Aquadoodle Go 'n Doodle Travel Doodler

Aquadoodles are one of the best inventions in recent times. And the idea of the travel aquadoodle is no exception. However this product does have it's shortcomings.PROS- Allows you to take the everfun aquadoodle on the go with you.- There are 2 sides, allowing for more additional drawing space, while the other side is evaporating.- Has an elastic loop on the side of the toy that the pen easily slides into, for convenient storage.CONS- Although it's for travel, the plastic "frame" makes the toy take up a lot of room (such that it doesn't fit in a diaper/carry bag.- The pen is very small and doesn't hold much water.- The pen opens/ closes the opposite of how you would expect (the "lefty lucy" rule doesn't work, making it hard for kids to refill by themselves)- The felt area gets scratched and snagged very easily. Once it's scratched or snagged, the surface doesn't work the way it should.OVERALLI might suggest getting the Aquadoodle "mini mats". They are more portable, priced very well and you don't have to be quite as careful with them as the Travel Doodle.

I love the concept of the AquaDoodle as my daughter received the hardcased, double sided one, the large mat, extra pens and stampers for Christmas. However, after 3 months, the double sided portable one rarely works. I guess it has been used too much that now when drawing on certain spots, nothing shows up. This is too large to take with us on trips. Glad there are holders for the pens - thanks!Also, for the pens: at 21 months old, she mastered taking the tops off and dumping the water on the board; and sucking the felt tips to get the water out - gross! My daughter has more fun with the pens - I find her walking around the house just carrying the pens around - guess she's trying to keep up with them. :-)Also have the AuqaDoodle bear or mouse. Love this, but doesn't get as much attention as the drawing mats.I will buy more and currently looking for a mini one that I didn't know existed, but needs improvement on the double sided ones and the pens. An expensive product for only lasting a couple of months!

I'm a big fan of aquadoodle. Have 2 regular mats, 2 mini mats and 2 travel ones, as well as extra pens and stamping accessories. LOVE the regular version of aquadoodle for home and grandma's. LOVE the mini mats for hotels, restaurants (mini mats are flimsy and can be permanently creased). Was excited when this travel version came out and expected it to be a mini version of the larger mat. The frame is a bit bulky for travelling. The drawing surface is felt-like and can be easily scratched. The pen is too small and will run out of water shortly into your trip. I think the pens screw the opposite direction so kids won't open it and spill water. I would still buy this again only b/c I have to keep the younger one entertained in the car and the price of $15 is great for what you get. The product is a great idea but the felt is not practical at all and will get ruined quickly unless you take great care-i.e. don't let the child hold other toys while playing w/ this, etc. Place it in some sort of protection case. Re: the pen, you can buy the larger pens separately-they s/h just made a larger pen for this set. I keep extra pens in the car b/c they drop them often and I can't retrieve while driving. With multiple kids, they can all draw together. They need to come out w/ a portable product combining the best of their regular mat, travel, and mini mats. So far, each of the three products have different surfaces. I would be thrilled w/ a smaller version of their regular mat w/ that same type of surface. Hope to be of help.

I received this as a gift for my 2 year old daughter for her birthday. I hesitated from the reviews on giving it to her. As a mom of three small kids this is a great toy becasue she can play it alone, she can use both sides and its no mess. Anything that has no lights, music and involves creative thinking, imaginiation and quiet play is a blessing. The pen does run out of water and could have been bigger but the toy holds up well. I think worth the money.

My 2 year old got this for Christmas, and it has been a great present! No noise, no mess, no "mama help". The string attached to the pen is a little short, and it has one scratch on the surface already, but my daughter doesn't notice/seem to mind. Just bring a bottle of water with you for refills and make sure it doesn't get thrown around. I'm excited to try a floor mat version next!

We bought this toy for my 2 year old son. It is a great idea and he absolutely loved it and with using just water it was excellent for no clean up. However literally about 5 days into using it the drawing part which is a soft material was already getting scratched up which made drawing on the scratched parts impossible. The ONE pen which is basically a plastic tube with a felt tip (think Q-tip) started to come apart in little pieces. About 3 weeks after having it, it was so scratched up on both sides just from basic use that you couldnt see when you drew on it anymore and the Magic Pen tip was compeletly destroyed and leaked. I had to throw it away, which was really disappointing because my son loved the toy and it was a great idea but obviously cant hold up for long and in the end isnt worth it.

I bought these for my nieces and nephew thinking they would be great for the car. (We have the full size/at home version.)The travel size has two major drawbacks that the mat does not:The reservoir is too small (maybe about 1/5 the size of the regular pen); you have to refill it much more often.The drawing surface does not dry quickly. I drew on one side and flipped over to the other side and it still wasn't dry yet.It got dirty pretty quickly; I don't know if there's a way to clean them.I'd say if you want to get the aquadoodle, get the large size mat- not this travel one.