We travel 4-5 times per year with our small children - currently 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 years old. We were tired of either having to lug our children's car seats with us or rent them for $9.99 per day per child for each day of our trip and receiving not-so clean car seats. When I saw the Eddie Bauer Portable Car Seat featured in our local newspaper, I thought I would try it out Eddie Bauer Portable Car Seat, Bryant Collection. Even if we only used it for one of our trips, I figured it was the same price as renting the car seats for a few days from a rental car place. The seats are lightweight and fit nicely in the kids' suitcase. They were extremely easy to install. Our 2 1/2 year old loved it. He felt like a "big boy" sitting in this - it was like sitting in the seat like a big person. My 1 1/2 year old wasn't wild about it. She seemed a little uncomfortable at first, but adjusted nicely after the first leg of our trip. The only draw back was when the little guys tried to sleep. There isn't any head support, but a rolled up blanket or jacket worked nicely. The travel seat doesn't appear to offer the same level of safety that our every day car seat does (no side protection, side head support, etc.), but you can't beat the convienience. I would recommend this if you are travelling with small children on a regular basis and you don't want to lug around the standard car seats.

The Eddie Bauer portable travel seat (made by Dorel Corp.) is a very poorly executed good idea. We purchased it because we were going on a trip on which we rented a car and we did not want to lug our convertible seat all the way across the country (we were flying) and we did not want to pay the car rental company $10 a day for 8 days to rent a car seat it would cost us $40 to buy. I thought the portable seat was the ideal solution. Light, slim, "easy" (or so I thought). The main problem we have experienced with the product is the inability to secure the seat such that (1) it moves less than 1 inch in any direction (as the directions state as the goal and as other child car seat instructions direct), and (2) our child can't cause the entire seat to slip down when we're putting him in the seat and he doesn't want to be there (parents: been there? experienced that?). The seat belt goes through the middle of the back of the seat, but the design lacks a place to secure the lowest part of the seat so that it doesn't slip forward, so that our infant (14 mos., 24 lbs, about 30 inches) would be nearly horizontal to the chair's seat after just a few seconds of squirming, with his legs hanging off the front of the car's seat. An ideal solution would be (and to give you a better idea of the problem) to have a slit on each side on the lowest part of the seat and to run the lap belt through them, or to attach straps that can be used with a car's LATCH system. There currently are no straps to use for a LATCH system - it's only for use with a seatbelt. When we did manage to secure it to some reasonable degree, our son would be leaning FAR to the right or left within a few blocks of driving. My husband hated it from the beginning, but at my insistence we tried to work with it. I WISH it was a good product, but I simply can't endorse it.

This car seat is not very comfortable for your child unless someone is sitting next to them to ensure they don't fall over; even when installed properly. It is however, very convennient for carpooling or traveling because it's so small that it fits in your luggage. the big problem I see here is that I purchased it a few months ago through Amazon for $34.99, shipping included, and now it's $150. That's ridiculous!!!

I bought this for my 15 month old daughter who spent the week of our vacation sooooo uncomfortable and her mother spent the week being nervous about her saftey. Despite reading the directions several times and many readjustments I was never happy with its placement, it moved way more than I was comfortable with. The idea is great and it fit nicely in the front of my suitcase but I will never use it again and would never recommend it to anyone.

First of all - the instruction booklet comes hidden between the seat cover and the plastic frame, maybe this is obvious to others but I'll post it, just to maybe save someone else some needless aggravation. It isn't particularly easy to figure out how to install it initially but once you've got it down - it is simple. We used this to buckle in our 2 year old on the way from the airport to our rental house in Paris, France - which is about a 40 minutes drive. It is very light, easy to pack, relatively quick to install. Once we had our baggage, it was easy to pull this out and stick into the mini-bus. It basically converts a lap or shoulder belt into a toddler sized five point harness. The drive both ways was insane - the drivers went very fast and constantly wove in and out of traffic and right up on other car's bumpers. The seat gave me some peace of mind - if we had just been holding my son in our laps or in a regular seat belt I think I would have been a complete basket case. On the down side - it is cheap, it feels cheap, there are no sides, there's no protection for the head or neck, I'm not really convinced that it would hold up in a major accident. I would certainly never use it on any type of extended basis, but if you just need to travel as we did, say just two car trips to the airport and back, it is certainly better than nothing.

I tried this seat and ultimately returned it. Difficult to install properly and not comfortable for my child. I bought a safeguard go seat and it is awesome and very secure. It's pricey but worth it if you need a seat that can travel fairly easilty.

