Gear Hiking

Go Anywhere with a Crossbuggy – Yippie Yo Review

Family out walking with the Yippie Yo Crossbuggy
Written by Kirstie Pelling

Go Anywhere with a Crossbuggy – Yippie Yo Review

Do you have young children and a desire to adventure more with them in the outdoors? Are you tired of conventional prams holding you back from exploring fells, forests or beaches? We’ve discovered the perfect solution – an all terrain crossbuggy that frees you up to explore. In this advertising feature, we review the unique YippieYo two wheeled adventure buggy. If you dream of going anywhere and everywhere on family adventures with  young kids you are going to love this… 

Yippie Yo Crossbuggy down at the beach

YippieYo Crossbuggy – loves nothing better than a day at the beach

Freedom to go anywhere

In my experience, ‘freedom’ and ‘exercise’ aren’t often used in the same sentence as ‘babies’ and ‘toddlers.’ I yearned for both of the above when my boys were young but often struggled with the demands of an active toddler and a snoozing baby, a hilly village and a hand-me-down stroller with only one seat! I wish I’d been a new Mum today. Pram technology has moved on so much and I now see parents in charge of off-road buggies, strollers and trailers much more suited to an active life in the Lake District.

A stroller with a difference

Even so, I’ve never seen anything quite like the YippieYo. For a start it’s not a four wheeler. It’s not even a three wheeler. It looks more like a bike trailer than a pram; in fact ‘hand drawn chariot’ might best describe it. This crossbuggy has a tubular frame, with two easily detached wheels and a long handle. The handle is curved at the end and has a hand brake that works strong disc brakes. The buggy is designed to tackle tough terrain and the rough and tumble of different environments.  It has two 5-point safety harnesses, solid disc wheels with “solight ecco” tyres for shock absorption and dirt and water-resistant padded seat covers. It comes pretty much ready to use, you just have to slot on the wheels. You can fit two kids in, and still leave room for some jelly babies and a favorite toy.

Yippie Yo Crossbuggy out on location in Cumbria

YippieYo – out on location in Cumbria. Field and fell no problem.

Swiss and German born

The YippieYo Cross buggy is a mix of German and Swiss technology. It was designed by a German engineering company, with the 100% aluminium chassis manufactured in Switzerland and was developed by YippeYoAG in Schwyz on the shores of Lake Zurich. Components offer mountain bike quality and have been rigorously tested. But in real life how does the cross buggy handle, where will it go and can it withstand a battering in the Lake District by a family who really love the outdoors?

We want to give it a try but our kids are too old for prams of any kind so we can’t genuinely test of its capabilities. Instead I recruit the most outdoor family I know to give it a go for us. Laura Keeler has five boys and a passion for adventure. Billy and Teddy are up for an adventure in Arnside, so off we go on a big day out to the beach. (When I say beach I mean wet sand, forest path and field. There are few easy off road rides round here.)

How does it handle?

Here, Laura gives her opinion of how it handled….

“We are an active family, an adventurous family and a family with five boys so from the outset, the Yippie Yo Cross buggy had a lot to deliver! We met Stuart and Kirstie on a pretty typical Cumbrian day, with promised blue skies in the distance and the threat of rain imminent so we set to it pretty quickly and were soon acquainted with the YippieYo near the coast with a varied choice of terrain at our feet.

Departures

“On first appearances the Yippie Yo Crossbuggy seemed smaller than I had imagined, but when buckling the boys in, I quickly realised it was the perfect fit for their ages (Billy, 3 and Teddy, 18 months). The frame was sturdy and shaped with little bodies in mind. Their arms rested nicely either inside or on top of the frame and the leg room was great for excited little legs that kick around.

The buckles were really chunky and very easy to adjust – which to me is a big tick. I have used so many buckles during the last nine an a half years and it’s rare to find one that you can adjust quickly without faffing (a technical description I know!) and the five point harness itself eased my mind about their safety.

Yippie Yo Crossbuggy on location in Cumbria

Yippie Yo Cross buggy showing off its five point harness and matching leisure bag

Short Haul

“We set off over a flat grassy field with plenty of puddles. The boys love racing cars so we sped over the fields racing through puddles and up and down little hills. They bounced around, but not into each other and they loved the fact that they were close to the ground.

We neatly fitted through small gates, (stiles would have been a team weight lifting effort,) and we easily negotiated trees and ridges. I was unsure about grassy banks but the YippieYo handled them easily and the arm felt strong and safely in control of the carriage.

Testing the Yippie Yo Cross buggy in the puddles

Testing the Yippie Yo Cross buggy in the puddles

Long Haul

“Crossing the fields we came to the beach and the YippieYo shone the brightest here for me. We have had many pram systems over the years and although I had found a favourite pram system before, the YippieYo outmatched it and was so much easier here. It maneuvered easily with one hand even with both of them in, even in the quicksand, which we rapidly left.

