Does anyone have a favorite booster seat to recommend for travel? We will be keeping DD in her Britax Advocate for another couple years when we’re home, but that thing weighs about as much as she does so traveling with it is a no-go. We’ve been using a Cosco Scenera travel seat, but she’s now too tall for it. We’ll be traveling again right around her 5th birthday and she’s about 43” tall but I’m not sure whether she will weigh in at 40 lbs by then.

I’ve been looking into different options and I think I’d rather keep her in a harness for now, instead of a belt positioning booster. I’m not worried about the plane, and she’s generally good in the car, but it just feels safer and I’m not keen on trying a seat belt for the first time on vacation. We’ll be driving some fairly long distances (2+ hours) and she’s likely to get wiggly. BUT some of the lightweight, travel-friendly seats I’ve seen are belt-only (BabyTrend Yumi folding seat, Graco TurboBooster). What I like about these is that they come apart or fold and can be taken on the plane as a carry-on rather than checked...

Right now, it seems like the Evenflo Maestro is the best option, but it just doesn’t wow me for $75-80, and once she outgrows the harness it would have to be checked on the plane. The Cosco Finale is cheaper but doesn’t get great reviews. I’ve thought about the RideSafer Travel Vest but I’m not sure DD would like it for long rides...it’s also $$ and she would outgrow the small size in a couple years.

Is there anything I haven’t thought of? Do you have a travel seat you love for your older preschooler/young elementary-aged kid? Any experience with the seats I mentioned above?