I purchased this car seat because we were travelling in Florida. I knew we would be taking a cab to and from the airport and renting a car for one day. I didn't wanted to lug my 2 year olds big car seat around when we wouldn't even have a car most of the time. This car seat worked out fine. Just make sure you adjust the straps way before you use it in the car. It's difficult to adjust in a hurry. During wake time it was great. She was securely strapped in and comfortable. It is good for short trips but don't use it for long rides. It is terrible for sleeping in. The baby had nowhere to lay her head. All in all, it served its purpose for our vacation. We will use it again.

This carseat looks like it would be so convenient and easy to use. If you have a seat belt with a shoulder strap, it is impossible to install this safely. We asked a car seat installer to put this in, when we went on a road trip, and he told us to return it immediately. He said there is no way to ensure that our child would be safe in it. This seats seems so convenient but if it doesn't keep your child safe, isn't it better to use the awkward big one?

I was planning for a family vacation for my family and loved the convienance of these car seats that they could be packed in a regular suitcase so I ordered 3 for my 22 month old triplets. I wanted to use them for vacation and as a second set of car seats for my husbands truck. After using them on vacation, I returned them. I ended up having to sit in the back of the Suburban and was constantly readjusting seats and children as we drove. True they were convenient for travel, but not safe. I would much rather have my children safe.

I have a 13 month old child. This seat was excellent for the taxi ride (20-30mins) to/from the airport. I would not use it for long trips in my car b/c it didn't ever feel tight enough for long enough where a bump on the road or a wiggling little boy couldn't get it dangerously loose. It might have just been my kind of car b/c it seemed tighter in the taxi. You can't use it on the plane either. I was happy that it was small and portable. It fit in the front pocket of my suitcase. I'll definitely take it to NYC with me for short taxi rides there. I am amazed that it passes all the safety regulations for a legitimate car seat!

For those who live in big cities or travel alot, this is a must! We live in NYC and travel at least 4 weeks out of the year. It's really easy to install and although not the most comfortable thing, it's secure and gives us a piece of mind. I've had no problems despite the other comments about how hard it is to install or that it doesn't work in all cars. BUT it does shift a little and may not seem like it's in place, but once you put the child in and you sit next to him/her, it does it's job. Granted, people have to understand this is not a top of the line car seat, it's minimal in what it offers; Safety. We know he won't go flying through the windows if anything were to happen. We've rented car seats through the rental companies, but not only are they expensive ($8-10/day plus tax) we found them to be either really gross or outdated and my son didn't end up sitting in it anyways.
br /
br /Great for short trips, city traveling, or vacationing! Even if you can't find it cheaper, don't waste your money on the rentals, this will last you.
br /
br /I checked out the manufacture's website and it seems they are no longer making these...good idea to get your hands on one when you can.

This is a terrible purchase. It is really flimsy and my poor child kept sliding around in it. Don't waste your money!

I went to visit my family in PA from FL. I didn't want to lug around my BIG carseat so bought this and used it on the airline and in the car. Well it didn't work so well on the plane. My 1 1/2 yr old was able to move alot and made the 3 hr plane ride hard because he didn't want to sit anymore and the more he moved the more the seat moved. In the car though this seat works GREAT!! He can't move, and he cannot move the seat either. This is VERY safe to use!

i found it very difficult to get the seatbelt through the back when we were getting into the taxi at the airport. there are slots for the seatbelt to wedge into and trying to do this with a line of impatient cars behind you is a little stressful! okay for emergencies, but definitely practice at home!

We bought this for a week long trip to Florida..so we wouldn't have to bring the big, bulky one along. Easy enought to install, and takes up no room to travel with. Worked great..and will use again for another trip where bringing the bulky car seat is not practical

I had this saved in my shopping cart at $59. Then when I went to purchase it, it had been jacked to $129. I'm not sure why, but it's definitely NOT worth anything over $100. I might as well throw in some extra money and get the portable Safeguard go hybrid booster for $199, or just lug my big ole' car seat on the plane at no cost. It's a safer and cheaper option.

I bought this car seat elsewhere... excatly the same, Eddie Bauer brand name, for 1/4 of the cost its advertised for here! DO NOT spend this much money, but rather use your search engines to find it elsewhere. It is a nice seat, and we use it for our community golf cart.