Through wet sand, dry sand and even on leaving up the rockier embankment the YippieYo didn’t once fail us. It was at this point I realised that I could also use the cross buggy forwards as well as pulling it.

The YippieYo has a strong disc brake system that came in useful when bringing the boys back down the embankment. it held firmly whilst I negotiated the path and found a way down. Over a longer distance they were still comfy and the space they had meant that they could add to their collection with sticks, and stones. The padded seats were comfortable for them and they didn’t notice little bumps in the ground. No moans or groans.

I too, was comfortable – which is something you can sometimes overlook when choosing outdoor products. We look carefully at how comfortable the children will be, which is paramount but I realised at the end that there was no awkwardness so I didn’t have to change hands or use both hands due to it rubbing. It really is well designed with handles that are padded enough to sustain longer journeys.

Family out walking with the Yippie Yo Crossbuggy

Bumps and humps prove no problem on the limestone pavement

On Board Refreshments

“There is a netted compartment at the rear which is big enough to hold a few snacks, a wallet or a phone (although not ideal when splashing through puddles!) There is also a lower shelf which the boys used for wellies, shells. sticks but is also a great place for the YippieYo bag accessory. The branded bag has plenty of space for all the essentials and comes with a long strap if you prefer to carry it. There is an elastic fitting to hold the bag securely on which could be used to hold other items on too. We used it for beach rugs and spades.

We honestly loved the YippieYo, so much so it came on holiday with us and when we returned my husband was ‘googling’ – always a good sign. It was great along roads, beaches and fields and got so many positive comments from passers by.”

“We’ve never had anything that is as easy off road.” Chris Keeler

Big enough to take two toddlers and their sticks

A buggy that delivers

“If I had to niggle and pick I’d suggest a higher head rest or at least one that could be attached for comfort. I’d also place a hand guard or mud guard to protect little fingers over stretching over the side between the frame and the wheel.

We loved that it was so easy to pack away and transport. The arm folded down easily so it was more compact and the wheels were easily removed – even with the disc brake system. It fitted easily within the boot and our test – the storage section within the motorhome. The YippieYo delivered. It kept up with us, it was sturdy and easy to use and we would welcome it back for more adventures anytime.”

YippieYo chariot awaits the end of playtime

Disclosure note: We were compensated for this review by YippieYo but all opinion and adventuring in the great outdoors was, as ever, all our own. (With the help of Laura, Billy and Teddy, whose views were also their own.)

About the author

Kirstie Pelling

Kirstie is the Editor of The Family Adventure Project. A professional writer and poet, she's the creative and journalistic force behind many of the stories and features published here. She's a co-founder and co-director of The Family Adventure Project and also works as the #poetinmotion producing and performing poetry for print, video and live performance.

175 Comments

  • We’d take it for adventures along our prom, across to our local lighthouse, along our pier and on the beach! These is always so much to see and do living by the seaside!

  • We love country walks, round local lakes etc, sometimes it’s tricky on grass or off-road sections if paths have been trodden up so any buggy that is good off-road looks ace!

  • Would use it on a daily basis just walking the dog on the farmers fields behind our house but also when visiting places like the Lake District… 🙂

  • I’d take this up to dartmoor and start exploring and also along the devon coast… so many adventures to be had 🙂

  • This would be perfect for my two girlies, especially my youngest who has mobility issues. We love going for long walks around Wiltshire, Avesbury etc, but it is hard for our youngest. So this would be ideal!

  • This would come in so handy, we would use it on our walks on the beach and around the nearby rivers and lakes.

  • wow how fun is this ! this would be great for the beach or a muddy winter walk it looks amazing fab giveaway thankyou x

  • It certainly is strange looking!! I don’t have any children but would love to win this prize for charity, to go to Romania.

  • I would love to take son on all sorts of adventures, local and seaside adventures and have a fantastic time!

  • I would love to take my nieces and nephew on our adventures when we go for walks with nature, this would be perfect.

  • Exploring the remote bits of the North Norfolk Coast – might even attempt the whole of the North Norfolk Coastal Path – in numerous bits

  • We have 4 year old twin boys who we love going out and about with in the great outdoors. One of our twins has Cerebral Palsy and uses a wheel chair which is not terribly easy to go ‘off road’ with and he is becoming a bit too chunky for our backpack carrier, so the YippieYo would just be awesome! The boys would be able to get close to nature and travel in comfort and style! The YippieYo looks like it needs to get muddy and pulled around the countryside with 2 children squealing with delight! xx

  • This would be amazing with our 2!
    We’d love to take it with us on our travels…. parks, hiking, exploring.
    We are thinking of going to Florida soon, maybe this could come with us?!

