Joie Pact Review

If you’re looking for a Joie Pact review then you’ve come to the right place. Read on to find out more about our thoughts on the Joie Pact lightweight stroller.

Despite being huge buggy fans, we’re still missing one in our arsenal; the compact, travel friendly addition. Fully reclining, lightweight strollers perfect for small trips around town, to leave in the grandparent’s car or, most importantly, to take on holiday. When we were offered the opportunity to review the Joie Pact buggy, I did a little leap for Joie (joy – geddit?!?). Not only do we finally find a pushchair to fill that hole but I have the perfect excuse to book another holiday. Here’s how we got on…

Introducing The Joie Pact

The Joie Pact stroller is designed as a lightweight stroller with a compact fold design. Created with travel in mind, the Pact weighs in at an impressively light 6kg and folds down to only 52.5 x 56.5 x 24cm. Packed full of functionality, the Pact stroller can be fully reclined to a lay flat position, has a huge hood, a decent sized basket and adjustable leg support. It’s well thought out, easy to fold single-handedly and even includes a rain cover, travel bag and car-seat adaptors as standard. That’s right, this little stroller just became a travel system.

Is The Joie Pact Easy To Assemble?

Arriving in a full-colour but tiny box, the immediate fear is that the Pact will take hours to assemble. Not so, the Joie Pact is just that tiny when folded. Simply clip the wheels in to the frame and clip in the bumper bar and you’re ready to go. Inside the box was also a rain cover and adaptors to fit Joie car seats (or others, such as Maxi-Cosi).

How Does The Joie Pact Perform?

Out and about, during our Joie Pact review sessions, the stroller performs well. We’ve taken it everywhere with us over the last six weeks; from the beach to the country lanes. The single handed collapse mechanism works smoothly, allowing me to hold my son in one arm and set the buggy up (or put it down) with the other. It’s quick, intuitive and really effective – leaving you with a briefcase sized parcel. The design means you end up with a metal handle to lift it by or a fabric strap to allow you to carry it over your shoulder; ideal for a busy airport.

Our Experience

My son doesn’t look huge in it, unlike some lightweight, travel buggies. The five point harness is small in design but very effective; the shoulder straps stay in place without him being able to wriggle free… a very important factor for a toddler! The seat reclines fully making it suitable from birth or the very rare toddler nap. The recline is controlled by an adjustable strap allowing you a complete range of seat angles. I would say, for us, it doesn’t quite go upright enough. He likes to grip on to the bumper bar and lean forward which can pull the seat forward with him. However, I imagine a more upright back would require a bulkier design, so on balance, it’s totally worth it.

Let’s face it, basket size can make or break your love for any pushchair. The basket on the Joie Pact is surprisingly roomy for a lightweight stroller. We managed to fit my handbag, the change bag, a lunch box and some jumpers in there without it overflowing. It’s a little like a tardis! Not only that but it’s easily accessible, even when the seat is reclined, something that’s often overlooked.

Is The Joie Pact Cabin Size & Suitable To Take On Holiday?

The Joie Pact is billed as a holiday essential; it even comes complete with a travel bag to zip it into for air travel. It’s weight and size means it rivals some of the top billed travel buggies at a fraction of the price and the Joie Pact can go in cabin with you most of the time, check your airline’s rules for more detail. In my opinion, the UPF 50+ sun canopy makes it a must. It’s huge, giving great coverage for your little one and even pulls down further to give an ‘eyeshade visor’. No more trying to badly position a wobbly parasol. As someone who spent an entire holiday covering their child in factor 50 suncream, I wish I’d had it then.

In Summary

Since we’ve had the Pact, we’ve not even looked at our travel system, even in heavy rain. Yes, at times, it feels a little too lightweight, but it’s not until you start to use it that you realise just how good it is. In all honesty, I’m a little amazed by it. It’s quickly become a firm favourite in our household, garnering praise from all manner of family members. As my (rather buggy bored) husband put it, just the other day, ‘it really is quite good, isn’t it?’

Joie describe the Pact as ‘a petite parcel designed and engineered to make every day a holiday’ and they’re not lying. My back and shoulders have never felt more relief at not having to lug our rather hefty travel system in and out of the car. Scrap the expensive massages by the pool, it turns out all I needed was to upgrade to a Pact. All in all, we’re very pleased with the outcome of our Joie Pact review!

Frequently Asked Questions…

Does The Joie Pact Come With A Rain Cover?

Yes, the Joie Pact comes complete with a rain cover in the box. The rain cover is pretty good – covering the pushchair well whether the seat is full reclined or sat upright.

Where Can I find The Joie Pact Instruction Manual?

Joie have a full listing of manuals on their website, however for ease, the instruction manual can also be found here.

Does The Joie Pact Come With Maxi Cosi Adaptors?

There are Maxi Cosi adapters for their car seats supplied as standard in the box.

What Age Is The Joie Pact Suitable For?

The Joie Pact is suitable from newborn up to three years of age. Or if you want to know the suitable weight range for the Joie Pact, it’s up to 15kg. We’ve tested it personally up to over three years of age with various children and find it best suited to six – nine months upward, once your child can better support their own weight.

Can You Take The Joie Pact On A Plane?

Yes! As mentioned above, you can easily take the Joie Pact on a plane, either in the cabin or in the hold. The Joie Pact comes with a travel bag, making it easy to transport either way. Whilst you’ll need to check your airline’s requirements for cabin baggage, it fits within standard requirements for many major airlines.

Does The Joie Pact Sit Upright?

The Joie Pact can go from lay flat to an upright seating position. However, the Joie Pact’s upright position is still slightly more reclined – in a similar style to other seats where the recline position is managed by adjusting/tightening a pull strap on the back. We haven’t found this to be an issue because the back moves with your child if they want to pull forward slightly. We would still say that the Joie Pact sits upright.

Can You Put A Car Seat On The Joie Pact?

Yes, you can put a car seat on the Joie Pact easily. With the included adaptors you can either attach a Joie car seat or a Maxi Cosi car seat.

What size Is A Folded Joie Pact?

The stroller folds down to 52.5 x 56.5 x 24cm.

Does The Stroller Fully Recline?

Yes, the Pact has a small catch on the back which allows you to lower and raise the back from an upright seated position to fully reclined. This gives you complete flexibility as to how reclined you want your child. Whilst it fully reclines, the upright position isn’t that upright, which can be a frustration to nosy toddlers.

Is This A Joie Pact Or A Pact Lite?

This review refers to a Joie Pact, not the Pact Lite. The Pact Lite is a different model of pushchair available from Joie, the differences are outlined below!

What’s The Difference Between the Joie Pact and the Pact Lite?

The Joie Pact Lite is a slightly newer version of the Joie Pact that’s even more focussed on the lightweight stroller market. The main difference between the Joie Pact and Pact Lite is that the Pact Lite is 0.5kg lighter than the Pact and folds down to 46.8 x 54 x 26cm making it that little bit smaller for cabin requirements. The Pact Lite is also cheaper than the Pact, around £30 less, and comes it brighter fabrics. It still fully reclines, has a large 50+UPF hood and features a 5 point harness but is more geared to holiday usage. If you’re looking for a stroller that’s likely to be used for a lot of travel, the Pact Lite is going to be best suited to you, if it’s for a mix of home and travel, we rate the Pact as slightly better.

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