I got this carseat to use on our vacation. We went on a cruise and I knew we would be in shuttles and taxis a lot so I wanted something easy to carry around and safe for my child. However it was not easy to install at all, so we never used it. It had so many variations on how to install it with different types of seatbelts that it would have taken forever while we were sitting in the taxi to read the instructions for each one and figure out how to install it correctly. Plus you had to remove the fabric on the front to intall the seatbelt and uninstall it each time.

I was pleasantly surprised with this portable car seat. If your child is within 30lbs and not overly active, this product will work great. I found a shortcoming in the quality of the plastic clasps used to bring the belts together across the chest. Would like to see a version for 3 - 5 year olds.

Worked well enough. Very convenient for our trip. It was nice not having to lug around a huge carseat. This one fit nice in our suitcase. Had a little trouble trying to get it tight enough so that it wouldn't shift around. Definitely would not use on an infant, but my daughter is almost 3 years old and I felt pretty secure using it.

This car seat can be purchased for about $40 at Buy Buy Baby in NYC. It may be worth saving over $200 (!) to call the store and order it from them directly.

I bought the Eddie Bauer portable carseat for my 2-year-old daughter.
br /It didn't come with any instruction! For shame.
br /However, if you fiddle with it enough, you'll figure it out eventually.
br /That said, it is lightweight and easy to tote around.
br /It comes in super handy when visiting big cities like London, Moscow and NYC, where you take cabs quite often.
br /And best of all my daughter likes it.

I purchased this carseat for a roadtrip to be the third carseat in the row and LOVED it. It's very convenient for short-term use.

I have two small childern and fly often. The airlines do not like the car seats on the plane and say they are not safe. If this could get FAA aproved it would be the best item to have. I need something small like this for on the plane so my request to the makers is to try to get this aproved for the parents that travel. We need something to keep childeren safe in flight that the airlines will alowe on any flight. Eroupe does not alowe car seats on planes and The kids are not safe in the seats that adults seat in. I would give this a 10 if you would get it approved and buy two of them. Mother that travels.

The Eddie Bauer Portable Car seat is a must for traveling with little ones. It's light weight and easy to take along. However, the directions were a little sketchy but finally I was able to find the straps which were located in the back, under the metal piece. I would definitely recommend it.

i bought a pair of these a year ago and have no regrets. i have twin girls now 2.5 years old and travel quite often. on trips where we need to rent a car, these car seats, although, not the most secure, are the least cumbersome. if i didn't have to lug 2 heavy carseats and all the luggage, then i would love to bring my britax everywhere. but realistically, these carseats are simple enough to secure my children in and also easy to lug to the airport, into the rental car, install, and the reverse. there is no question that i would use these everytime i travel.

I used this in taxis while on vacation, and will again. While it isn't the best carseat, when one is not available, this still provides a five point harness and a solid way to secure your child. I don't love that there isn't any side support, but she sat between her dad and I which seemed to make me feel better about that. Took some pulling on the belt to get it secured tightly, but after a few times became easy. The seat then folds and fit into the small basket under my stroller so we could cart it everywhere!! If I rent a car I will rent a seat, but if traveling by taxis, this is the only real option and better than no seat at all!!!

I purchased this car seat for my son when he was 2. It is fine for tour buses etc. It is not meant to be a primary car seat. It is meant to be a car seat for the little ones when there would otherwise be no carseat available.
br /
br /At 2 1/2, my son was close to the size limit for the car seat. So, my recommendation would be to purchase it if you are touring with a one or two year old. A small 3 year old would fit as well.

Eddie Bauer Portable Car Seat Bryant Collection
br /
br /I bought this in September of 2007 in order to take my 13 month old on a cruise. I did not want to have to lug around a big car seat. This worked very well. We were able to pack this in our carry on luggage and go. It is very small, compact, and serves it purpose. We only used it for the cab ride from the airport to the hotel and back. If we were going to be in cars more frequently, I probably would have opted for a full-size car seat due to the fact that I like knowing my son is as secure as he can be. But don't let that deter you... This car seat is still safe though. It has a harness, and when installed correctly, it does not move. We had no issues with it, nor did the Florida trooper who found us a cab at the airport. He actually commented on what a great idea it was. My son seemed to be comfortable in it for the 30 minute trips and thought he was a big boy! I did, however, sit him between my husband and I for my own piece of mind. All said, it was a good investment. A year ago I paid $35 for it and have no idea how it shot up to nearly $100 more! But it is still worht the price, as it goes up to 40 lbs - so I think we can use it next year as well.

