Nuna Pipa Vs UPPAbaby Mesa

Are you trying to decide between Nuna Pipa Vs UPPAbaby Mesa car seats?

Then let us help you decide which lightweight car seat with a premium finish and excellent safety ratings is right for you with our Nuna Pipa Car Seat vs Uppababy Mesa review!

Choosing a car seat can be scary. All the specifications and certifications quickly become overwhelming, better suited for an engineering degree than a padded seat! It’s no wonder that many of us prefer to go for tried and tested favorites, such as the Nuna Pipa and the UPPAbaby Mesa.

Parents love the Nuna Pipa and the UPPAbaby Mesa, for their convenient performance and classic designs. But how do you find the right car seat for you and your family?

Whether you pick the Nuna Pipa or the UPPAbaby Mesa, you’ll be providing a safe seat for your little one! In this guide, we’ve compared the Nuna Car Seat vs Uppababy Mesa, including features, pros, and cons so you can choose the right car seat for you and your baby.

And if you love this Uppababy Mesa vs Nuna Piper review, make sure to check out our guide on the best strollers compatible with Uppababy Mesa, best stroller car seat combos, best narrow car seat, and best lightweight car seat.

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Nuna Pipa Vs UPPAbaby Mesa

Let’s get started by looking at what the Nuna Pipa and UPPAbaby Mesa can do.

All About Nuna Pipa

Nuna Pipa car seats are popular with city living parents who like to be on the go. Weighing two pounds less than most lightweight car seats, the Nuna Pipa is easy to pick up and carry, and an excellent choice if you like to travel.

But while the Nuna Pipa might be best known for its portability, this car seat has a lot more going on than just a featherweight casing. Well rated for both safety and installation, this car seat goes further without weighing more.

The Nuna Pipa is a premium car seat, and it’s finished with top quality fabrics. It looks and feels good, providing a comfortable seat that you’ll enjoy showing off. And thanks to its excellent compatibility, the Nuna Pipa is easier than ever to travel with. It fits into multiple strollers from different brands, for a car seat that matches the modern lifestyle.

You can learn more in our full Nuna Pipa car seat review!

Pros

• The Nuna Pipa is one of the lightest car seats on the market, and comes in even lighter variations.
• Well rated for safety, the Nuna Pipa has a heavy-duty shell that absorbs impact.
• The true lock is quick and easy to use, locking the seat securely into place.
• Can be installed using just a seat belt, which is great for on the go.
• Ergonomically designed to be easier to carry.

Cons

• The harness requires rethreading when you make adjustments, which can get frustrating.
• Suitable for use between 4 and 32 lbs, which is less than similar sized car seats.

All About UPPAbaby Mesa

The UPPAbaby Mesa was designed to combine ease, performance, and style. This popular car seat offers exceptional safety features, backed up with a quick and secure installation system.

Every area of the UPPAbaby Mesa has been carefully designed to deliver a quality performance. The headrest is adjustable for added comfort, and is reinforced with EPP foam. The handle can be adjusted to absorb impact in the event of a collision. The secure latch system uses a red to green tightness indicator, so you know when the seat is in place. Even the fabric is useful — it can be spot cleaned to quickly deal with mess.

The biggest issue with the UPPAbaby is a lack of compatibility. The car seat doesn’t fit in many strollers, which gives you limited options for creating a travel system. But in every other way, this is a hugely convenient car seat.

Pros

• An adjustable headrest adds comfort and safety.
• The handle is ergonomic and comfortable to hold, and it absorbs impact in case of a crash.
• Installs safely and securely in just seconds.
• The no rethread harness allows for quick and easy adjustments.
• The European Routing system ensures the car seat can be installed without a base, for use on the go.

Cons

• The Mesa has limited compatibility, so it’s hard to create a travel system.
• The canopy is only rated UPF 25+.

Similarities And Differences Between UPPAbaby Mesa Vs Nuna Pipa

There are a lot of similarities between the Nuna Pipa and UPPAbaby Mesa, including those all important safety features. In this section, we’ll explore deeper into these similarities, as well as the all important differences.

Protection

Let’s start with the most important feature when choosing a car seat — how much protection does it offer?

Both the Nuna Pipa and the UPPAbaby Mesa are incredibly safe choices, so you can feel confident choosing between the two.

The UPPAbaby Mesa offers protection from all sides, with an EPP foam reinforced headrest, and integrated Side Impact Protection. The carry handle can also be adjusted to absorb impact, while the SMARTSecure installation system reassures you that the seat is locked in.

