The 10 Best Car Seat Carriers
This wiki has been updated 22 times since it was first published in March of 2018. Here's a scenario every parent has faced and few have known how to tackle: you drive your child to the airport, train, or bus station, leave your vehicle in a lot and realize you still need your little one's car seat. You'll certainly be taking him or her along for several rides throughout your trip, but how do you pack this hefty item? Use one of these handy carts, bags, and carriers, of course. When users buy our independently chosen editorial choices, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
1. Graco Snugrider Elite
2. Yoofan Gate Check Backpack
3. J.L. Childress Spinner Deluxe
Editor's Notes
June 07, 2020:
Anything that makes traveling with a baby or toddler even the least bit easier will be a welcome addition to a parent's arsenal. Between bringing along your luggage, keeping tabs on a fussy child, finding your way to the right gate, and keeping your important documents like tickets and IDs handy, airline, bus, and train travel can quickly become a stressful situation. That's where these car seat carriers can help. Some allow for hands-free carrying, while others essentially act like a stroller for the car seat, so you won't feel like a pack mule loaded down with cargo.
If you don't want to deal with strain of carrying around a car seat in your hands or on your back, you should look to the Graco Snugrider Elite, Holm TS-55588, Baby Trend Snap N Go, and Britax Travel Cart. Of these, the Graco Snugrider Elite is our favorite because it maneuvers the smoothest and can act like a stroller when you get to your destination, meaning there will be one less piece of baby gear you need to bring along on your trip. The Baby Trend Snap N Go also doubles as a stroller when you get to your destination, however, maneuvering it around tight turns can be a bit of a hassle. Unfortunately, the downside to both of these options is that they are only designed to work with car seats from the same manufacturer, so if you don't have one, you will need to look to the Holm TS-55588 and Britax Travel Cart instead, which offer a more universal compatibility.
Those who prefer to keep their hands completely free at all times, perhaps because they know they will need to be pushing a luggage cart or simply want to be able to drink a coffee as they walk, will want to choose one of the options on our list that feature backpack-style carrying straps. These are the Yoofan Gate Check Backpack, J.L. Childress Ultimate, Zohzo Travel Backpack, VolkGo 150, and KangoKids Air. One of the benefits to this style over the carts is that they pack down considerably smaller. For example, both the Yoofan Gate Check Backpack and VolkGo 150 can fit into a diaper bag when packed into the tiny included stuff sack. If you want something that will offer a bit more protection when checking the car seat, we recommend looking to the J.L. Childress Ultimate and Zohzo Travel Backpack, both of which feature dense padding on the inside.
Special Honors
Go-Go Babyz Mini Travelmate The Go-Go Babyz Mini Travelmate accepts most toddler and convertible car seats and has a compact design that makes it convenient to store when not in use. It features a double set of wheels on both sides that help add to its stability when loaded up, and it weighs just 3.5 pounds so anyone can pick it up and place it in the back of a car or an overhead bin. gogobabyz.com
4. J.L. Childress Ultimate
5. Holm TS-55588
6. Zohzo Travel Backpack
7. Baby Trend Snap N Go
8. VolkGo 150
9. KangoKids Air
10. Britax Travel Cart
A wandering writer who spends as much time on the road as in front of a laptop screen, Brett can either be found hacking away furiously at the keyboard or, perhaps, enjoying a whiskey and coke on some exotic beach, sometimes both simultaneously, usually with a four-legged companion by his side. He has been a professional chef, a dog trainer, and a travel correspondent for a well-known Southeast Asian guidebook. He also holds a business degree and has spent more time than he cares to admit in boring office jobs. He has an odd obsession for playing with the latest gadgets and working on motorcycles and old Jeeps. His expertise, honed over years of experience, is in the areas of computers, electronics, travel gear, pet products, and kitchen, office and automotive equipment.