Originally Posted by
LarryJ
I'd consider a stroller bag for gate checking. It keeps small parts contained, if they get knocked off, and adds protection from parts of the stroller getting caught on something causing damage. This one is just an example, not a recommendation, that I found with a quick search.
I second this recommendation. We lost several strap pads the first time we gate checked the stroller and went with a bag afterward.
Note that you can also gate check a collapsible wagon. Handy when the kids are big enough to be out of the stroller but still too small to make the 1 mile or so walk from door to gate at airports like IAD. Ours holds the kid plus a carryon and backpacks.