Iris is cute but that's about all she has going for her. Great idea bad design. Her wheels should move in all directions so she can take the hallway corners in the airport however she only rolls forward so she falls over when entering a turn. she also can not hold very much and her openers are very hard to use meaning opening her up to use on the airplane was out of the question. Iris spent most of her travel time being carried by me or my husband and my 4 years was following behind crying. I love Melissa & Doug products however they missed their target on this one. Amazon was very fair to work with on the return. Melissa & Doug Trunki Iris (Purple)
I bought this for my niece for Christmas last year for our trip across the country. She had just turned three and was very excited to have her own suitcase that she got to pack herself. We tossed a cuddly blanket inside and then let her choose the toys she wanted to bring to fill it up the rest of the way. Once it was full, that's it! Those were all the toys she brought along, so it was an early lesson in prioritizing her stuff.
We were delayed on the first leg of the trip. So this little gem really helped fill up a few minutes while we waited to board the plane in the gate area. Beware, though, my niece was not nearly as interested in pushing herself around on it as she was in being pulled around by an adult.
Where it really came in handy was in our connection city. Since the first leg was delayed, we had to double-time it to the connection gate, which was (of course) a long way away from the gate we arrived in. Since we didn't bring her stroller, and she didn't want to walk (quickly), we put her on the suitcase and pulled her through the airport. It was a lifesaver! Without it, we would have had to carry her.
Pros:
-UNIQUE - I didn't see any others in the airport, and I haven't seen any since. I travel a lot, so this is a unique toy that will get lots of looks from other passengers.
-FUN - This is a fun toy to ride on and keep kids occupied while travelling. We haven't used it on more than one trip, so I don't know that it's super-durable, but it has held up fine so far.
-HANDY - The strap easily clips into place to throw over your shoulder when the kid isn't riding on it. When she's ready to ride again, just unclip one side to pull it along or unclip both to let the kid push herself.
-SECURITY - There were no problems getting it through the security checkpoint: on the belt and through the X-ray with no problems.
Cons:
-SIZE - It isn't very large inside, but seems like it's probably too large to fit comfortably under the seat. You could probably cram it under a seat if you had to or depending on the aircraft, but we didn't want to bother and just stowed it in the overhead compartment.
-RIDING - My niece is maybe a bit tall for her age, but she had to pull her feet up a significant amount so that they didn't drag on the ground while we pulled her. I just mention this for completeness: she didn't seem to mind at all. But, if your kid is really tall or on the older end of the age range, it's something to keep in mind.
-MANEUVERABILITY - Yeah, it's not going to make hairpin turns. But we didn't have much problem in the airports, which are generally pretty wide with gentle curves. On the plus side, people saw us coming and moved out of the way a bit, smiling at my adorable niece on her suitcase.
Bought this case for our granddaughter, age 5. She had the first one for a week and one of the locks broke. We returned it and received another. Used that one for about 3 hours and one of the wheels broke. It's supposed to support 100 lbs. and be able to be ridden on. Our granddaughter weighs about 45 lbs. Once the wheel broke and we could see how it was made, I don't see how it could be used in the way it's marketed. It's all plastic parts. Makes sense to build it out of plastic so it can go through airport security, but it isn't built sturdy enough to be ridden on by anyone over about 20 lbs., in my opinion. I'm asking for a refund this time. Too bad, really, this is a cute suitcase and the concept is wonderful.
Initially our toddler liked this item. Pulling the item along behind her in a straight line was fine. The wheels cannot pivot so turning is impossible. Even when she rode on the item it was hard to pull her along. The clasps were hard to open. One broke the same day so the item was returned. It's such a cute item for home. I would never take on a trip. Traveling is hard enough with a toddler.
First I'd like to say that I agree with many of the reviewers here in their greivances about the design and durability. The clasps are hard to use and pop off easily. The wheels don't turn, but that hasn't been a huge issue for us. I have toppled my son a couple times, but that was really because we were goofing around very recklessly. The suitcase isn't huge, but we fit enough carry-on items that they need to get through the flights - a blanket, stuffed animal and some books, toys, activity sets, etc. Actually, we fill their backpacks with those things and then stuff the backpacks into the Trunkis, since it's much easier to keep the backpack under your seat on the plane. The Trunki is not great for getting things in and out of while in flight.
What makes this so worthwhile for us is the fun factor. These things are FUN! My kids (5 and almost 4) LOVE them. They love to ride them, pull them, link them together, race them, and tie them up to things like you tie a horse to a hithcing post. My 5 year old is a bit tall to ride, but he just lifts his legs up. Getting through the airports, we generally pull them and it's a lot faster and easier than getting them to walk with us. While we're waiting at the airport, we do play games with them and they sit on them if they get tired. My kids become very responsible cooperative travelers with their Trunkis. Even more, they love to play with these at home too (although we have lost another clasp during their unsupervised play, Melissa & Doug sent a replacement set for free).
I sense a somewhat short shelf life, since my son will outgrow his after another trip or two, but these were well worth the price of admission for our family. - Kids Luggage - Ride-on Toys - Melissa doug'
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