Travel with Children - Trunki, wonderful or horrible?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BV0WLW/ref=s9_simh_gw_p21_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0T3H97CS7W6QGTHM6TH1&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938811&pf_rd_i=507846

That amazon reviews are really mixed, some say it is totally sturdy and some say the opposite. It looks like a ton of fun and the red one is really cute and the price is right.

Any feedback would be appreciated!

i was pretty shocked on reading amazon.com's reviews of trunki as amazon.co.uk's reviews were much more positive, is the US version really that bad?

My dd has the UK made trunki and loves it, we've had her's for nearly 4 years and never had a problem with it and its been great for frequent travel :)

Considering the fact that it costs half of what the UK version costs, maybe isn't the same quality. Sometimes you get what you pay for.

they're not made by the same people either, the name is used under licence :rolleyes:

well, I must be candid here...we were the distributor before it was taken under license my melissa & doug. having demo'ed trunki at numerous tradeshows by standing on it with my full 200lbs, build quality was v good. unfortunately to drive the RRP down (and maybe increase profits?) they have reduced quantity of plastic used and made some other shortcuts.

you see the result of this on the reviews. shame really, since it was great product.

well, I must be candid here...we were the distributor before it was taken under license my melissa & doug. having demo'ed trunki at numerous tradeshows by standing on it with my full 200lbs, build quality was v good. unfortunately to drive the RRP down (and maybe increase profits?) they have reduced quantity of plastic used and made some other shortcuts.

you see the result of this on the reviews. shame really, since it was great product.

That is sad. I am still tempted to try it. My kiddo is almost five, his birthday will be during our trip, but he is only ~26lbs. It would be so sad if it broke in the airport though. If I could easily get the European version I would, but I can't see an easy way to do that.

That is sad. I am still tempted to try it. My kiddo is almost five, his birthday will be during our trip, but he is only ~26lbs. It would be so sad if it broke in the airport though. If I could easily get the European version I would, but I can't see an easy way to do that.
IMO, if your child is five, he is too old for this. They don't hold much. Get him his own rollerboard and a backpack. We always made our kids be responsible for their own bags.

It's not a "ton of fun" for the people kids run into at the airport when they are riding it.

IMO, if your child is five, he is too old for this. They don't hold much. Get him his own rollerboard and a backpack. We always made our kids be responsible for their own bags.

It's not a "ton of fun" for the people kids run into at the airport when they are riding it.

I hear. My six year old I will happily give a wheelie and backpack of her own and probably would have at five as well, but my almost five year old... I want the strap to pull him with or he will have to be in a stroller. His attention span is about 2 seconds and when there are things to look at he might as well be deaf to instructions. It would be totally stressful to expect him to walk through an airport, and we would be lucky to get through to the other end and still have him with us.

:) we would certainly keep him from running into people.

It's not a "ton of fun" for the people kids run into at the airport when they are riding it. I really appreciate your candor on these subjects, given your screen name. Thank you. It ISN'T fun and I see these quite frequently in Europe.

His attention span is about 2 seconds and when there are things to look at he might as well be deaf to instructions. It would be totally stressful to expect him to walk through an airport, and we would be lucky to get through to the other end and still have him with us.

:) we would certainly keep him from running into people.

Honestly, if he has those issues then how to you expect him to keep from running into people with that 'toy'? From what I can see, it doesn't steer very well, and combine that with the lack of motor skills of small children, I often see people being hit from the side or behind by a 'driver'. The child is usually looking down and only slightly ahead, and doesn't see the other passenger, who isn't expecting to be hit from a wheeled vehicle at ankle level.

Honestly, if he has those issues then how to you expect him to keep from running into people with that 'toy'? From what I can see, it doesn't steer very well, and combine that with the lack of motor skills of small children, I often see people being hit from the side or behind by a 'driver'. The child is usually looking down and only slightly ahead, and doesn't see the other passenger, who isn't expecting to be hit from a wheeled vehicle at ankle level.

My understanding was that there was a way for the parent to pull it, which is how I expected we would be using it in the airport. If I am pulling it, he won't be smashing into people, right?

My understanding was that there was a way for the parent to pull it, which is how I expected we would be using it in the airport. If I am pulling it, he won't be smashing into people, right?

