Kolcraft Cloud Plus Stroller Review

Kolcraft Cloud Plus

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How it Compares

The Kolcraft Cloud Plus is the least expensive of all the lightweight strollers we purchased and tested.

It is almost the lightest weight stroller in the group as well. It did not perform well in our testing compared to other strollers in the group but it is also substantially cheaper than most.

Related Reading: Best Lightweight Strollers

A Few Criticisms

We only purchased strollers with predominantly positive customer reviews, but every stroller has negative reviews as well. We summarized the most common complaints in the table below and share our own perspective on the criticism.

Criticism	Our Experience
Cup holders too small	True. The parent cup holders have a funny shape and won’t hold round cups much over 2 inches in diameter.
Flimsy, cheaply made	Agree. It is a low-priced stroller and has some low quality parts like the wheels and seat support.
Not easy to fold	True. The slide and folding button sometimes get stuck. Also the canopy smashes my hand when the stroller starts to collapse.
Wheels problems (squeak, fall of, holes)	True. The wheels are very light and flimsy.
Insufficient storage and difficult to access	The Kolcraft storage basket is .69 cubic feet which is a good size compared to many strollers in this category. The basket is a bit difficult to access but not much more than other strollers.
Uncomfortable for child	Agreed. We gave it a seat comfort rating of 5 out of 10 stars
Not suitable for taller or heavier children	Agreed. The seat back is only 17 inches and the depth is 8 inches, neither of which are adequate for bigger children.
Handle low and not adjustabable	Agree. The handle is 37.5″ in height which is 2″ lower than almost every other competitor.
Rough ride	Agree. We tested ride smoothness and the Kolcraft wasn’t the worst but is in the bottom third of the group.
Seat recline problems	The reclining mechanism is not very sophisticated but it worked for us.
Not good on rough surfaces	True. Most umbrella strollers perform badly on rough surfaces and the Kolcraft is a bit worse than most.

Testing and Research

We surveyed the most popular and best-reviewed umbrella and lightweight strollers on the market and purchased the top 20. We tested and measured each stroller in more than 100 aspects to compare their performance in a controlled way. We also had parents and their kids use the strollers and provide input.

Weight and Folded Size

The Cloud Plus is only 11. 8 lbs folds making it one of the lightest strollers you can buy. Despite the super light weight, it is relatively large when folded at 4.1 cubic feet. It fits fine in a trunk or van but the extra size makes it a little more awkward to maneuver. Fortunately the weight makes up for some of that.

Ease of Use

The storage basket on the Kolcraft is actually larger than on many of the strollers we tested. The frame around the basket is a rigid metal and wouldn’t bend to allow us to push a bigger bag in the basket. The basket holds up to 10 lbs which is typical.

The Cloud Plus comes with a parent tray with two cup holders. Unfortunately, the cupholders are strangely shaped and our mug and medium-sized cup wouldn’t fit.

The tray between the cup holders is large enough for a cell phone and keys but there is nothing to keep things from bouncing out. On a positive note, many strollers don’t have a tray or cup holders at all!

The Cloud Plus has a peekaboo window in the canopy that is big enough to see the baby. If the seat is reclined, you can also see through the mesh back of the canopy.

There are separate brake pedals for each rear wheel. They are stiff and hard to engage. They are also uncomfortable to release when wearing sandals.

The harness buckle on the Cloud Plus is pretty basic. It only requires clipping in two pieces which is nice but it wasn’t especially smooth.

The seat back is supported by a single strap which also functions as the recline mechanism. Reclining is as simple as sliding the clip and raising the seat is accomplished by pulling on the strap. Both can be accomplished using only one hand. There are infinite reclining positions because you can slide it as little or as far as you like.

The harness straps are also adjusted with straps. I had to struggle a bit to change their lengths but it doesn’t have to be done often. Raising the shoulder height is easy because the shoulder straps slide through the horizontal straps shown in the image below.

One legitimate complaint about the Kolcraft is the low handle. It is 37.5″ at the center, and the typical pushing location on the sides are even lower. Most strollers in this category have a handle height of 39″ which some parents consider too low. This handle is not adjustable in height.

The handle does feel stable when pushing the stroller.

The Kolcraft is not compatible with infant car seats.

The Cloud Plus comes in Fire Red and Slate Grey.

Steering and Maneuverability

We navigated the fully loaded Kolcraft Cloud Plus around an obstacle course and we weren’t impressed with its responsiveness in steering. The course was relatively flat. Ease of Steering:

The Cloud Plus performed even worse on rough surfaces. If you stick to well maintained sidewalks you should be fine although there are many strollers that are easier to maneuver.

Probably due to its light weight the Kolcraft doesn’t require much force to jump curbs.

