Our Review of the RideSafer Travel Vest
Last Updated on April 12, 2024 by Kelly
We’ve been on several trips with young children, and we were curious how we could conveniently travel with a car seat. We weren’t sure if we should bring our own car seat or rent one abroad. We were recently gifted the RideSafer Travel Vest to use for our trip to Europe, and it was an absolute game-changer.
The RideSafer Travel Vest was portable, lightweight, and easy-to-use. Instead of lugging around a clunky car seat, we were able to easily pack the RideSafer Travel Vest in our carry-on luggage. We primary used public transportation in Europe, but we used the RideSafer Travel Vest for a few short taxi rides. It was really easy to use on-the-go. In this post, we’re sharing our full review of the RideSafer Travel Vest.
Disclosure: I was gifted the RideSafer Travel Vest in exchange for an honest review. I am not a certified child passenger safety technician and I cannot make claims about the safety of this product. This post is for informational purposes only and reflects our personal experience using the product. This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn commissions from qualifying purchases.
About the RideSafer Travel Vest
The RideSafer Travel Vest is a crash-tested and safety-certified travel car seat. It meets or exceeds Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for harness restraints (FMVSS213). The travel vest works by bringing the seatbelt down around the child, instead of boosting a child up as you’d see in a traditional car seat.
The RideSafer Travel Vest is available in a variety of sizes. You’ll want to pay careful attention to the product specifications to choose the right vest for your child. Based on our daughter’s age, weight, and height, we used the size Small vest.
The size Small vest weighs just 2 pounds, 12 ounces. The large vest weighs 2 pounds, 15 ounces.
The RideSafer Travel Vest is legal in the United States. Be sure to check your state requirements. Prior to travel, you should make sure that it meets legal specifications in other countries.
We personally used the RideSafer Travel Vest in Europe, although it has not been certified in Europe. We found this review helpful when we were deciding if we should take it to Europe. Please be sure to use your own discretion.
You can purchase the RideSafer Travel Vest on their RideSafer website.
You can also purchase the RideSafer Travel Vest on Amazon.
Our Review
We took the RideSafer Travel Vest with us for our trip to Europe. We traveled to France and Spain, and the travel vest was extremely easy to use.
Before we left on our trip, we first practiced using the travel seat at home. One thing I really liked about the RideSafer Travel Vest was the fact that we could email the company and receive feedback on the correct use of the travel car seat. I sent the company some photos of our daughter buckled in our car with the RideSafer Travel Vest, and they were very kind in giving me feedback about how to make sure she was properly restrained. This gave us confidence before our trip, because we knew how to correctly position the RideSafer Travel Vest. I really appreciated the company going the extra mile to make sure that we were correctly using the vest!
Once we were in Europe, we were able to use taxis with the knowledge that our daughter was properly restrained. The RideSafer Travel Vest was very easy to use on the go. While we were waiting in the taxi line, we would place our daughter in the RideSafer Travel Vest. Once the taxi arrived, all we had to do was properly buckle her in the car. It took us just a few minutes to get her in the car, which was great!
Pros
(These are our personal opinions.)
- One of the major benefits of using the RideSafer Travel Vest is that it is lightweight and easy to pack. We were able to easily place the travel car seat in our backpack. Instead of lugging around a heavy car seat, we were able to easily roam across Europe without it taking up too much space in our very limited carry-on allowance. We also packed it on our day backpack. If our legs were feeling tired and we wanted to take a taxi back to the hotel, we had the RideSafer Travel Vest conveniently with us.
- I also really liked that we could put on the RideSafer Travel Vest while waiting for a taxi. Instead of spending a lot of time installing a car seat every time we took a taxi, we could do half the work while waiting in line. Each time we needed a taxi, we would put the vest on our daughter. Once the taxi arrived, it didn’t take too long to safely secure the vest. Using the RideSafer Travel Vest was super time-efficient!
- Finally, the RideSafer Travel Vest was fairly easy to use. We watched videos on how to use it correctly, and once we had it down, it was very straight-forward.
Cons
(These are our personal opinions.)
- Purchasing the RideSafer Travel Vest is an additional expense. At the time of this writing, the RideSafer Travel Vest costs $169 (not including shipping). You probably already have a regular car seat for your child, so you’re really paying for the convenience of having a smaller car seat. In my opinion, I think it’s worth the cost if you plan to use it multiple times.
- We had to learn how to properly use it. We found it pretty straight-forward to use, but we had to take the time to learn how to properly use it.
- Even though it meets or exceeds Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for harness restraints, it may take some time to get adjusted to the idea of a vest.
- The RideSafer Travel Vest has minimal head support, so we didn’t think it was a great option for kids that like to take naps in the car.
Our Verdict
Here’s our personal thoughts about the RideSafer Travel Vest:
| Pros | Cons |
| Meets or exceeds Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for harness restraints | Additional expense |
| Lightweight (Under 3 lbs) | Need to learn how to properly use it |
| Easily fits in carry-on luggage | May take some time getting used to the idea of a vest as a harness restraint for vehicles |
| Can set up the vest before entering a vehicle | Minimal head support if your child falls asleep |
| Fairly easy to use |
The RideSafer Travel Vest is a travel “car seat” that is legal to use in the United States. At under 3 pounds, the RideSafer Travel Vest is lightweight and easy to pack for travel. The RideSafer Travel Vest can be easily stowed in carry-on luggage, and the RideSafer Travel Vest is easy to use.
We are so glad that the RideSafer Travel Vest exists! It made traveling to Europe with a 3-year-old so much easier. Safety is definitely a priority when we travel, so we were happy to know that we always had a harness restraint with us should we need one. (We never had to depend on renting a car seat or ordering a taxi ahead of time that had one installed, only to find out that there were none available.)
We would definitely recommend the RideSafer Travel Vest to others based on our experience!
If you’re traveling with young kids, be sure to check out our complete list of our favorite products for traveling with babies and young children. We’ve personally tested all of the products on this list!
Disclaimer: We always strive for content accuracy. Since the time of publishing, travel-related information regarding pricing, schedules, and hours may have changed. Please look up such information directly from each vendor or institution for the most current information.
