With so many travel prams on the market, it’s hard to imagine there’s space for another. But, as any parent brave enough to have flown with a toddler will tell you, no pram is perfect. The one with loads of room is too big to take on board, which means checking it in then chasing said toddler around the terminal. The one the size of hand luggage is too small to fit much more than the toddler. And so on.
Enter the Ternx, the first stroller in the world that transforms into a carry-on suitcase. It’s the creation of Aussie couple Tack Lee, an engineer by trade, and Hoe Ping Lo, a physiotherapist, who live in Brisbane. Like many great inventors, they were inspired by necessity.
“We always loved to travel,” Lee tells Broadsheet. “We told ourselves that, when we had a family, we’d keep travelling. Lo and behold, the kids came and we were Googling everywhere, trying to find the best travel stroller.”
But the realities of navigating an airport with an infant inspired them to think about what would make it easier. “We were thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if there was a stroller that always had luggage space – not just an under basket that meant we have to remove everything and fold it up to board the plane?’ We couldn’t find one, so we said to ourselves, ‘Let’s make it.’”
In addition to an under basket, the Ternx has a suitcase attached to its back legs. This suitcase carries 18 litres of luggage, and, with a few simple steps, the pram folds up and slips in beside it. There’s no need to unpack anything, and you can then carry the suitcase – which measures 55 x 36 x 23 centimetres – on board. Plus it’s made of aerospace aluminium, so it weighs in at just 7.7 kilograms.
“When you have kids, you don’t have many hands so any reduced baggage is of benefit,” says Lo. “The idea is to minimise the things you need to take.” On top of that, the fact that the Ternx can be taken on board means no queuing at oversized baggage collection for a potentially damaged pram. “When you’re trying to get a toddler out of the airport, every second counts.”
How does the suitcase affect the stroller’s capacity, manoeuvrability and comfort? Like most prams, the Ternx carries kids of up to 22 kilograms, which for most children means by age three or four. Lee assures us the stroller moves smoothly, even when fully loaded: “As long as you don’t have loads of other things hanging off it.” As for comfort, the seat back is extra supportive and can be set at 99 or 126 degrees.
The only catch is Australian parents will have to wait a few months before the Ternx is available here. Lee and Lo launched in the US in January, where it’s been selling well. Even Randi Zuckerberg, former market development director of Facebook and sister of its founder Mark Zuckerberg, reckons they’ve nailed it. “I think this is going to change the game for travelling parents everywhere,” she said on Instagram.
“A lot of our friends say travelling with toddlers is too much of a hassle and want to wait till they’re older,” says Lo. “But, once kids get to 12, travelling is a different experience. We want to encourage them to create memories as they’re growing up.”
