This review has been written by our fellow running mother Chelsea, from Australia!
For more tips on running with kids in a stroller, check out our jogging with kids tips here!
The Thule Sport Chariot 2 has to be one of the best double jogging strollers available on the market today. With it’s multi-function as a regular stroller, running stroller, snow mobile and bike trailer, the Thule Chariot has it all!
The Thule Chariot is built for all-weather with its waterproof features, rain covers and UV windows.
The Thule Chariot stroller is one of the most expensive jogging strollers available, but this is all due to its quality construction and extra features that you can’t find on other strollers out there.
Let’s jump into what makes this jogging stroller so expensive, and is it really worth the money?
Table of Contents
Thule Chariot Sport Review
OVERALL RATING: 7.5
Capability as a jogging stroller: 10
Ease of Use: 7
Rolling Resistance: 9
Compactness: 4
Robustness: 8
Style: 6
Safety: 9
Value for money: 7
PROS
- Highly manoeuvrable
- Easy to clean – just hose it
- Individually reclining seats
- Can be converted to bike trailer
- Handle is very adjustable
- Hand brake is fantastic
- Hand strap for safety
- Rear wheels come off easily
- Contains toys and snacks when dropped, rather than them dropping over the side like regular strollers
CONS
- Weight – heavy!
- Cost – Expensive
- Size – very large and extra-long with jogging wheel attached
- May not fit in standard car for transportation
- Rear storage bag can get in the way when walking
- Seats close for 2 older kids, can get a little touchy
Our main reasons for buying the Thule Chariot Sport:
- Hand brake (we live in a hilly area so this was important to us!)
- Sunshade and wet weather covers
- We needed a double stroller for two kids
- Converts to a bike trailer
- Can be used for many years to come
Thule is a solid, well-respected brand in the outdoor equipment market. We wanted a brand we knew we could trust, and Thule ticked those boxes for us. Our strollers take a fair beating, and we knew that Thule would live up to the test.
Running with the Thule Chariot Sport:
Between my husband and I, we’ve taken our running stroller on a wide range of courses and terrains including. With the jogging kit, it can handle terrains such as:
- Rocky paths
- Hills
- Grass
- Hard sand
We run regularly with the Thule Chariot and love how it glides along with minimal effort. With the jogging wheel attached, the stroller stays straight very easily.
Weight of the Chariot Thule Sport for Jogging
With a weight of 35lb (15.8kg), there’s no getting away from the fact that this is one heavy stroller! Add a toddler or two, and you do have a large weight to push. Because of this, we often pack the stroller into the car and drive to a flat running route when we can.
We live in a hilly neighbourhood so there really is no escaping pushing the stroller uphill! However, the more you practice pushing the Thule on hills, it definitely becomes easier. It’s all about those reps!
Estimated Total Weight with 2 kids:
- Thule double stroller = 35lb
- Baby and toddler = 46lb
- Jogging wheel kit = 3.85lb
- Water, toys, snacks etc = 3lb
- Approx total weight: 88lb (40kg)
Manoeuvrability of the Thule Chariot Sport
The chariot trailer is truthfully the easiest pram to wheel with its front 360⁰ castors on. While we mostly use the trailer with the jogging wheel attached, we always keep the castors handy because they are easier to use for walking or taking the pram on outings such as shopping. The castors make the whole frame a bit shorter which is ideal if you are going to be in a populated location – best not to annoy everyone at the grocery store!
With the front jogging wheel attached, the Thule glides along and is to date the best pram we’ve ran with (and we’ve tried several!).
Turning with the jogging wheel attached
Taking corners can take a bit of getting used to. As the front jogging wheel is fixed, it needs to be lifted to turn. To turn while jogging, just push down on the handle and turn. The front wheel lifts very easily.
Is the stroller handle suitable for running?
The Thule strolle handle is highly adjustable which makes it ideal as a running stroller. With a push button on each end, the handle can be easily adjusted to suit your personal preference.
Our toddler even likes to push the stroller on the cool down!
Does the brake work for running?
The hand brake on the Thule Chariot Sport works very well. In fact, it probably works too well! To activate the brake, you simply twist the handle backwards.
