Brief Start/First Impressions

Silver Cross say that the surf 2 is one of the most luxurious, lightweight and compact travel systems on the market. Silver Cross is probably one of the most recognisable brands of baby products and is held in high regard for its quality. It has been producing prams since 1877 and has won a number of awards.  The surf 2 has won awards such as a bronze in the Best Baby & Toddler Gear category with Pushchair Trader in 2013, two Prima awards (Readers’ Award Gold 2012 and Best Buy), a Mums Net Best of 2012, and a Junior Design Awards 2011.

Features and benefits

• Suitable from birth to a max weight of 15kg (approx 3 years)

• Includes lie-flat carrycot with deep padded mattress which is suitable for overnight sleeping

• Converts to a travel system with a Silver Cross Simplicity car seat

• Adapts to pushchair with reversible seat unit for forward and rearward facing

• Magnesium alloy chassis

• Switch between a four-wheel, urban pushchair or a three-wheel, multi-terrain pushchair by swapping the interchangeable front wheels

• Air sprung suspension

• Large wheels with pneumatic treaded tyres

• Lockable front swivel wheels

• Three position seat recline with single hand operation

• Five point safety harness

• Lightweight design with compact fold

In the box

• Chassis

• Carry cot

• Surf 2 seat unit (with harness to prevent baby from falling out)

• Front and back wheels

• shopping basket

• Bumper bar, which is interchangeable between carry cot and seat unit.

• Rain cover

• car seat adapters

• Cup holder

Optional accessories

• Jogger wheel

• Parasol

• Surf summer pack

• surf winter pack

• changing bag

• Surf board

What Gavin and I Think

The Surf 2 was surprisingly easy to assemble, and requires no tools. The instructions are a little misleading early on. Some brute force is required for erecting the carrycot, but all in all it was fairly easy. The hood and rain covers are separately packaged, and come in a range of colours. I’ve got to say, on completion, that the Surf 2 looks great.

I was surprised by just how compact the Surf 2 is. The chassis folds right down and clips together so that you can easily carry it one handed. The magnesium alloy chassis is not only pleasant to look at, it’s also incredibly light and very easy to store in the boot of the car, or stand up out of the way in a corridor. The tires don’t track too much mud and dirt, and are easily cleaned.

The downside is that you cannot fold the chassis with the carrycot, seat unit or car seat attached which have to be removed first. Still, it’s very easy to do, pressing just two buttons. Reassembling is just as quick, and all three seats fit quickly into the same brackets, with a minor exception of the car seat, which requires the adapters, included in the pack.

The adjustable handle is very comfortable to use. It has a faux-leather cover and is easily changed to suit mums or dads of various heights. Steering the Surf 2 is a joy. We’ve tried the Surf 2 over a range of terrain, from grass, mud, gravel, hills and pavement. The Surf 2 coped with everything and there is a reasonable amount of suspension.  The tires are puncture-resistant, and do seem sturdy, the best part about the drivability is that it can be steered with one hand which is very useful.

The carrycot has a very nice removable mattress and is incredibly roomy. The adjustable hood, whilst also being very attractive, does offer a lot of shelter both from the elements and light, and would be ideal to take on holiday or long trips.

The Surf 2 isn’t really geared towards shopping, and although the shopping basket is adjustable, you could barely fit more than a carrier bag in this. It’s too small to fit bulky items like a box and the frame would be more than suited to accommodate a shopping hook or two, which we have bought to hold the changing bag we have.

The car seat is surprisingly heavy, though it is well-padded and, I would imagine, comfortable, though we have had a lot of tears on use. The harness isn’t the easiest to use, and it can be a little tricky to fasten, though adjusting the length of the straps is reasonably straight forward. Despite the weight, the seat is easy to secure in the car with the ISOFIX base.

The stroller comes with an excellent rain cover, which are just incredibly easy to put on and off, and we store this in the basket, ready for use.

I found the cup holder to be in a very odd place. This clips on the outside of the frame so is easy to knock. It also got in the way when putting the buggy in the car so I simply removed it and we havent used It..

The aprons are interchangeable between carrycot and seat unit, and this is one of the major downsides of the pram. The zips on the carrycot are a bit of a nightmare, and jam frequently when they reach any curves. Replacement aprons are available in a number of colours and designs, should yours break or you want to change the design later on. The quality of the apron material, however, is very good and it has the added. Onus of a window in the hood for checking on the little one.

The seat adapters allow you to attach the car seat to the chassis to form a travel system, transferring sleeping baby from car to stroller without having to wake them. Having tried this, Tobias was perfectly happy meaning its excellent for short trips.

Although I haven’t tried ours yet, there is a Jogger Wheel, which replaces the two front wheels for a single one. The wheels were very easy to attach and remove, and I can see no reason why this would be any exception. If it’s the same high quality as the rest of the Surf 2, then I expect that the jogger wheel would be a worthwhile buy if you’re hoping to run with your baby, as the pram is light enough to do so.

Overall Feedback

The Surf 2 is well suited for parents who like getting out and about, especially off road, and is compact enough to suit most cars, as well as houses and flats That are short on space. While it handles very well in tight spaces and is very compact, it’s not built for storage space. If you’re going to go on a shopping trip, make sure you have fitted shopping hooks. The steering and suspension is excellent, the materials are of a very high quality, and it’s a very easy pram to adjust.

SILVER CROSS SURF 2 SAND SURF CHASSIS PUSHCHAIR & CARRYCOT

Much love
Rebecca