This seat is very convenient but make sure you read the instructions on how to install it otherwise the car seat will move around in the car. At the beginning we didn't do it properly and my daughter would cry in every corner!

This product has been a lifesaver I babysit in my home and these seats are so easy to use and take so little space for storage. I just fold them up and put them in the storage area in the floor of my van. They are right there in the morning and I can take them out at night when my family goes away. One of the best baby products I have for convenience and ease of use. Ideally the straps could be a little easier to adjust but for the convenience and price they are awesome.

i think this is such a convenient baby item. i had no problem installing. i would highly recommend to friends + new moms/dads.

We used this seat when we went on a short trip to San Francisco and it worked great. It was way easier than lugging a big carseat through the airport, it fit right in my suitcase. It does take a little bit of time to get in, but while my husband was taking care of the bags I would put this in, also if you don't put the locking clip on it can slide around if the child moves. My daughter loved using it, and I think it will be very convenant to keep in the car as a extra seat when we have friends that have kids. I wouldn't use it every day, but I don't think that that was its intention.

I was flying to New York City solo with a three year old in tow to visit relatives and we were going to do a lot of driving at our destination. I looked into renting a seat. In theory this is an available service, but try finding one --and compare the cost if you do. I bought this seat and just tucked it in my suitcase. It sure beat hauling a regular car seat.
br /
br /We have the Eddie Bauer regular seat and the harness is the same, although the push button was much harder to work.
br /
br /I recommend letting your kid try it out before you travel, and get it adjusted to fit as this is not as simple as it is in a regular car seat.
br /
br /It is not as comfortable for long rides because there are no 'wings' to rest your head on (or fall asleep on), but it worked out well for a 3 yr old on this trip.
br /
br /In theory it will work for a two year old (not for rear-facing infants), but if they sleep alot in the car, I wouldn't recommend it.

Fits in a suitcase, very lightweight. Easy to use, once you know how. DEFINITELY adjust the straps and learn to use it before you go on vacation, because it takes a good 10 to 15 minutes the first time. But after that it only takes a few seconds to get it in and out of a car. Great for taxis, rental cars, friends cars etc. The instructions are tucked under the back of the car seat. You need to know that, or you'll think they were not included.

I purchased 3 of these seats for my two daughters and nephew. Our family travels to Cabo once a year, and with 3 toddlers in tow, we had no extra hands to be carrying their carseats. The seats fit easily in one backpack and fit perfectly in the taxi from the airport to the hotel. I wouldn't recommend them for long drives because there is no head support, but our ride was only 25 minutes, so they worked out perfectly.

This car seat should be a must for every family. They are great in an emergency and they are wonderful if you travel. They can be tricky to install- practice is recommended. I have found that this seat can be invaluable. Great Item!!!

We used this portable carseat for our one-year-old while we travelled overseas and it was an excellent (and quick) alternative to just holding our child in our lap when using public transportation. I agree with the other reviewer who suggested practicing installing it ahead of time, because it does take a few minutes to figure out. Once you do, it takes only 30 seconds to install. We also brought it "just in case" to Puerto Rico, where the car rental agency promised us an infant car seat, but only had a booster seat that was way to big for him. I sat in the back with our child as my husband drove and it didn't seem as if the seat moved at all while braking or making turns, etc. Despite being small, it seems quite sturdy.

Bought it because I have 3 kids and a small car (Honda Civic). Car Seat is the desireable size I needed but it doesn't hold well in the seat. The back has no support at all and if your kid moves a lot he/she will mvoe it off it's place. Only recommemd for emergency use only. I ended up buying an Expedition after 2 weeks of use.

I babysit kids, and these seats are great because of their size they are so easy to store when not in use. The only thing I dont like are that they really need a tether strap to help keep them secure. The seat back is hooked securely by the seat belt, but the child can lean forward a lot when in the seat. A strap fixes the problem. I use a small ratchet strap and then there is no problem at all.

I bought this car seat in anticipation of traveling with my toddler. VERY SCARY is all I can say. It was great to use on the plane, but I would not use it again in the car. It does not support the child, my child is 12 months and he was fall over when he fell asleep. I may be better suited for an older toddler. My husband had to sit in the back seat to make sure our son did not lean too much to the side. My thoughts, Take a real car seat, and get a travel bag to carry it in. I will not be using this product in the car anymore only on the plane.

