Why The Austlen Entourage Is The Best Stroller for Two Kids When You Actually Have Three

I waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

And now that we finally have our Austlen Entourage, my only regret is that I waited so long.

We have three kids: a 4-year-old, a 2-year-old and a 1-year-old. Obviously, I can't put all three of them on the Entourage at once, but that's actually what I love about it.

I don't need the same two kids to ride every time we leave the house.

Sometimes my two younger kids need traditional seats.

Sometimes my 4-year-old is the one who needs a break.

Sometimes everybody starts the day walking and two hours later the entire situation has changed.

With the Entourage, I can choose between the Second Seat and Sit + Stand depending on which two kids need the stroller that day.

And we're especially excited to put that flexibility to the test on our next big adventures: the airport and Disney.

The Best Double Stroller When Your Kids Are 1, 2 and 4

With three kids at three very different stages, a traditional double stroller doesn't necessarily solve our problem.

Our 1-year-old still needs a real stroller seat.

Our 2-year-old usually does, too.

Our 4-year-old is much more independent, but he's still four. A long travel day or a full day at Disney is a lot of walking.

That's why I love having both the Second Seat and Sit + Stand.

For an outing when the two younger kids need to ride, I can use the Entourage as a traditional double with the front Primary Seat and rear Second Seat.

For a trip when my 4-year-old is likely to need more help, I can swap the Second Seat for the Sit + Stand. He gets a Platform Rider for standing and a Jump Seat when those big-kid legs need an actual sitting break.

The Sit + Stand is rated from age 2.5 up to 75 pounds, while the Primary Seat holds up to 65 pounds and the Second Seat up to 40 pounds.

That gives us options rather than forcing our family into one permanent seating arrangement.

And Both Options Come With Us

Here's another detail I'm ridiculously excited about.

Both accessories fit beautifully in the Entourage's lower storage area.

That means I don't necessarily have to decide before a trip whether we're a "double stroller family" or a "Sit + Stand family."

We can bring both.

For a family like ours, that's huge.

I can picture starting a vacation with my 1- and 2-year-olds in traditional seats. Then on a different outing, I can use the Sit + Stand when my 4-year-old is the one more likely to need a ride.

Instead of bringing different strollers for different stages, we're bringing different options for the same stroller.

That's what I think the best single to double to Sit and Stand stroller should actually do.

Why I'm So Excited to Take It Through the Airport

Airports are exactly where I expect the Entourage to earn its keep.

We're traveling with three kids. That means we're not exactly strolling through the terminal with a single diaper bag.

The Entourage 2.0 has a 70-pound lower storage basket, an included Market Tote rated for another 30 pounds, and a total capacity of up to 200 pounds of kids + cargo.

So while the stroller is transporting two of my kids, it can also help us move all the other things that come with traveling as a family.

And when we need the extra room, the frame expands.

When we don't, it retracts.

That's a very different definition of best travel stroller than simply finding the smallest stroller possible.

For me, the best travel stroller is the one that makes traveling with my actual family easier.

Then There's Disney

Disney is where I'm probably most excited to use it.

A 1-year-old, 2-year-old and 4-year-old at Disney means naps, snacks, extra clothes, water bottles, souvenirs and constantly changing opinions about who wants to walk.

But Disney also has an important stroller rule: strollers must be 31 inches wide or less and 52 inches long or less. Wagons and stroller wagons are prohibited.

The Entourage's widest measurement is 24.5 inches, and its longest fully expanded position is 50.5 inches, keeping it within Disney World's published size limits.

That makes the Entourage particularly interesting for us because it gives us some of the things I find appealing about a wagon - big carrying capacity, room for gear and options for bigger kids - without actually being a wagon.

And at Disney, that distinction matters.

How Popular Options Compare for Disney and Travel

I wanted to see how some of the popular multi-child options compare for the things that matter to us. One caveat is important: manufacturers don't always publish separate overall dimensions with rider boards installed. Where a reliable combined measurement isn't published, I've said so rather than estimating it.