Are you going to have enough hands free to pull it and deal with the lack of forward motion if he puts his feet down? Will he be able to resist the urge to play with it once you are not moving, and are in the gate area, for instance?

Are you going to have enough hands free to pull it and deal with the lack of forward motion if he puts his feet down? Will he be able to resist the urge to play with it once you are not moving, and are in the gate area, for instance?

He is a good kid, very distractable, but good and really shy, so he isn't going to go near people if he doesn't have to. I don't see the problem with playing with it in the corner of the gate area, away from others, when we are waiting though. The kids are going to have to play and be kept busy for the hours that we are waiting after we check in and on our layovers. :)

Well, based on the online reviews it seems that parents love it to keep their kids amused, while other travellers do not find it quite so amusing.

I believe that they are more often seen in UK and European airports than in the US, and I have as noted seen many incidents with them. I will continue to discourage parents from purchasing them simply based on the real life encounters I have witnessed.

;) It is already purchased and waiting at Grandma's house to be a birthday present. We won't have it on our way to the states, just the way back, so only half the chance of annoying the other fliers.

You did ask 'wonderful or horrible' and you asked for feedback. :)

So my vote is 'horrible' and you have my feedback as to why. Glad to be of assistance even if we do not agree.

You did ask 'wonderful or horrible' and you asked for feedback. :)

So my vote is 'horrible' and you have my feedback as to why. Glad to be of assistance even if we do not agree.

;) I was asking in the Travel with Children section, not the Travelers Who Hate Children section and was looking for replies on the functionality and quality of the product, but your entertainment was something.

Do you have ideas on how to keep four year old little boys happy, quiet and well entertained for 27 hours of travel one way and 15 hours of travel a month later? That might be useful. :) If it isn't useful, it may at least provide further entertainment.

Thanks!

Four year old children have been flying for years, and parents have been keeping them entertained for years, without a 'toy' which has caused injury to other passengers and which is often a hazard in busy terminals.

My suggestions which other parents have offered up for quiet, nondisruptive toys include a roll of masking tape, pipe cleaners, and felt picture toys. For terminal activity there are many airports with decent children play areas. When flying long haul with a long layover, I would try and look for opportunities to exit the terminal for fresh air, or even a short hotel stay by the terminal.

Four year old children have been flying for years, and parents have been keeping them entertained for years, without a 'toy' which has caused injury to other passengers and which is often a hazard in busy terminals.

My suggestions which other parents have offered up for quiet, nondisruptive toys include a roll of masking tape, pipe cleaners, and felt picture toys. For terminal activity there are many airports with decent children play areas. When flying long haul with a long layover, I would try and look for opportunities to exit the terminal for fresh air, or even a short hotel stay by the terminal.

:) I will keep the toy from hurting anyone, I assure you.

Hotel is already booked, but masking tape wasn't on my list, and I will consider it. Thanks.

i've had more problems with people rolling suitcases over my feet, than i have had with my daughter pulling her trunki ;)

i find that trunki follows me rather nicely when i'm pulling it normally with my daughter sitting on it and we use ours frequently for train and air travel :)

We have a Melissa and Doug Trunki and are pretty happy with it, although we've only used it for one trip so far.

On the build quality question, I find it a little flimsy (particularly the latches) but I'm not terribly concerned about breakage as long as the parents are doing the latching/unlatching (I can see how an impatient preschooler could break the latches pretty easily). It's very sturdy vertically--I'm not worried about my quite dense (in terms of mass/volume, not cognition) 3.5yo crushing it or anything.

On the running into people question, I found that once or twice it brushed someone's ankle while I pulled it through more crowded parts of the terminal because it's hard to steer while pulling (all four wheels are fixed so it tends to stay on a constant course unless you really jerk the pull cord sideways). But when my son piloted it on his own he didn't once come close to hitting anyone. He's an experienced NYC scooter rider, though, so he has a very good sense of riding toy navigation. And when pulling I don't think it's all that more likely to hit someone than pulling a rollaboard.

I'd give it solid B. My kid and I both find it fun and I'm glad I bought it. But it's definitely a little flimsy and if you have a particularly wild or distractable kid, it might not be the best idea.

I traveled solo JFK -SYD with two children ages 3&4, and for us the Trunki's worked amazingly well. (They have been on several other trips since then and have held up well.) Not to mention all the smiles, friendly comments etc. from other travelers.