The Nuna Pipa uses a super resilient heavy-duty shell, and side impact protection for improved safety. The true lock installation allows you to lock the seat into place quickly,  while the naturally flame retardant fabrics reduce chemical exposure.

Installation And Base

Easy installation allows you to quickly get the car seat in place, without a lot of fiddling about.

UPPAbaby Mesa uses SMARTsecure installation and an auto-retracting LATCH design. Red-green tightness indicators and level indicators clearly show when the seat is in place, so you know you’ve got it right.

The Nuna Pipa features a true lock base installation, which takes just 5-seconds, and uses a red-green indicator to show when the seat is in place. The Nuna Pipa can be used with the Pipa base, and the Pipa Relx base.

The Nuna Pipa and UPPAbaby Mesa can also be installed on the go using a vehicle seat belt. If you like to travel by cab, you can quickly and easily lock these seats into place, without needing a base.

Adjustments And Comfort

Nuna and UPPAbaby are both premium brands, so you can expect them to make a comfortable car seat. Both brands feature a newborn insert, providing padded comfort for small babies.

In terms of comfort, UPPAbaby Mesa is the winner, mostly for the adjustable headrest. It just makes it easier to position your baby as they grow.

The UPPAbaby Mesa also uses a no rethread harness, making for easier adjustments as your baby grows. The Nuna Pipa doesn’t have this, so be prepared for a fiddly rethread when you adjust the harness.

Weight

The Nuna Pipa is popular in the “lite” variation, which is among the lightest car seats on the market. The Nuna Pipa itself weighs only 7.9 lbs and the Nuna Pipa Lite weighs just 5.3 lbs. You’ll struggle to find a lighter car seat, especially one that provides the same safety and convenience as the Nuna Pipa.

The UPPAbaby Mesa, on the other hand, weighs 9.9 lbs. Honestly, this isn’t heavy for a car seat. It only seems heavy in comparison to the Nuna Pipa. But if you plan on carrying the seat around a lot, or you travel frequently, those extra few pounds can make a difference.

Compatibility

The Nuna Pipa is compatible with a massive range of strollers, including all strollers in the Nuna range. With an adapter, the Nuna Pipa can also be used with all Bugaboo strollers, multiple Baby Jogger and BOB Revolution strollers, plus some Joolz strollers, Thule strollers, and UPPAbaby strollers. And this is just a small portion of the list!

UPPAbaby Mesa has limited compatibility, which is disappointing. It can be used with UPPAbaby Vista, Cruz, Minu, and Ridge strollers. With an adapter, it can also be used with limited Baby Jogger and BOB strollers, plus Thule Urban Glide strollers.

Materials

The Nuna Pipa uses a premium micro knit fabric, which looks good and feels good. It gives the Nuna Pipa a fantastic finish.

The UPPAbaby Mesa is also finished with comfortable fabrics, and you can order fabric swatches before you make a choice!

Expanding on materials, the Nuna Pipa comes with the Sky Drape. This is a canopy cover that protects your little one from rain and shine, and creates a peaceful atmosphere in the seat. Providing UPF 50+ protection, we love the way this connects using magnets, rather than fiddly Velcro or buttons.

The UPPAbaby Mesa comes with a decent canopy, but it is only UPF 25+.

Weight Range

If you choose the UPPAbaby Mesa, you’ll be using the car seat for longer. It has an upper weight limit of 35 lbs, compared to just 32 lbs for the Nuna Pipa. This might not seem like a huge difference, but you can potentially enjoy several more weeks using the UPPAbaby Mesa.

Final Thoughts On Nuna Vs Uppababy Car Seat

For safety and ease of installation, it’s hard to choose between the Nuna Pipa and the UPPAbaby Mesa. So, it really comes down to the details when making your decision.

For city living parents who want a lightweight car seat for use on the go, the Nuna Pipa is the top choice. It’s exceptionally light, and the no-base installation is easy to use. We also love the ergonomic design, and the stroller compatibility makes this a versatile seat.

However, there’s a lot to love about the UPPAbaby Mesa. For a start, the no rethread harness adds a lot to everyday use. And the seat disconnects and connects from stroller and base with ease.

So, which details are right for you? We hope this guide will help you choose between the Nuna Pipa and UPPAbaby Mesa infant car seats.

And if you’re still looking for more great baby guides, try these guides on do car seats and bases expire?, how to keep baby cool in car seat, how to keep baby warm in car seat, and Chicco Keyfit 30 infant car seat review for more inspiration!