The Entourage specifications come directly from Austlen. UPPAbaby publishes the Vista V3 at 36.5 × 25.7 × 39.5 inches unfolded and 16.3 × 25.7 × 33.8 inches folded with its seat, and its PiggyBack supports a child up to 55 pounds. Nuna's U.S. specifications put the DEMI next at 39.5 × 24 × 49 inches unfolded and 23.5 × 24 × 35 inches folded, and its U.S. Rider Board holds up to 50 pounds; Nuna also confirms that the board flips into the basket when not being ridden. WonderFold's W4 Elite Pro has a published 300-pound wagon capacity, but Disney's rules prohibit stroller wagons altogether.

Why the Sit + Stand Is Such a Big Deal at Disney

Disney is exactly where I think the Entourage's Sit + Stand becomes especially valuable.

My 4-year-old isn't going to walk miles through the parks, stand in lines, get up early, stay out late and then happily stay on his feet every time he's tired.

Sometimes he's going to want to sit down.

And that's where the Entourage gives us something very different from a typical add-on rider board.

The Sit + Stand is built into the Entourage system. My son can stand on the integrated Platform Rider when he wants the freedom to look around, then sit on the Jump Seat when he needs an actual break.

There isn't a separate board protruding behind the stroller that I need to add for the trip.

That distinction matters at Walt Disney World because Disney limits strollers to 31 inches wide by 52 inches long and also prohibits wagons, stroller wagons, and “trailer-like” objects pushed, pulled or towed by a stroller, AKA rider boards. 

The Entourage itself stays within Disney's published stroller dimensions, even at its fully expanded 50.5-inch length, and its older-child riding solution is part of the stroller rather than a separate tow-behind accessory.

For our family, that means my 4-year-old gets something especially useful for a Disney day: the choice to walk, stand, or actually sit down when he's tired, while my younger child still has a comfortable stroller seat.

And because we have three kids, I can change the Entourage's configuration depending on who needs the ride most that day.

That's exactly the kind of flexibility I want when I'm spending an entire day in a theme park with children at three very different stages.

What About Disney Transportation?

This is another place where I think planning your stroller matters.

At Walt Disney World, you don't always have to fold your stroller.

For example, the Disney Skyliner is particularly convenient with a stroller because many standard strollers - including the Entourage - can roll directly into the gondola. The monorail can also be much easier with a stroller than transportation where folding is required. On Disney buses, however, you should plan to fold the stroller.

So my Disney strategy is simple: keep the stroller organized so that the things I'll need to grab quickly aren't buried underneath a mountain of loose stuff.

And before we park it for an attraction, I'll make sure valuables come with us and take a quick mental note of where we left it. Cast Members sometimes move parked strollers to keep stroller-parking areas organized, so finding yours a few spaces away from where you left it isn't unusual.

Features That Make the Entourage Stand Out for Our Family

Here's why I'm already convinced this is going to be our best double stroller, best travel stroller and best Disney stroller:

• Second Seat + Sit + Stand interchangeability, letting us choose the setup that makes sense for our 1-, 2- and 4-year-olds
• A real sitting AND standing option for an older child, rather than a standing board alone
• 75-lb Sit + Stand capacity, giving us plenty of runway for our oldest
• 200-lb total kids + cargo capacity, which is incredibly useful for airports and long park days
• Expandable and retractable frame, so we can create more room when we need it and make the stroller smaller again when we don't
• Both rear seating accessories fit in the lower cargo area, so we can bring the Second Seat and Sit + Stand along and change our strategy
• Folds with Second Seat or Sit + Stand attached, reducing the number of separate stroller pieces we're managing while traveling
• Disney-compliant dimensions, including a 24.5-inch width and maximum 50.5-inch expanded length, both within Disney World's current 31 × 52-inch stroller limit 
• Not a stroller wagon, which matters because Disney currently prohibits wagons and stroller wagons

I Really Did Wait Too Long

That's what I keep coming back to.

I spent so much time wondering whether we really needed the Entourage.

Now that it's here, I keep thinking about all the outings when it would have made life easier.

And somehow the biggest endorsement might be that my husband loves it, too.

We're excited to take it through the airport. We're really excited to take it to Disney. And I'm especially excited that when we're packing for those trips, I don't have to predict which two of my three kids will need the stroller most.

Their needs can change.

Our stroller can change with them.

For a family with kids at different ages and stages, that's ultimately what makes the Austlen Entourage our best double stroller, best single to double to Sit and Stand stroller, best travel stroller and, hopefully very soon, our best Disney stroller.

Image provided by customer is for illustrative purposes. To read their review and other customer reviews, click here.