As for them in any way being danger to other passengers -- really?! I think far more people have been rammed by out of control strollers being pushed around by board children who can't see where they are pushing.

My kids are almost too old for them now but will not give them up! They love any excuse to use them. My only lament is that the full line of products offered by Trunki is only available in the UK -- nor will they ship internationally.

Buy the Trunki -- you'll like it!

Hi,

I love the Trunki and have been using it for years. I agree that it takes a bit for your child to get used to it (I always warn my daughter when I'm going to hit a bump or take a sharp corner). I would also say that once a child hits 5, they are generally too big for it. In that sweet spot between 2 and 4 however, it is fantastic ! We have used ours on over 50 flights.

As for the quality issue, well this does concern me. I highly recommend this product on my blog. I have emailed Melissa and Doug to find out what they are doing about the issues mentioned on amazon. I'll let you all know what I hear back.

Tara
http://www.thetraveltot.com

As mentioned in an earlier post, I have contacted Melissa and Doug's customer service department to discuss the problems with the Trunki latches. Doris in customer service got back to me very quickly and assured me that they were well aware of the problem and have taken steps to fix the issue. She also mentioned that they have indeed made some design changes to the Trunki but this was mainly to conform to U.S. safety standards (the pull strap is no longer adjustable to reduce the chance of accidental strangulation). Anyway, I am a huge fan of this product and I hope you will still give it a try.


http://www.thetraveltot.com/2010/09/what-on-earth-is-trunki.html

Hi,

I would also say that once a child hits 5, they are generally too big for it. In that sweet spot between 2 and 4 however, it is fantastic ! http://www.thetraveltot.com
OP's son is going to be five.

OP's son is going to be five.

:) He is a little guy, I am not worried, but thanks. He was a preemie and has health issues. Either it will work for him or we will give it to someone it will work for, but he is more of a four year old size than not even though he will be turning five during out trip.

The ride on toy he uses and loves at home isn't very different in size from the Trunki.

I debated posting because I knew that some would not find my update popular, but I witnessed another rather nasty Trunki incident last week.

The reality is that most people are not expecting something to cross their path at a height of 45-60cm in a busy airport. I really fear for a child being seriously hurt one day (although there are several reports online of minor injuries from these things). So far it seems to be adults who are tripping and falling, but if one of them falls on the child the injuries could be even worse. :(

Frankly, using one of these during peak holiday season in an overcrowded LHR T5 isn't the most sensible choice.

Our update, we got one for my son, along with the bag and the saddle, it was cute. Mostly it stayed in my son's lap while he rode in the stroller. We used it as a ride on toy at my mother's home with no incident.

The airport (T5 LHR) was quite empty (meaning there was no one else around at all, we went through security between segments of flight on our own and were the only ones in an empty gate waiting for an hour and a half) so he did ride on it a bit and two wheels fell off. We popped them back on but they didn't stay long. :td:

Customer service from Mellissa and Doug has been very pleasant and they are mailing us a new one (internationally) so maybe the next one will fare better.

My son loves it, it is cute, but it was a disappointment. I am glad we had the stroller (thanks to a kind member of the fight crew who stowed it in the closet so we would have it on our layover, even though I didn't realize to ask!) and weren't counting on it to get from place to place.

Size wise it fits my son just fine, and he is well below the weight limits so I don't think that that is why the wheels came off. He loves it and I will be happy to get a new one if it doesn't fall apart on us.

I got an awful lot of people asking about our's on our trip accross the US, we saw Trunki's on both flights (LHR-JFK & LAX-LHR) and found it most useful on the long walk from getting off the plane to reaching the luggage terminal in Terminal 3 at LHR as strollers were sent with the luggage :/
I do agree that they are not the best in really busy places but people without strollers don't look down for them either
Unlucky Liba about the wheels, hopefully the new one will do its job! I looked out for the Melissa and Doug trunki's when we were in the States, saw a lot of accessories but no trunki's :(

:) If the new one is of similar quality to the one we have now we may have to spend a couple days in London and pick up a better quality Trunki at some point. ;)

Sainsbury's and John Lewis stock them, my local Sainsbury's had 25% off so that could count everywhere ;)

Sainsbury's and John Lewis stock them, my local Sainsbury's had 25% off so that could count everywhere ;)

http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/sol/shop/sport_and_leisure/luggage_and_sports_bags/childrensluggage/121443289_trunki_harley.html?hnav=4294935278 It is even cuter than the US version.

http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Trunki-Ruby-Red/dp/B003H7IB1I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312923681&sr=8-1

I do agree that they are not the best in really busy places but people without strollers don't look down for them either

The difference though is that a stroller is still higher off the ground than a toddler on a Trunki. An adult pushing a stroller takes up a lot more space, and has more control.

