UPPABaby Mesa
Price $299
BUY NOW Buy Buy Baby Nordstrom AmazonUPPABaby is a US-based luxury brand that’s actually worth the money; their gear is attractive, well-designed, and their US-based customer service is top-notch. I like pretty much everything they make.
This seat has not had any significant changes in… years, but they are finally updating it to the V2 model, which is expected to launch in the Summer/Fall of 2022.
The UPPAbaby MESA V2 will offer new colors and features, like additional side impact protection, a larger sun canopy and a more secure seatbelt installation method. An increase in price for the V2 model is sure to happen as well. I’m not sure how this seat can get much better, but… we’ll see what comes of it.
UPPAbaby plans on selling MESA and MESA V2 models simultaneously, offering families a choice of price point, colors and features. Both car seats fit all model years of UPPAbaby strollers and use the same car seat base.
Overview
The UPPABaby Mesa is an incredible infant car seat. Next to a Graco, for example, it’s apples and oranges. The schtick with the Mesa is ease of installation with a self-ratcheting base. Just clip the LATCH connectors into your car, push the base down with your body weight and BAM! He’s done. Finito.
Most other seats require lots of pulling, tugging, etc.
This is one of the reasons they earned a 5-star rating from NHTSA for “ease of use.” I LOVE self-ratcheting anything — and you will too – HA! A big thing that most people don’t realize: if you’re using LATCH, you can install this seat in any position, including the middle seat.
With the built-in lockoff, a seatbelt installation is also quite easy. The only downside is the lack of an anti-rebound feature found in seats in this price echelon (the Pipa and the Aton, for example). At 10 lbs, it is average weight for an infant seat, perhaps even a little on the heavier side.
The Mesa comes in 4 beautiful colors — two of which are fire retardant free…
Henry and Jordan (merino wool) ~ $349
These two versions/colors of the seat are an extra $50, but completely fire-retardant free. Yes, it was the first car seat on the market with no fire retardant chemicals whatsoever (I get really excited about this, can you tell?). You see, wool is naturally fire resistant. It’s the shizzy. Since then, many other car seat makers have followed suit (Maxi Cosi, Nuna and even some Graco seats).
People think of wool, and they think of something that’s rough or scratchy (wool gets a bad rap), but higher-end wools are soft, cozy, and extremely breathable — it works great in any climate, even hot ones. The reviews are phenomenal. If I were pregnant right now — and had the money — it would be hard not to get this seat, just saying.
The Mesa also has a no-rethread harness (very hard to find on infant seats!) — also found on the Cybex Atons — and a huge sunshade.
*This seat has a traditional American belt path, whereas previous versions had the Euro belt path. Sorry.
Stroller Compatibility
Again, if you are in the market for the UPPAbaby Cruz or the UPPAbaby Vista V2 stroller (see Stroller Section), both of which I LOVE, you are best off with the Mesa. Your problem is going to be finding a simple, lightweight frame stroller for this guy… though now UPPABaby has a lightweight travel stroller, the Minu (see also: UPPABaby Minu review), that is compatible (with an adapter). See also: Best City Strollers
It works (sort of) being strapped into the BabyTrend Snap N Go, though it’s not a very elegant solution. It also works with Thule brand strollers (with an adapter).
And that is about it. The truth is that stroller adaptability is a weak point of this car seat, so you better like UPPABaby strollers if you want this car seat — or look elsewhere.
Bottom line: The Mesa is an awesome American luxury infant car seat. If you’re buying an UPPAbaby stroller, you’ll be very happy with it (plus, it’s all matchey-matchey). Downside: it’s on the heavier side, as infant seats go, and lacks an anti-rebound feature found in similar seats at this price-point. The self-ratcheting installation is amazing, and the soft goods are to die for, especially the wool versions.
