features of the Out‘n’About Nipper Double V3 is the composition of the seat fabric. Where previously the seat back used to be a mesh panel when the seat is fully reclined, it’s now solid fabric, with a mesh panel which can be covered to create a really snug sleeping environment, or unzipped to reveal the mesh window allowing greater airflow on hot days.
The calf rest on the Out‘n’About Nipper V3 Double is non adjustable, and leads down at a gently sloping angle to the plastic wipe clean footrest, although plenty of room for two sets of feet, you’ll need co-operative occupants to make full use of it and I can see outer legs may dangle off the edge as the pushchair narrows towards the front wheel.
The seats themselves on the Out‘n’About Nipper V3 Double are fairly exposed, nut have a spacious feel. The pushchair comes with a seat liner which adds a nice comfy feel, and wraps around the occupant on either side. The liner features different slots to feed through the straps to give you flexibility in terms of positioning of straps as well as on the length of all the straps. Shoulder and crotch pads are included as standard on this version and are a welcome addition.
A gate opening, swing away foam bumper bar is also present in this version, with a soft and squishy zip off cover to help keep it nice and clean.
Bucking the trend for individual hoods the Out‘n’About Nipper V3 Double has stuck with its shared single canopy covering both children. It’s easy to use, although a little clunky and stiff to operate, and the design offers great coverage without obstructing the view in front of the occupants.
Raincover
Your standard plastic see through raincover, does up under the handle and around the fully extended hood by means of Velcro, it covers all the fabric parts, including the sides and rear of the seat when fully reclined, although you cannot access the seat when you are using it as there is no peephole window.
Fold
Similar to the previous versions, the Out‘n’About Nipper V3 folds quickly and gives a surprisingly compact result for such a large pushchair.
Firstly, lift the large plastic latches from either side of the frame to release the tension, and then lift the red safety lock hook on the side whilst pushing down towards the ground with the handle and the pushchair splits in half beginning the fold. Make sure you keep the hood and handle pointing downwards, and the seat backs pointing up, and just as you get it closed you might need to adjust the swivel wheel before you can latch it shut. Although it doesn’t free stand when folded you can lock it shut with a manual latch. The Nipper fold is quite compact, and can be made even more so by popping the wheels off, which is easy to do.
To get it up just reverse the procedure; with it standing with the ‘prongs’ pointing upwards, unlock the red latch holding it closed if you’ve used it, then lift upwards on the handle and it snaps into place, lock the big black latches into place to further secure it and you’re done.
Conclusion
The Out‘n’About Nipper V3 Double is a bit of a hidden gem, perhaps overlooked slightly by those looking for the convenience of an umbrella fold, or maybe someone whose head has been turned by something with a higher price tag.
But let me tell you this, the Out‘n’About Nipper V3 Double would rate highly in either of those camps; it’s as lightweight as an umbrella fold, but significantly more sturdy and practical. It’s got plenty of features worth shouting about, and when combined with carrycots makes a great sibling, or even twin option. With a high weight capacity, good sized seats and realistic price tag it’ll also give you excellent value for money.
This latest version features a few tweaks which make it even more desirable than it always was, and it’s definitely one to look at if you’re looking for a fully loaded double, especially if you plan to venture of the beaten track.
