Bugaboo Butterfly 2 review: the travel buggy that some airlines still refuse

At a full RRP of £435 for the buggy alone, before you have added a single accessory, the Bugaboo Butterfly 2 asks a fair question of any parent: is a compact travel pushchair really worth the price of a proper everyday pram?

Travel Buggy: Bugaboo Butterfly 2

This is Bugaboo’s ultra-compact, cabin-minded buggy, the second generation of the Butterfly. It is built for one job: folding small enough to live in an overhead locker, a car boot or under a café table, then opening again with one hand. It is not trying to be a do-everything system, and the moment you judge it on those terms it makes a lot more sense.

What it is

The Butterfly 2 is the current version, with a deeper, near-flat recline, slightly bigger wheels and more storage than the buggy it replaced. One honest note: our own hands-on time was with the original Butterfly, which is near-identical to the 2, so what follows applies to both. The real differences are that recline, the wheels, and the rain cover the 2 now leaves out of the box. On the recline, be clear that even on the 2 it is a deep recline seat, not a true flat carrycot, so it does not lie completely flat like a bassinet. For older babies and toddlers napping in the seat, that is fine. For a newborn lying flat, you are into the separate inlay or a compatible car seat plus adapters, sold separately.

The build, in real terms

• Weight 7.3 kg, Bugaboo’s lightest buggy, light enough to carry up stairs or sling over a shoulder by the integrated strap.
• Folds to roughly 45 x 24.5 x 55.5 cm, the IATA-compatible packed size, and self-stands once folded, which helps on a busy train or bus.
• One-handed concertina fold: press both handle buttons and push down. Bugaboo’s “one-second fold” is marketing; in practice it is a few seconds, which is still quick.
• Usable from 6 months in the standard seat, from birth only with the separate newborn inlay or a compatible car seat plus adapters, up to 22 kg or roughly four years.
• Large extendable UPF 50+ sun canopy, which is one of the genuinely good bits.
• No rain cover in the box, which at this price is a fair thing to grumble about.

Owning one

We owned one, and the honest verdict is that it is a good buggy. It feels solid and well made, and the accessories we have used do the job. The transport bag deserves a mention of its own. It is a separate purchase, around £55, not something that comes in the box, but it is genuinely handy and it helps protect the buggy when it is checked in. Bulky, yes, but for us it was a must once we started checking the buggy in.

The catch is getting the buggy into that bag. It can be fiddly, the kind of thing that is awkward the first few times and then becomes a knack. Worth knowing before you are dealing with it at the airport.

The cabin reality

Here is the part the spec sheet will not tell you. Bugaboo states the Butterfly 2 is IATA-compatible, meaning its folded size meets cabin carry-on dimensions, and even Bugaboo adds the line about checking with your airline first. We can confirm why that matters: we have personally had some airlines refuse to let it on board, despite it folding down to cabin size. We are not naming names, and it is not every carrier, but we have had it happen. IATA-compatible is not a guarantee, and you should not bank your boarding gate on it.

What it is not

It is not an everyday workhorse pram. The basket is small, the recline is not a flat bed, and the accessory list, footmuff, liner, adapters, rain cover, all sold separately, quietly pushes the real cost well past the headline price. It is not a guaranteed cabin pass either, as above. Buy it as a second buggy for travel, days out and tight spaces, and it shines. Buy it as your only pram and you will feel the compromises.

Does it hold its value

This is our own take rather than market data, so weigh it as opinion. For what it is worth, we would expect a compact, lightweight buggy like this to find a buyer second-hand more easily than a bulky travel system, simply because the demand for small and light is steady. Keep the box, keep it clean, and the transport bag is a sensible add that also helps it survive long enough to resell. You will not recoup the full £435 plus accessories, but a well-kept one should still hold some of its worth.

Verdict

Judged as what it is, a premium single-purpose travel buggy, the Butterfly 2 is very good. It is light, well built, folds small, self-stands and has an excellent canopy. The real drags are the price before accessories, the fiddly bagging, the missing rain cover, and the cabin caveat that bit us in person. Those keep it short of the segment’s very best, but for the right buyer it is hard to beat.

Score: 8.5/10. How we score.

Where to buy

• Bugaboo direct, at RRP, for the full range, colours and the transport bag and accessories.
• Major nursery retailers, where you will often find the buggy discounted below RRP.

Check the price at Bugaboo