Curb jumping force:

Another maneuverability benefit of the Cloud Plus is that it tends to push straight without veering too much to one side or another.

Overall Steering and Maneuverability Ratings:

Folding and Transport

Our “How to fold the Kolcraft Cloud Plus” video:

The folding mechanism is a slider and a button as shown below. You have to slide the slider, holding it to one side and then pull on the big white button to initiate the collapse of the stroller. After that, a little pushing is required, and the stroller folds forward and down. I often have to adjust the wheels to get the stroller to complete its fold.

It takes me about 6 seconds to fold the stroller including making sure that the folding latch is secured. Unfolding takes about 4 seconds.

The Kolcraft folding process frustrates me for two reasons.

First, the slider often sticks and prevents the stroller from folding until you push, shake or squeeze it.

Second, when the stroller starts to fold, the metal frame of the canopy smashes into my hand or fingers with great speed and force. It really hurts; no exaggeration. I’m not the only one. Other people have mentioned getting their fingers smacked by the canopy.

This stroller stands up well on its own when folded. Notice the white plastic latch in the photo below. The folding latch doesn’t usually catch by itself. You have to make sure the latch engages with your hand or the stroller won’t stay folded when you try to pick it up.

As you might guess the Cloud Plus doesn’t pull well on the wheels when it is folded because the wheels interfere with each other. However, you can carry the stroller by its push handle.

The Cloud Plus won’t fit in an airline overhead bin but it can be gate checked.

Fold Ratings:

Kid Comfort

The Cloud Plus is in the middle of the pack when it comes to smoothness of the ride. We took measurements of the level of vibration and bumpiness to determine Ride Smoothness: (lower numbers are better)

The Cloud Plus is rated for children up to 50 lbs or 40 inches in height. Your child may become uncomfortable in this stroller before they reach that weight or height. The seat depth is only 8 inches which is amongst the smallest we saw in testing and the seat back height is only 17 inches. Other measurements like the edge of the seat to the footrest confirm that this stroller is better utilized by smaller children.

The seat isn’t terrible but also isn’t the most comfortable. The back feels like hard cardboard. The seat is supported under the thighs with a strap of some kind. Padding is thin on the seat and seat back.

The mesh canopy on the back of the stroller provides nice ventilation when the seat is reclined.

The harness straps are not the silky type and they have no padding.

When fully upright the seat sets at 54 degrees. We prefer it to be between 65 and 70 so that children are sitting up. Otherwise, they are leaning back like they would in a reclining chair. Fully reclined the seat back goes to 40 degrees which is better than nothing but less of a recline than most competitors.

The Cloud Plus is the only stroller of the group that includes a kid snack tray. This is a nice feature. Our First Years sippy cups are two inches in diameter at the bottom of the cup, and they fit snugly in the cup holder. Anything bigger than that and you will be out of luck.

The canopy does not provide a lot of sun protection. However, the sides of this stroller are high which helps block the sun from the sides which would otherwise shine on thighs and arms. The peekaboo window up top has no cover so it may let in light and heat from the sun.

Quality and Safety

The Cloud Plus tied for the loudest stroller we tested when we measured average decibel levels. I’m certain but speculate most of that sound came from the wheels.

Average Decibel Level:

Because many stroller injuries are related to falling out of the stroller or strollers tipping over, we performed two kinds of tip-over testing.

We hung a 12 lb bag to the back of the Kolcraft and it tipped over backward. This was no surprise as this is a very lightweight stroller. It is never recommended to hang heavy objects on the handles of strollers.

We also compared the amount of weight that would cause the strollers to tip over sideways and the Cloud Plus ranked 15th out of 20.

In our pinch-point testing, we found a few places where little fingers could be pinched. It is recommended to keep children away while the stroller is being folded or unfolded.

We haven’t experienced any failures with the wheels. They are lightweight with thin treads.

The folding buttons got stuck for us and became more difficult to use over time. This is a significant problem since folding has to be done frequently.

The fabric has held up fine.

Kolcraft Cloud Plus vs Summer Infant 3Dlite

The Kolcraft Cloud Plus and Summer Infant 3Dlite are competitors in the ultra-lightweight stroller category.

Both are lightweight with the Cloud Plus coming in 1.2 lbs lighter than the 3Dlite.

See our full review of the Summer Infant 3Dlite stroller.

The 3Dlite performed much better in our maneuverability testing. Neither stroller does well on rough roads.

The handles are higher on the 3Dlite and the harness buckle is easier to use.

We don’t like the folding process of either stroller, but the 3Dlite is faster to fold and doesn’t cause pain to the fingers. We also haven’t experienced any operational problems with the 3Dlite folding mechanism but have with the Cloud Plus.

The Cloud Plus has a bigger storage basket and comes with trays for both kids and parents which the 3Dlite is missing.