  • I’d love to take this to Cornwall with us in the summer holidays with our two young children, this would be amazing! Thank you x

  • Mainly for adventures in the local park with my 2 grandsons but this would also be amazing for theme park trips, especially Disney Paris

  • I’d take my 20 month old on adventures through the countryside ensuring he finds a love for the outdoors and appreciates the simple things in life x

  • I’d take it to the beach, our local country park and Disneyland Paris. The last time we went to Disneyland Paris we struggled with the two of them getting too tired so this would be brilliant

  • This would be fab for going around the local woods,the trails would be so much easier.

  • We like going to Kew Gardens. It houses the largest and most diverse botanical collections in the world and is a World Heritage Site. I have a membership so we go often. This would be perfect with the little one.

  • When we go on little family breaks in the UK, we love exploring and we love beaches!

  • we would take this shopping, our local woods for play and picnics, off to visit grandparents i would even use this on the school run its fab

  • Looks ideal for taking the little’uns with me to watch my older nephew play footie on the weekend, walking the dog in our local woods, down to the seaside on the beach…practically everywhere except the shops 😉

  • Ah this is just super! We have beautiful woodland out the back of our home with trails so we would definitely go exploring there 🙂

  • I would definitely use this to go to the beach, its getting a lot warmer so it would be perfect!

  • Oh my we could have some fun with this! We would take it everywhere picnics, walks along the river, the park on our weekend camping trips
    ! These sound fantastic!! xx

  • Wow so many, it makes me think immediately of our cottage holidays to devon and cornwall it would be great, many thanks

  • Near us there is very big and quite wild park and it would be perfect for our little adventures.

  • I would take it on an adventure across the Dorset coastline (or as much as possible) because Dorset is beautiful!

    This looks Fantastic to be honest!

  • My sister in law has just adopted a little girl and her brother and they would be over the moon with this. They have 2 dogs and are personal trainers and have a very outdoorsy lifestyle – they’d have loads of adventures!!

  • Perfect for my ever growing number of grandchildren! Grandy takes the little ones “off road” across the rucks, which they absolutely love but is not kind to buggy wheels.

  • We are out most weekends with twins who play football around the country. This would be fab to accompany us, and certainly much better than our current buggy to go over various types of terrain!!

  • I would have any because I would give it to a relative am sure they would have lots of adventures

  • Definitely over the welsh valleys, so many mountains, country walks and amazing sites!

  • living in scotland we do a lot of coastal and woodland walks and with a 1,2 and 4 year old this look like an amazing bit of kit that would make those walks and adventures more fun for my younger 2

  • This looks amazing and would be perfect for us in the woods, we home ed and do Forest Schools and really struggle with off road transport!

  • We live in a part of the national forest area so would take lots of trips through the lovely forests

  • Wow! I’ve been looking for something like this since my son was born 8 years ago!!
    As a long distance walking/ non-Driving family I’ve used had pushchairs stuck in many fields and as my 3 year old daughter doesn’t seem to have inherited the hiking gene yet, I carried her almost everywhere up to about 2, including the full ingleton waterfall traill with her in a backpack (she is pretty giant for her age too!!) which almost finished me off.

    We are off to Yorkshire for our holidays this year and not really looking forward to the much inventive carrying that will be required to get us all ‘off road’, this could be just what I need!!

  • We love to go on adventures across the fields or beaches. We usually use a backpack carrier, but something like this would be amazing to get closer to the action!

  • I would take my daughter for walk around Ulswater Waterfall, as well as on outlr trips exploring local forest, lake district and even to the trip to Wales ?

  • I would go on adventures with my little girl through the local arboretum. It is so special to us and she loves being outdoors.

  • I would take my twin boys everywhere 🙂
    First stop would be our local national park, for a nature adventure.
    But this would be amazing for walks along the canal to watch the barges and feed the ducks, visits to the beach and just general getting out and about (in style :))

  • Come Mountain, Beach or rugged National Park – the Crossbuggy reaches parts other buggies just can’t reach. With a YipeeYo in tow, I’d always have a go! Probably the best buggy in the World?

  • We’re fortunate to live near Clumber Park, Sherwood Forest and Rufford Abbey so there are plenty of outdoor adventures for us and the dog to go on!

  • this looks amazing , i look after my grandchildren and take them camping
    this would be great on our trips

  • This would be a brilliant addition to our family dog walks. We could access so many more places

  • This is great for going on nature walks with my daughter & 3 grandchildren very unique and versatile love it

  • I would use this when we go long walks in the park as they tend to get tired feet pretty fast.

  • how cool is this!!! my toddler twins would have so much fun watching the Snowdon mountains, harlech castle and most of all fun in the barmouth beach!

  • I would be able to use this to take on long walks through the woods, and our dog could come along too as it would be so much easier to handle the buggy and him.

  • Love to walk on the beach, so this would be great for that as my little grandkids legs wont go as far as I like to walk and it looks great fun too.

