[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I received the Graco Modes(TM) Element LX Travel System to try out through the Stellar Product Testing Panel when my son was 4.5 months old. Up until that point we had been using a different car seat and stroller with car seat adapter. There have been lots of things I like about the Modes(TX) Element LX Travel System and some things I don't like as compared to the system we've been using. We live in an urban area and so portability and a system that is easy to use are very important to us.
The best thing about the car seat that was included with this travel system is that it is about 2 lbs lighter than our other car seat. That doesn't seem like a lot but it makes a huge difference for me as we have to go up a set of stairs to get to our front door and we are sometimes parked a block away from the house (sadly, no driveway/garage). It attaches to and releases from the car seat base easily, and the base was relatively straight-forward to install in the car. I do think it's helpful that there are four positions to adjust the shoulder straps. This helped us make sure we got the best fit for him. There are some things that we're not thrilled about with this car seat. While we didn't have to use the infant insert (baby was too big for it when we started using the system), we do still use the head insert to provide some extra support. This head insert is not nearly as cushioned or supportive as I hoped it would be. He has fallen asleep in the car seat several times and ends up with his head slumped to the side. This had never happened with our previous car seat/head insert combo and it makes me uneasy to see him in this position when he falls asleep. In all honesty though, he really hasn't seemed to mind! Another thing that probably bothers me more than bothers the baby is that the straps don't have any sort of padding on them around the shoulders. One thing that has bothered the baby, however, is that the canopy makes loud clicking sounds as it is pulled forward or pushed back. So if he's fallen asleep and I need to adjust the canopy position, it clicks so loud! It has woken him up each time. The release button to loosen the straps is a bit hidden and takes a few times to get used to - it can be a little tricky locating it with your finger get to release the straps. My husband still struggles with this after a couple of weeks.
The stroller looks really nice and has a sturdy frame. My favorite thing about the stroller is how easily it collapses down (literally, a one-handed fold!) and it latches closed securely. It stands up and I don't worry that it'll tip over. All of these are really important to us as we have don't have much space for storage when it's not in-use. I also like that it lays flat in the trunk of my car (our other stroller doesn't and it constantly was rocking around). We haven't really tried the toddler seat because our baby is a little too small and young to sit in it without slumping over. It seems nicely made and easy to clean. The canopy is quite big and has a peephole. It does recline with a strap that releases the back, but this requires two-hands to do. The footrest is adjustable but a little awkward to adjust as it involves moving the Velcro straps around. The stroller is super-easy to use with the car seat and it's easy to pop the toddler seat on and off of as well. I like that you can turn the toddler seat to face you or to face out. The stroller required a bit of assembly and there were some tricky bits for my handy-man husband. There is a separate brake on each rear wheel and each has to be engaged separately to fully brake the stroller. This is a pretty big inconvenience to me- it would be so much easier if one button or lever could just engage both rear wheel brakes at the same time. Also, these brakes are HARD to push down and there would be no way you could disengage the brake if you were wearing sandals or flip flops because you have to use the top of your foot to flip the brake peddle up. While there is a very generous basket underneath the stroller (love that!), I don't love that it's pretty open in the back and not very secure. My diaper bag has started to slip out when going up a curb. There is a parent tray attached to the stroller and it holds my slim travel cups and water bottle pretty securely- there are 2 cup holders. But the tray is a little too small for my iPhone 8 and a bit shallow for keys or other small items. I'm always afraid that it will pop out if I hit a bump. There is a toddler tray that comes with the toddler seat but we haven't been able to use that yet.
Overall, this is a solid travel system with some nice features (lightweight car seat, quick to pop onto stroller, sturdy stroller, easy to store, and great one-hand collapse). However there are some drawbacks that might be too hard for me, personally, to overlook (noisy canopy on car seat, two separate brakes on back wheels, difficult brakes to engage /disengage). If someone didn't mind these drawbacks, it really would be a great system for them.
Customer reviews for Graco Modes Element Travel System for
