Weehoo, indeed!
Recently, it became clear that R needed a new mode of behind-bike transport. Since school schedules have shifted, so have our transportation options to/from school. We have been doing pickups by bike now. Originally this started with her old bike trailer - a standard one I picked up for $20.00 on marketplace. She is growing to tall for it now (the weather flap is constricting her with a helmet on) and it started to get reliable. I needed to patch things but I knew it wouldn't make it another year size-wise.
We'd planned to buy a Weehoo trailer next year. The advantage of a trailer like this over a tow-a-bike or a ride-behind is that it is available to children at an earlier age and comes with many more features. A 3 year old cannot sit on a ride-behind but R would have fit on this from about age 2. Some Weehoo models even act as full on recumbent bikes. I have had friends recommend them even for kids up to 8. R is super tall so I don't know that we will get there, but at least another couple of years until she's on a 20'' bike and can keep up with us reasonably well.
So, when this became an even bigger priority to let us flex the car for totally split schedules because of Covid, I started to look into it. The Thrill was the one I wanted and right now it's on sale with everything included (rain cover and all) for $500.00. Part of me balked at the cost. Would it really be worth it? Would we really use it $500.00 worth. Well, I calculated what we spent on aftercare/before care (something no longer an option to us) and determined that we'd save that in 2 months - not to mention all the gas we would save - and chose to buy it.
Out of the box, I could tell this was much higher quality than any of the trailers available on the market for <$250.00 - what I was willing to spend on a slightly larger model. The Burley Bee is by far the caddy of trailers and that's $300.00. So, for an extra $200.00, you get a really great, quality device that will last you longer than the gold-standard Bee. I worried about assembly, too. However, I was able to do it with limited help (thanks to my husband for some added torque for a bit) in less than 30 minutes. The instructional videos on YouTube are highly recommended. The brushing for my bike did fit. I had to figure out how to secure it best which was, honestly, the steepest part of the learning curve! The thing was easily adjustable for R and she said it was really comfortable to set up. Connecting it to the bike only took about a minute and then we were good to go. When I say this thing is quality, I mean it. Even the cotter pins are nice! Pulling it was interesting at first. I wasn't sure if I could trust the "pivot" on the interesting brushing. But wouldn't you know, it worked great! It does feel a bit like a tandem at first and, with a lighter bike, it might have been more interesting to adjust to than my e-bike. It is much more stable feeling, though, than our Thule rear seat ever felt. Stopping and starting was what I worried about the most but it was actually no big deal. Within 5 minutes, I felt super confident with it. My kid asked me not to tip her over all of once and then loved it. R finally figured out she could pedal at some point and then got really excited. She was helping, right? That was a toddler-approved party of it. She kept telling me "faster!" It was zoomy! What started out as a quick jaunt around our neighborhood turned into an impromptu 8-mile ride over roads, paved trails, and bumpy trails. By the time we finished, R really didn't want to stop but I did (I was not prepared for this ride at all)
The trailer is heavier than our old one but it's also designed better and designed to adapt to much larger children. Overall, 10/10 would recommend. Pros:
Well built, durable, and made here in North America.
Easy to assemble and folds down/easily breaks apart for transport/storage.
Adapts to toddlers all the way up to big kids. Is very adaptive for kids who may not be able to ride on their own.
Allows your family to go out at an adult-pace.
Lets kids pedal!
Weather-tested.
Easy to pull, pivots better than trail a bikes.
Easily changes out for multiple bikes (unlike most trailers) so if you bring two sets of brushing, multiple adults could take turns pulling it on a long ride or tour.
Is great on trails and narrow!
2-kid options available!
Cons:
Expensive. You get what you pay for but this is the cost of an adult bike no matter how you slice it.
Heavier than a trailer.
Doesn't fit all (but most) seatposts.
May not allow for a rack to be used on your bike depending on geometry (but they do sell a rack for the trailer and it comes with durable panniers!
May not be the easiest thing to pull with a super light bike.
I would recommend a Wehoo to just about anyone after this. If your family uses a bike as a second car, has a big kid, or is interested in long trips by bike for recreation, I think you will get a lot of use out of it. It lives up to the hype! Honestly, this is far better than the trail-a-bikes I've seen and contemplated buying next year. It appears safer, more stable, and is sized to fit smaller kids. If you are on the fence about a trailer with a bigger toddler, I would recommend this only because it will easily grow with your kid and, in the long run, you will get more for your money!
Note: I did not receive any compensation from Weehoo for this review nor did they comp me for this product. I spent my own money on it and was glad I did!