  • We are lucky enough to live on the beach so this would be so amazing for our regular walks along the beach and our beach-combing adventures

  • We’re a family of 4 that loves going for walks – but, where one of our boys cannot walk, his wheelchair (great for normal usage) is totally inadequate. This would be absolutely perfect to allow us to get out-and-about again, which we haven’t really been able to do easily since they were a couple of years younger and had all-terrain prams/buggies! 🙂

  • LOVE this. We live near the sea, so lots of rough terrain to be walked over. Looks great for the sort of handling.

  • We are planning to tackle at least one of the 3 peaks and I would love to be able to drag the kids along with us. There are a few of us so I’m sure we could manage it but otherwise we would use this when we go on our adventure walks

  • This would be perfect for our summer festival adventures little legs can get very tired moving around a festival site and normal buggies don’t mix well with mud!

  • This would be very useful for the Geronimo festival! We also love being out and about, especially going down the farm and walks by the river. I love how it works over different terrains and it will help with my backache from using baby slings and carriers!

  • We like to go on walks and hikes in the Lake District, so this would be rather fun for when our youngest gets tired.

  • Having a country park and woods on our daughter step this would be amazing Love this ?Fingers Crossed ????

  • Just came across this post and loved the idea, we did 2 festivals last year with our 2 little ones and although the double buggy lasted the full 8 days it now has a buckled wheel and won’t be good enough to survive this years festivals. It would be amazing to win one and be able to transport both children comfortably in something built for the hills and bumps.

  • Wow I’ve never seen anything like this before but this would be perfect for our countryside hilly walks. Our little boy has autism and struggles out and about. This is just what I’m looking for.

  • I would love to take if to give to my sister in law who lives in the villages near Istanbul, she does all her shopping on foot, to get to the market she has to go over the fields and through a woodland area, she takes with her my 2 young nephews and carries 1 on her back and puts the other in the shopping carrier, this would be perfect for her.

  • Looks sturdy to withstand the plane so we would take it on holiday for walking with our toddler

  • We’d go for an adventure in te Peak Distric, a beautiful, but rugged, part of the country! The crossbuggy sounds like it could negotiate the terrain pretty well and with a newborn and toddler in tow, it sounds like the ideal solution!

  • we live in snowdonia and we have the most amazing beaches and mountains and lakes so we could take some fab adventures with it

  • We have a lovely national monument very close to us but it is up a hill that the children cannot manage. This would be perfect. Great item. Great name.

  • We have some great buggy friendly walks here in West Wales, so I would to explore these with my family.

  • This would make the dog walks with Grandson so much easier, also would be great for when we go to the beach and on holiday xxxx

  • I’d use this for school runs!!! At my in-laws caravan holiday home on the Essex coast and in the garden for fun!!!

  • This would be great not only for our everyday walks with the dogs through the parks but also for our annual holidays in North Wales

  • I think the first place we would go with the Crossbuggy, is actually to the local forest. It is very large, and filled with great little spots to play, and explore. I used to love going there when I was a child.

  • I think one of our first visits would be to Chester Zoo! Such a fab way of transporting my younger two x

  • This would be perfect for us, we love woodland walk but our boys invariably get tired half way through and we to carry them

  • This is just perfect for us, I can barely walk down the road in our village with a pushchair as the pavement is not wide enough to walk on really. So we go across fields which means my Grandkids can barely get out with me. I would be able to go cross country right out the back garden and also walk the dogs.

  • It looks amazing! Perfect for beach walks, walks in the woods where it’s almost all off-road and when we go walking with my parents.

  • We would use every day exploring wicksteed park which is close by us and on many rugged trips further afield!

  • We would take it for adventures in Torquay in Devon and for a run along the beautiful beach! 🙂

  • This would be perfect for taking my partners 2 young grandsons around in – It looks fabulous ! We love taking them out and about – I would love to take them on a day out to Dartmoor in this 🙂

  • The adventures are endless; long walks along the canal; beach treks; lochside walks and stays; in and around the glens and many other places too……(even in the garden having fun rides!)

  • This actually looks quite revolutionary – a buggy on the beach. I’d love to take one of these out over the fields near where we live and also to the beach to see if it really does work on sand.

  • Well, living in Wales there are lots of different hills & mountains we can explore using the YippieYo Crossbuggy ?

  • I’d take it on our next Australian holiday to the outback, plenty of off road surface to try it out on!

  • Why have I not seen this before! Sounds amazing I’d love to take the kids on a proper walk with the dog through the countryside but they can never last the full time and our buggy can not coap off-road without your hand aching after 10mins

  • We could have so many adventures, we would use it all the time from a walk to the local park,the school run, to visiting our favourite plaaces in Wales & the lake district!

  • Id love to go festival-ing with this beauty, id love to try it at the beach too, it looks fab

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