Stroller Cooling Gen 3 ;o)

Smittolis

DIS Veteran
Joined
Mar 2, 2017
Since Photobucket has changed all of its content criteria and blocked 3rd party hosting without a paid account, I wanted to update my previous write ups. However, in the mean time I have streamlined the package a little so wanted to do a revamp of the review and have taken new photo's too.

Ok, addition #1:

Fixed / moveable mounted stroller fans:

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I was lucky and had an old canopy from my City Mini GT Double that was replaced under warranty, so I wanted to see if I could create a slimline mounting system for a fan of some sort so the kids can have the cooling effect of moving air without running into the same old problems that i'm sure anyone with kids has experienced:

1. Hair getting caught up in the fan blades!
2. nipping fingers or other body parts!
3. Kids complaining of having to hold the fan or not being able to use it when they doze off
4. referencing #3, having to stand there and hold the fan at just the perfect angle to get them to doze off and give you an ounce of peace! haha

So i looked at the way Baby Jogger mounts its canopies as well as its optional accessory bar. It connects using a locking pin and specially shaped mounting block. So i looked at the old canopy frames I had and tried to see a way of making them work. Here is what I came up with:

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The standard frame canopy is a basic double 'U' shape, i removed one of the U shape metal bands and then cut the other down to roughly 1/3 the length. I then installed the mount into the stroller to see where it would need to clear the frame and existing canopy / mount. I used a little persuasion to bend and mold the metal frame into the rough shape I wanted and then looked at the height clearance issues it would have when being used as well as the ultimate goal of having it fold away seamlessly when it is folded away.

Here is a shot of both mounted to the frame, fans mounted and prepped ready for the stroller to be folded:

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Folded:

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The fans tuck into the canopy perfectly meaning they won't get caught on anything when packing it into a bus, taxi, uber or car etc... The canopy acts as a sheath to give it some very solid protection. You can also see the cooling seat back pads we use too, these are awesome and I would definitely recommend those too!

Revision #2 (Gen 3 Evaporative AC Unit)

After the recent increase in bag searches and inspections, I wanted to revisit the AC unit I had been using. The Rubbermaid mounted cooler works a treat and I got to test it in temps of 108 degrees+ recently, so it is a great little concept that stands up to the heat! However, given the hard sided nature and larger footprint I wanted to see if I could still get the same internal volume but in a much smaller / more convenient package. This is the Gem 3 version!

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This is great little '2-day' ice cooler freely available from Costco. It has excellent insulation and has a removable hard liner that gives the cooler some rigidity and shape. It is much smaller in footprint to the original Rubbermaid tub, but give its design, it is much more convenient to take off and carry as a separate item should it be required when taking the stroller down. I changed out the retaining strap to a smaller one and simply hooked it across the front of the entire bag. The cooler is sat on some custom made hangers:

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This is made from a single piece of steel I cut to length and then molded to fit the upper frame cross member. I then plastidipped both of them to help prevent any scratching as well as help blend into the overall look of the stroller. I then used some 'furniture' pads on the inside of the mounts to make sure they didn't scratch up the stroller frame on its contact points:

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The interior runs off the same principle as the previous incarnations, fans (2 in this case) pushing outside air into a cooler across cold ice and ice packs with 2 outlets allowing the now cooled air to pass out and directly to either of the stroller seats.

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The internal volume is actually a little bigger than the rubber maid tub, but given its wider nature, the use of 2 fans allows a good volume of air to be cooled and subsequently pushed out. As you can see I have used some C-PAP machine medical hose, cut it in half and then fed it directly up through the stroller access holes to each seat:

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The air is much much colder than the ambient temperature around you. Obviously the bigger the differential (hotter it is outside) the colder the air feels from the tubes. This 'direct' access to the cold air acts as a great way to apply some localized cold air within the stroller, the mounted fan then helps to give a general. My kids liked putting on their face or down their shirt when it was really hot!

To fold the stroller, the cooler just unstraps, the mounts just conveniently in the side pockets of the cooler itself and the stroller folds away. The benefit of this cooler is that I can actually use it as a cooler for food, drinks, water etc... as well as for its intended purpose of cooling the kids!

Addition #2: Fine mister / atomizer:

As an added extra and a way to create some additional evaporative cooling when out and about I purchased a CoreGear 1.5 liter spraying mister. This is a great purchase and comes with an insulating jacket so helping to keep the ice water nice and cold. This was an absolute godsend when combined with the mounted fans in the recent excessive heat we experienced when on a trip out of town. The sprayer creates a very fine and consistent mist, this creates a great coverage without being too big volume wise and drenching the kids.

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With only 10 pumps of the pressurized system, the mister sprays for a really decent length of time. The design is very ergonomic and while it is a little bigger than the smaller personal misters, i think this creates a few additional positives:

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The biggest one being it is very easy to mount! The holding handle is the perfect size and gives just the right amount of cantilevered leverage to balance on the rear push bar! The included accessory velcro strap and carabiner can also be used, but I just use the longer velcro strap as a tether to make sure if it did fall off for whatever reason we would know about it!

So that is where we are at currently, I will be adding some additional insulation to the C-PAP tubes and the Cooler insert to help prevent unnecessary leakage, but I think we are ready to put it all through its paces in 11 days! lol I know some people will think its overkill and perhaps you are right, but i enjoy tinkering and hopefully this will make all of our lives a little more convenient and tolerable!

I'm going to create a review / 'How to' video on my youtube channel so I will post links when its all done and dusted!

Thanks for reading!
 
Apologies for dragging up this old thread, but I would love to see pics of your creation! Any chance you have them somewhere I cam see as the links in here are no longer valid?
 

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