It's after May 2009, and you know what that means! The UppaBaby [oops, UPPAbaby] Rumble Seat is actually/finally available.
The Rumble Seat attaches onto the underseat basket, turning the Vista into a stack'em-style double stroller. Unlike the Phil & Teds' lower seat, the Rumble Seat faces backward. Also unlike the P&T, the Vista's main seat can switch, facing forward or back. My favorite setting is the one above, which looks perfect for either prone newborns, legless children, or parents who strap their kid in doing downward facing dog. [Pretty sure I'm kidding about at least the last one on that list, maybe the last two.]
Anyway, the only Vista that can accommodate a Rumble Seat out of the box is the 2009 model, so you'll want to confirm your mfr date before pulling the trigger. For pre-09 Vistas, UPPAbaby had talked about a retrofitting process that involves sending some cash and your chassis to their secret corporate hideout. See that discussion here.
Meanwhile, if you're ready for your Rumble Seat, Amazon has them in stock from Hip Baby Gear or several other, more experienced, higher-rated retailers like Magic Beans for $130 shipped. [amazon]
It's probably at a bunch of other retailers that don't automatically throw kickbacks my way, too. If you get one, drop a line.
We were one of the families that pre-tested the seat, so we've had one for almost six months now. It's great for when you don't have two full-time riders, but makes the stroller a little unwieldy. It gets front-heavy with a toddler in the bottom, which can be tippy. Overall though, we are thrilled with it. We put our ten month old up top, and can then pop the 2 year old in an out as she pleases. It's extremely easy to take off and on and doesn't add much to the weight of the stroller.
We tried one out at the store and our 16t month old whos big, 29 lbs, couldn't fit right in the back seat. We own a 07 uppa and there's supposedly an adapter and the folks at the store didn't mention sending the stroller in. Uppa support is very good though. They sent us new wheels and a new frame after a wheel problem we had.
Anyway, the seat bottom is very shallow. Like 6 inches. Maybe Kristen above can say. But the Phil and Ted Dash we were looking at seemed much roomier for our son in the back. On the wail meter, Carter was a 10 in the Uppa, and a 2 or 3 in the Phil and ted's. We should be getting the Dash soon and I'll report back on it.
Is it me or is the seat bottom in our Uppa Baby G-Luxe extremely shallow also? Wish we'd noticed this before we bought it. But glad to hear customer support is good, in case we have malfunctions.
It doesn't seem that shallow to us, but our 23-mo old is a little bit smaller than Dave's son. Both her and the 10-month old are comfortable in the back. We haven't tried the Phil&Ted's, but the seat shapes look very different. The Uppababy jump seat is very very upright, almost no recline at all.