Nuna PIPA urbn Preview

PIPA urbn: Rear-Facing Only Infant Seat with Unique Rigid LATCH System on the Carrier

Big news in the car seat world! Nuna surprised all of us last week with a new addition to their popular PIPA lineup, the PIPA urbn. The urbn features something we haven’t seen before – rigid latch connectors on the car seat itself!  The PIPA urbn will be not be compatible with any base. Instead, it will install easily without a base, clicking right on to the lower anchors in the car. It will be sold only as a travel system, with the NUNA mixx next, triv next or trvl strollers.

NUNA PIPA URBN FEATURES:

• Rear facing only car seat
• Rethread harness (strap slots, not a headrest you move up and down)
• Weighs around 7 pounds
• “2 second baseless install” with pipaFIX™ rigid latch
• Auto reclining foot to aid in proper installation
• Seatbelt install with European routing also available; can be used together with latch if desired
• For babies 4-22 pounds, up to 29″
• Side impact protection with lightweight Aeroflex™ foam
• Magnetic buckle holders
• FAA certified for aircraft use
• Full coverage UPF 50+ canopy with Sky Drape™, flip-out eyeshade and XL peekaboo window
• Greenguard Gold certified, Merino wool fabric with no added flame retardants
• One-handed vehicle and stroller release
• Sold only as a travel system, with the Nuna mixx next, triv next or trvl stroller

SO WHAT’S NEW HERE?

Without exaggeration, we can say that the PIPA urbn breaks new ground in the car seat world. While many rear-facing-only infant car seats install baseless, this is the first to install baseless with rigid latch. (The Clek Liingo installs baseless with a latch strap.)

What’s the advantage of rigid latch? There’s no tightening required.  At all. Nuna advertises this as a two second installation, and while we haven’t had the chance to try it ourselves yet, we don’t have reason to doubt that description in most vehicles. It may require a manual adjustment to the angle – that is, pulling the end of the seat up or down to make sure it’s level. But it should not require any pulling or tugging.

While this will make it much easier for caregivers to jump in a cab or rideshare vehicle, it will also be a game changer for parents with limited mobility. We are always advocates of any innovations that make car seat installation easier or more secure – and the PIPA urbn has both.

When using only LATCH for installation of the carrier, the seatbelt is not in the way, like it is on other rear-facing only infant seat carriers!  Just as handy, it is very easy to release the LATCH attachments with a one-hand squeeze on the release at the back of the shell, just like most models with a base.  Please note the urbn is not compatible with other PIPA bases and has a 22 pound weight limit.

We hope that this seat will be just the beginning of a pipaFIX™ rigid latch lineup which will make installation that much easier.

Orders should begin in early December starting around $900 with the trvl stroller.

UPDATE

Shortly after this preview was posted, we were able to see the PIPA urbn in person. Boy, were we impressed! The rigid latch installation is just as quick and easy as we anticipated, and squeezing the handle to release the seat might be just as easy as releasing a seat from its base!

We also measured the urbn (of course!) and noticed that the lowest slot is VERY low – under 4 inches when the insert is used with the low birthweight pillow inside it. This indicates that the urbn will likely be an excellent choice for 4 or 5 pound babies.

In addition, we noticed that the shell height of the urbn is virtually the same as the shell height of the other Pipas. (Pipae?) This means that it probably won’t be outgrown by torso height before the baby reaches one of the stated limits, which are 22 lbs or 29 inches.

Overall, we continue to be impressed with the innovation and design of this seat!