Traveling is stressful, and finding the best convertible car seat for travel is also stressful. Put those both together, and you've got yourself a world of stress!
With many brands, different models, and a ton of features, it can be hard to find a car seat that you can travel with without it feeling like a chore.
Until now! We did the research to find the top seats to travel with:
- Best overall convertible car seat for travel: Cosco Apt 50
- Best convertible car seat for air travel: Evenflo Tribute
- Best Graco convertible car seat for air travel: Graco Contender
- Best convertible car seat for travel with a toddler: Graco 4Ever
- Best convertible car seat for travel for small cars: Radian 3RXT
- Best lightweight convertible car seat for travel: Evenflo Sonus
In this article we lay out what I found and throw in a few helpful tips on how to choose a car seat that will best meet your needs.
Let’s get into it!
Best Convertible Car Seat for Travel
Top Picks
Best convertible car seat for travel (overall)
The Bottom Line:
If you’re looking for something lightweight with premium features that'll keep your child safe, then the Cosco Apt 50 is perfect for you. Its compact design allows you to easily get in and out of the airport, or wherever you are, comfortably. Additionally, the Cosco Apt 50 is designed for longer rear-facing use, which is recommended by most child passenger safety organizations.
Though its main function isn’t to give your child the coziest ride possible, the Cosco Apt 50 will ensure that every car ride for your child is pleasant and safe. This car seat is a great choice if you're looking for something basic, functional, inexpensive, and exceeds NHTSA safety standards.
Another feature that sets this car seat apart from other models is its birthplace. The Cosco Apt 50 was manufactured right here in America - specifically Columbus, Indiana. The Graco saying, “Made by American families for American families” shows that the engineers designed this car seat to satisfy the car seat needs of American families.
Pros & Cons of the Cosco Apt 50
Pros
Cons
Cosco Apt 50 Safety Features
The safety ratings provided by the NHTSA are as follows:
The Cosco Apt 50 convertible car seat is equipped with Side Impact Protection that’ll provide comfort and support for your child’s head and neck at every stage of their life. It does not have an energy-absorbing base or a metal frame, but it’s manufactured in America and crash-tested to exceed the Federal and ASTM safety standard.
Cosco Apt 50 Ease of Installation
The Cosco Apt 50 measurements are listed below.
This car seat is equipped with an adjustable 5-point harness with an upfront harness adjust. There are 6 harness positions and 3 buckle positions so that your growing child gets the most comfortable fit. Also, the Coso Apt 50 is fitted with an easy-to-clean seat cover that’s machine-washable and dryer safe.
For help with installation, here’s an example video on how to properly install your Cosco Apt 50 convertible car seat.
You can also refer to the instruction manual located here for more installation assistance.
Cosco Apt 50 Longevity
Rear-facing
Forward-facing
Cosco Apt 50 Ease of Use
The Cosco Apt 50 is LATCH-equipped to make installation quicker. It can also be installed using your vehicle seatbelt, but be sure to review your vehicle’s manual to make sure that you have the right type of seatbelt for your car seat.
To change the harness height, you DO have to rethread the harness. While this does take some extra work on your part, it’s worth it in exchange for a car seat that’ll keep your child safe and is easy to travel with.
Cosco Apt 50 Comfort & Quality
The Cosco Apt 50 does NOT have much padding throughout the car seat. It’s also not equipped with an infant insert pillow, and you won’t find extra padding in the headrest, minus the Side Impact Protection. However, the soft seat cover of the Cosco Apt 50 is designed to give your child’s skin room to breathe and stay cool.
Best Convertible Car Seat for Air Travel
The Bottom Line:
Like most car seats on the market today, the Evenflo Tribute LX is designed to give your child the ultimate protection no matter where you go. But, what sets this car seat apart from the rest is its compact and lightweight design that makes taking trips on an airplane so much easier.
It weighs a little over 9 pounds, so if your arms get tired easily from lugging around a car seat wherever you go, then this seat is perfect for you. The lightweight structure of the Tribute LX also makes it a breeze to get through the airport. You won’t have to worry about maintaining suitcases, carry-ons, children, and a bulky car seat, on top of all of that.
