Evenflo's Odyssey-- a different type of carseat experience

I have never been a huge fan of Evenflo's carseats, but their newest one- the Odyssey is different than most of their other seats. First of all, it looks different than most seats. Second, it is a better convertible seat than most of Evenflo's others.

The Evenflo Odyssey I is a convertible carseat, which means that it is for both rear facing (for infants) and forward facing (for toddlers). While you could, theoretically, use this seat from birth, it is better to use an infant-only carseat for the first few months, especially since this carseat has the type of harness system it does. Which brings me to my second point- the harness system.

Convertible carseats come with one of three types of harness systems. The safest type is the 5-point harness. This harness resembles what race-car drivers wear (a belt over each shoulder and each hip that connect to a buckle in between the legs). The second type is the T-shield, which is a large T-shaped hard rubber piece connected to a V of harness webbing. The harness comes over the child's head and the T-shield buckles between the child's legs. The Evenflo Odyssey I has the third type of harness- the Overhead Shield. This type of harness has a small V of harness webbing connected to the top of a large HARD plastic (but fabric-covered!) shield. This shield is positioned right in front of the child and has a small piece of webbing on the bottom of the shield that buckles into the frame of the carseat. This is the least safe type of harness, but (ALAS!!) it is the type that the Odyssey I has.

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Like I said above, I am more fond of the Odyssey I than I am of most of Evenflo's convertible carseats. There are many features of this seat that make it different from others.

1) Sits Up Higher. The Odyssey's distance between the actual base of the carseat and the part where the child sits is greater than it is on most seats. Therefore, the child sits up higher. This is a "pro" because the child can more easily see out the windows (when forward-facing, at least!). A lot of kids complain that they can't see out the windows, but with this seat, their chances are higher that they can!

2) Nice Upholstery. The upholstery on this seat is called "Comfort Touch" because it is a soft velveteen type fabric (some of Evenflo's other seats have this as well). On this seat, it is a dark grey/black color. It comes with harness covers that are made out of the same fabric.

3) 2-piece Harness Tie. Okay, in all fairness, this feature doesn't really set this seat apart since most seats are now coming with a 2-piece harness tie. But it is still nice!!! A harness tie is the plastic piece that goes at armpit level to keep the harness in place. The old style was a paper-clip style piece of junk that required the user to slip the harness onto the plastic "tongue." The 2-piece allows the user to simply snap the pieces together. It is very easy!

4) Rear-faces to 30 pounds. Okay, AGAIN, this feature isn't exclusive to this seat, but having a seat rear-face to 30 pounds USED to be rare. Having a seat rear-face to 30 pounds means that babies can stay rear-facing longer, which is MUCH safer. Babies need to stay rear facing until AT LEAST one year of age AND AT LEAST 20 pounds. The longer they are rear-facing, the better. 30 pounds is great!!!!

5) Recline 1- Recline 2- Recline 3. Yes, that means there are 3 recline options on the Odyssey. The first recline (most reclined) is for rear-facing infants. The other two reclines (middle and full- upright) are for forward-facing toddlers. The recline is adjusted by pulling on a large red lever in the front of the seat.

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So, I've tried to be positive here and point out the GOOD features of this seat. As good as it seems, there is still that one little (No- BIG) problem-- the type of harness system the seat has. That mean old overhead shield!!! Let us take a moment to review the negative aspects of the Evenflo Odyssey I.

1) Overhead shield. Maybe if I say it over and over then it will make an impact. AVOID THE OVERHEAD SHIELD!! :) There it is said. This type of harness simply just isn't as safe as a 5-point harness. The shield is basically a fabric covered hard plastic WALL against which your precious baby's body could fly (at a pretty high rate of speed, I might add) if you were to get into an accident. This is like adding a large solid HARD plastic log in between you and your steering wheel. When you slam on your brakes, your body will go flying into THAT instead of into your semi-soft seat belt. Don't think that just because you have added a piece of fabric over it it will be less painful... nope! It will still hurt like no other and probably do some internal damage. That is what it is like for a toddler in this seat (or any other with this type of harness). For a baby, put that plastic log at your head level and imagine hitting your head against it. OUCH!!!

2) This *$@# thing won't install properly!. The Odyssey has a small base (22" x 19.7"), which is supposed to make it easier to install in cars. However, that didn't quite work. I had a bear of a time installing this seat in a Honda Civic (rear-facing), Honda Accord (rear-facing), Toyota Corolla (rear and forward-facing), Saturn (forward-facing), and a Ford Explorer (rear-facing). Actual installation was not difficult. It was getting it PROPERLY installed that was tough. It's those little details! :)

3) What happened to your carseat? Because of the higher sitting area and the narrowness of the carseat, the Odyssey I just doesn't look right. It is not an attractive carseat. I know... I am being PICKY!! This has nothing to do with safety, it is just my personal opinion. I would NEVER pick a carseat based solely on aesthetics, but it doesn't hurt!

4)Adjusting the shield. The overhead shield is adjustable to three positions. The inner most position is for infants, the middle one for large infants and small toddlers, and the last one if for larger toddlers. The shield is adjustable by depressing two red buttons- one on either side of the shield- and pushing or pulling the shield at the same time. Well, there is a problem with this. Unless you have 3 hands, this isn't easy to do! You need one hand to push down the button on the right, one to push down the button on the left, and the third to actually adjust the shield. Hmmm... this is not an easy task! I guess it takes two people or one very talented person.

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Overall, I would not recommend the Evenflo Odyssey I because of the overhead shield and the difficulty installing it in so many different cars. However, if you REALLY want a seat with an overhead shield, this is a good one. It certainly is different!!!