The brake doesn’t require much effort to engage as the Thule uses disc brakes on the rear wheels.
The brake system works well when going down inclines and hills. It is perfect for holding back a fully loaded stroller with heavy kids in it!
Can you run with only one child in the double stroller?
Using the double stroller with only one child for running is certainly ok. If you have a larger child, the jogging stroller does tend to pull to one side slightly. However with the jogging wheel attached, it is not major and can be kept straight with minimal guiding.
In our experience, you can definitely run with one child in the double stroller.
If you’re looking for a single stroller for running and everyday use, we’d recommend checking out our reviews on the Thule Urban Glide 2 or Summit X3 Stroller.
Transporting the Thule Chariot Sport
Honestly, this is a challenge. The Thule stroller weighs 35lb (15.9kg), plus the front jogging wheel of 3.85lb (1.75kg). Its folded length (not including wheels) is 87cm.
Its not the weight, but more the length of the pram that we find challenging. It’s a very bulky item to be lifting into a car boot by yourself.
You can fold the stroller, take off the castors (or jogging wheel) and rear wheels, and stow these inside the stroller. With the cover zipped up, the stroller is a neat size as shown below.
I’m lazy, and can’t be bothered taking all the wheels off our stroller if I don’t have to! Most days I just fold it and pop it in the boot with the wheels on. Although this saves time, it does mean the stroller is very bulky and takes up all the space in the boot.
Taking the jogging wheel on and off can be fiddly the first few times. It makes outings with the pram slightly longer as you have more to set up.
One of our friends has the same stroller, but a larger boot space, so the stroller pops straight into her car with jogging wheel still attached and without folding the frame. This would be ideal and a great time saver. We’d recommend measuring your boot length and clearance before getting this pram and being disappointed.
Can you remove the Thule Chariot Sport Wheels for transporting?
Hell yes! Thankfully all the rear wheels can be taken off very easily. The rear wheels release easily with the push of the centre button.
The front castors come off quickly by pulling the blue catch outwards, which releases the castor pin.
The Thule jogging wheel needs to be unbolted before you can release the arms that hold the wheel in place. Removing the jogging wheel is a little fiddly. See below for more information on removing the jogging wheel.
How to Fold the Thule Chariot Sport 2 (in pictures)
Folding the Thule Chariot Stroller is a process involving a few steps but can be done quickly with practice!
Typical of Thule products, the Chariot Sport is sturdy and robust with high quality parts. All the blue buttons on the stroller are used during the folding process.
How to Install and Remove the Conversion Jogging Wheel Kit
To remove the jogging wheel, simply repeat the process in reverse.
Can you run without the jogging kit?
Short answer: Yes! However, it isn’t great going over rough terrain or curbs with only the small castors. The Thule jogging wheel certainly does make the stroller much easier to push and manoeuvre over more rugged terrain and can handle bumps quite easily at speed.
Is the handbrake worth it?
Absolutely! Now we have a stroller with a brake, we wouldn’t be without it. The brake activates with a small twist of your wrist and being disc brakes, you don’t need to apply much pressure. We would have purchased the Thule Chariot Cross 2 but upgraded to the Sport for the brake and are very glad we did.
Comfort for kids
Our kids love riding in the chariot sport for both running and cycling.
The five point harness is easy to use. We love the reclining seats which pop back easily with a simple button accessed at the rear of the pram.
There are side pockets for each seat which our kids like putting their water bottle, toy or snacks in there. It can be hard for kids to reach the side pockets as they are slightly too far away.
The seating is fairly narrow and if you have two larger kids (2 years plus) in the trailer it can get quite touchy. We’ve tried it with taking a two year old friend with our child the same age and there were some fights! However it works well for us as our kids are two years apart, and have always been in the pram together.
UPDATE! 2 years later, our girls are now 2 and 4 years old and they are finding it a bit of a squish! They have regular fights in the stroller, but I combat this with toddler stroller snacks and screen time when I’m desperate! I find the more regularly I take the girls out, they are less likely to fight. If it’s been a while though, they do have their tiffs.