Additionally, it’s created with features that are designed to make installation and buckling in your child easy and quick, which is especially convenient if you fly frequently or switch between cars often.
We all know that car seats can get quite messy when traveling. The seat cover is made out of 100% Polyester that’s naturally resistant to stains and moisture. Also, the seat cover is machine-washable, so clean-up is super easy.
Pros & Cons of the Evenflo Tribute LX
Pros
Cons
Evenflo Tribute LX Safety Features
The safety ratings provided by the NHTSA are as follows:
The Tribute LX is equipped with Side Impact Protection that’s been tested to meet and exceed the federal safety standards. It does not contain an energy-absorbing base or metal frame, but it’s tested for structural stability at energy levels that are 2X the federal crash test standard to ensure that your child is getting the maximum protection.
Evenflo Tribute LX Ease of Installation
The Tribute LX measurements are listed below.
The Tribute LX is equipped with an Up-Front Harness Adjust that gives you a quick way to accurately adjust your child’s harness. It’s also outfitted with a machine-washable seat cover, so clean-up goes by quickly and efficiently.
Here’s a short example video that demonstrates how to properly install an Evenflo Tribute LX convertible car seat.
You can also find an instruction manual here with more instructions on how to install your car seat.
Evenflo Tribute LX Longevity
Rear-facing
Forward-facing
Evenflo Tribute LX Ease of Use
The Tribute LX is LATCH equipped and can also be installed using your vehicle seatbelt. It’s also one of the car seats in today’s market that have a non-rethread harness system with 4 harness positions. The up-front harness adjustment and buckle release make adjusting your child’s car seat easy and quick.
Evenflo Tribute LX Comfort & Quality
The Tribute LX does NOT have very much padding throughout the car seat. However, it does contain excess padding in the headrest for comfortable Side Impact Protection.
In addition to the extra headrest padding, the Tribute LX is equipped with a removable Infant Insert Pillow to provide more relief and protection for your little one. Also, the Polyester seat cover works to add more comfort to your child’s car seat experience with its soft and breathable fabric.
Best Graco Convertible Car Seat for Air Travel
The Bottom Line:
What makes the Contender 65 so unique is its simplistic features that are designed to make installation and adjusting the harness so much easier. As a result, it’s one of the best car seats to choose if you're traveling on an airplane. Experienced parents will love that the one-hand adjustable harness makes it so that you won’t have to deal with the hassle of uninstalling your car seat to rethread the harness to a new position.
Additionally, the lightweight design of the Contender 65 means that you’ll be able to easily carry the car seat through a busy and crowded place like the airport. It's compact enough that it will comfortably fit on an airplane seat with enough room for your child to lower the tray table.
All in all, it’s the simplistic, high-quality features that set this car seat apart from the rest. If you’re looking for a car seat that’s easy to use, grows with your child, goes above and beyond in crash safety testing and is easy to maintain, then the Contender 65 is the right choice for you.
Pros & Cons of the Graco Contender 65
Pros
Cons
Graco Contender 65 Safety Features
The safety ratings provided by the NHTSA are as follows:
The Contender 65 has built-in Side Impact Protection that’s been crash tested to meet and exceed the federal safety standards. It’s also outfitted with energy-absorbing foam that minimizes the impact force of a collision. The Contender 65 does NOT have a metal frame, but the Side Impact Protection and the EPS foam work together to create a sturdy and safe car seat.
Graco Contender 65 Ease of Installation
The Contender 65 measurements are listed below.
The Contender 65 uses the Simply Safe Adjust Harness System that can be used with one hand. This easy-to-use system automatically adjusts the harness and headrest, which in turn saves you time and energy. There are 8 harness and 2 buckle positions to ensure that your growing child always has a comfortable fit. Additionally, the Contender 65 is outfitted with a machine-washable seat cover, so clean-up is quick and easy.
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