The woman who fell at MUC a few weeks ago luckily 'just' fell into a counter when she had to stop short; the person I saw last week didn't have anything to break their fall.

Liba if ya happened to find Gruffalo, he's not available in the US ;)

Exbayern, I have to ask was there a child on the trunki that the person fell over? I know if my daughter doesn't want to ride then i'd much rather carry the trunki to avoid any unfortunate accidents

Exbayern, I have to ask was there a child on the trunki that the person fell over? I know if my daughter doesn't want to ride then i'd much rather carry the trunki to avoid any unfortunate accidents

In both cases, yes, it was a child on a Trunki riding on their own.

I know that Trunkis are very popular with many parents in the UK and they are common around Europe in peak travel season.

I cannot imagine what it would be like at ORD for instance in the UA terminal to have a child riding a Trunki - dangerous for both adults and children in such crowds.

In both cases, yes, it was a child on a Trunki riding on their own.


I think that people need to be more careful then. A child riding on a Trunki isn't that much shorter than a child walking on their own. If they tripped over the child on the Trunki, they would have knocked the walking child over and stepped on them.

If this had been an issue of children pulling their Trunkis and tripping people I would understand that it was a Trunki issue, but this is just people not being careful or courteous.

Considering the fact that most European airlines don't return strollers for layovers or at the gate at the end of the flight, the choices are; carry child, child walk or child on Trunki. You really can't blame parents for choosing a Trunki over carrying a toddler through a large airport.

So the problem is the airlines not giving back the strollers until baggage claim.

I think that people need to be more careful then. A child riding on a Trunki isn't that much shorter than a child walking on their own. If they tripped over the child on the Trunki, they would have knocked the walking child over and stepped on them.

If this had been an issue of children pulling their Trunkis and tripping people I would understand that it was a Trunki issue, but this is just people not being careful or courteous.

Considering the fact that most European airlines don't return strollers for layovers or at the gate at the end of the flight, the choices are; carry child, child walk or child on Trunki. You really can't blame parents for choosing a Trunki over carrying a toddler through a large airport.

So the problem is the airlines not giving back the strollers until baggage claim. I don't agree. A small child riding around is a trip hazard, especially in a crowded airport. Parents have to take responsibility too for their choices, and it isn't the best or smartest choice to allow a child to ride such a thing in a crowded terminal, just as parents who permit their children to play on moving, busy baggage carousels or moving walkways are not making the smartest choices.

It isn't the fault of the airline that there are accidents with this thing. (And there are ones involving just the children; if you can wade past the online marketers extolling the virtures of this thing you will find several reports of injuries to children)

A reminder that this thread title gave two choices - 'wonderful' or 'horrible'. Given those two choices, I vote 'horrible'. I also agree with you that this is a case of parents not being careful or courteous.

I do think that it is a bright idea, relatively well executed (but not the US version), with a lot of retailers doing strong marketing online, but the reality is not as positive as the idea of this thing.

When you say on their own, i guess you mean that somebody else wasn't pulling the towing strap?

As Liba said a child riding a trunki isn't that much smaller than a child walking, specially for the age group that trunki was designed for, in a busy airport its especially important to watch out for potential trip hazards, not everyone is at your height

I have seen people trip over strollers as well as small children who were walking nicely next to their parents.

I have seen adults walk into each other and one of them fall down.

I have seen people trip and fall while walking, for no apparent reason.

There are clumsy people everywhere.

If they are going to walk into a child anyway, maybe it is better if they walk into a child on a Trunki, which has a slightly lower center of gravity, than a walking child who is easier to tip over.

If you bump even slightly into my son, who has balance issues, when he is walking he is pretty close to certain he will fall head first and smack his forehead on the floor. If you bump into him when he is on his Trunki he is much less likely to fall, and even if he does he is less likely to hit his head.

All in all, if you are going to fly you are going to have to learn to share the airplane and the airport with children. Slow down, pay attention, and look down.