It's a Ok product for when you travel, but do not use instead of a regular car seat, the regular ones offer a lot more protection!

It was better than paying lots for a rental and the size is great for transporting, but the seat was able to shift and my daughter was able make it move - but it worked and we have continued to use it when we travel. It is not a comfortable seat for them to sleep in - there is no head support.

This portable car seat is just what I was looking for. Something to help us keep our son seated and more secure when traveling by city Taxi for short trips. It's light weight and I can take it with me and put it under the umbrella stroller until we get into a " Taxi ". Hooking it up properly hasn't been that easy. It takes me more than a few minutes with my 25 month old waiting inside the Taxi or if my husband is with me... He is holding him while I hook it up. We both read all the directions, and it's a bit tricky to make sure you do everything in the correct order... So that the straps are snug and not to loose or to tight. As well as in the right position to fasten it when child is ready to sit in it. Taking it out of the Taxi is easier and faster to do. I'm pretty good at these kind of things.. But every time.. I feel like it doesn't get any easier to do. You need to have a cab driver who will wait for you to get it set up. Then, it worked very well. My son likes to sit in it. He say's car seat. And the one day we didn't use it for a very quick ride.... He sat still the whole time and didn't stand up. So it had an impact and reminded him that he needs to sit in the Taxi. ( we use a regular standard size car seat for our car and longer trips ).

I loved having a safe, clean, and managable alternative for my child's seating in the rental car during our vacation. I appreciated the fact that I was saving money over the additional cost I would have accrued to rent a child seat for the rental car. The seat was so light that I packed it in my carry-on bag for our flight. I had some difficulty using it during the flight due to how the airplane's safety belts were made; however, using it in the car was convenient and easy! I'm glad I made the decision to buy a seat rather than to rent a used seat!

I own a similar product and have used it for over 3 years. We bought this for our first child (age 3 at the time) after our second child was born. My husband's truck only fits three (driver included) and two full size seats would never fit (he delivers to daycare/school, I pick up). It was difficult to install, but where there is a will, there's a way. I was determined to make it work, because to be honest, this car seat fit our budget and a new car definitely did not (especially since his truck is the most reliable vehicle we've ever owned)! I finally used a bungee cord to help anchor the car seat in place, and it didn't budge. Once it fit securely, I didn't dare take it out for the duration of its use! Once my oldest child's head reached over the top of the middle seat, I switched the youngest to the middle seat and put a big kid seat by the door where the infant seat had been. Now that my youngest child's head reaches over the top of the restraint, we don't use it in the truck anymore (we found a very thin regular seat to use instead - though space is much tighter now), but I still have the seat and carry it with me for use in family or friends' cars. I love my "babies" very much; I would never allow either one to travel for three years in a seat I felt was unsafe. If it had a higher back, it would have received 5 stars.

offers no support for sleeping kids... doesn't fit kids past age 3 in most cases (low top slots, cannot be used once shoulders go over the top slots)... and kids under 2yo are MUCH safer rearfacing... Basically it MIGHT fit a 3yo work fine for a short trip w/ grandma. It is also a real pain to install.
br /The Ride Safer Travel Vest is a much more secure option that fits older kids is very compact. Comparable to a 5pt harness too!
br /For babies a Cosco Scenera is a much better option for a second or spare seat.. atleast it fits kids from birth to about age 3 all for about 40 bucks.
br /The EB Portable is just a waste.

I needed a car seat that would fit in the back seats of my husband's chevy S10 and this works. Although it is better with a shoulder harness seatbelt, I am still happy with it even though it is a little loose with a lap belt. We can now all ride together in the truck without one of the adults in a back seat.

A car seat is for protecting your child who is NOT BIG ENOUGH to sit in a regular seat (57" tall and 80 lbs.). This seat does not provide ANY protection at all for a child in a car! If your child was in this "SEAT" and you were in an automobile accident they would NOT BE PROTECTED from INJURY OR DEATH! I guess if you are willing to risk your child's life for a little 'convenience' this would be a good purchase. i hope people will think twice before purchasing this.

This car seat is NOT safe enough for your precious. I used it once and will not use it again. The car seat moves easily and is not secure enough. If you are thinking of buying a car seat because of safety reasons, you should not buy this one. Why would anyone risk his/her child's safety because of convenience reasons?

How can someone even consider putting the life of there precious child in this seat. It takes one second and there is nothing to protect your baby! If you talk about the convenience carrying a life saving car seat for your baby than don't travel!