Using the sunshade and rain covers
The sunshade is quite oddly designed. It has stretchy elastic across the top and bottom of it, and clips on each corner to hold it in place. Depending on where the sun is, sometimes it doesn’t need to cover the whole front. We wish the sides were elastic too so you could scrunch it to the length required.
That being said, our two year old loves it and asks for it when the sun gets in her eyes.
Using the front rain cover for the first time can be a challenge! The plastic is a very tight fit. Once you have it on, you are reluctant to take it off again! This does make passing things like snacks to the kids a challenge as the cover fits so snugly.
However, the rain cover is very handy and quite watertight. Furthermore, our kids don’t get too sweaty or stuffy as there is still ample ventilation.
There are two front vents in the footwell, as well as mesh on the side and top which offers plenty of ventilation.
Using the Stroller Organizer / Cup Tray
We never go anywhere without the Thule stroller organizer! It’s not huge, but can carry 2 bottles and a few snacks or items that you can stash away in the zippered pouch.
We’d recommend you remove it each time you fold the stroller as it sticks out quite a bit.
The quick release clips are easy to use, so this is no drama for us.
Using the Thule Infant Sling
The Thule Chariot infant sling is designed for children who can’t sit up on their own. The sling fits over the top of the existing seat and has it’s own harness attached to it. Thule itself recommends the sling can be used from ages 1-10 months, however I do think 10 months is very generous! I think most babies would be too large for the sling by 7 months.
We used the infant sling with our baby once I had clearance from the doctor to resume running which was when our baby was 12 weeks old. However, there are many differing opinions on this and you should always consult your health professional as everyone has their own journey back to fitness!
Considering at what age a baby can use a jogging stroller is a personal matter, though most professionals recommend waiting until your baby is at least 6 months old.
In our experience we did run with our baby in the Thule infant sling before she was 6 months as we were confident that the sling provided enough support (with our own head support insert as well). We were also very careful to ensure we stuck to smooth paths with minimal bumps that could potentially jostle our bub.
I also chose to use an extra head support up until our baby was around 5 months old. I did find that there wasn’t quite enough head support with just the sling itself and our baby’s head would flop sideways.
Personally I found the harness on the sling a bit hard to use, as the bottom strap was always too far underneath bubs. Thule probably needs to attach the bottom strap lower on the sling.
Fitting the Thule Infant Sling
The sling has four secure clips that attach to fabric loops inside the Thule stroller. No tools are required to attach the sling.
The hooks are a bit fiddly to use, though I like this as it means the sling won’t come loose during use.
The sling has adjustable straps at the top that allow the sling to be tightened depending on your baby’s reqirements.
Thule Accessories we recommend:
Thule Jogging Kit
If you plan on running or taking your stroller on rough terrain, the jogging conversion kit is essential.
Thule Stroller Organizer Cup Tray
Double cup tray (Organizer) – this is ideal for keeping your water bottle in easy reach. We love the small storage pouch for keeping a few snacks close at hand. The rear storage bag on the stroller is so big that sometimes it can take a while to find what you’ve stashed in there.
It does also hold a coffee cup quite well for those after-run-coffees!
Thule Chariot Baby Sling
The infant sling is ideal to take your baby out in the Thule trailer, before it is old enough to sit up on the seat.
Take note, there are two Thule infant slings, each for different models of trailers. This one is suited for the Thule Chariot models.
Where can you use the Thule Chariot Sport?
We’ve recently taken our chariot cross to the beach. On soft sand it is very heavy and cumbersome, we wouldn’t recommend it! However it would be fine on hard sand.
We also took the Thule sport trailer to a zoo trip which was fantastic. The storage bag at the back was ample to pack in our snacks, camera gear and extra clothing. Having a larger trailer as a stroller really does make all-day outings easier and more enjoyable.
Using our friends’ Thule Chariot Cross 2 by the beach
Our final thoughts on the Thule for running
We love our Thule Chariot trailer and with the jogging wheel kit, it is one of the best jogging strollers we’ve used for running. It is large and heavy to transport but we have to keep reminding ourselves that it is a double stroller after all!
It has completely transformed the way we can train with our two kids. We’d highly recommend it to any of our friends that are looking for a double stroller to use for everyday, jogging, cycling or multisport activities!
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