Baby Carrier?

>With a new addition coming soon to our family my wife and I have been looking at baby carrier backpacks.

Since child carrier backpacks aren’t recommended for children until they can hold their head up by themselves (six months or so), I recommend starting out with a Baby Bjorn (exact weight unknown, but probably about 1.5lb). http://www.babybjorn.com/ This allows you to carry the child in front of you from newborn up to about 20lb, first facing toward you and later facing out. The Baby Bjorne holds the child securely hands-free (unlike a sling), and you can wear your choice of backpack to carry everything else (the back straps and buckles are flat). We used ours continuously, for everyday as well as hiking.

>We are looking for something that will work well for extended day hikes.

I’ve day-hiked about 400 miles with my REI Piggyback (5lb 14oz) in the last three years. It is very comfortable, shows little sign of wear, and I highly recommend it. I started carrying the kids in this pack when they weighed about 15lb. I’ve taken it on rough trails, scrambles and cross-country bushwhacks and it has worked very well.

I have an old Gerry (now Evenflo?) child carrier (model unknown; 2lb 11oz) which is fine for a walk in the park, but it’s not very comfortable for a day of hiking with a full load due to the limited amount of strap padding.

I’m not impressed with Kelty’s kidpacks. They look nice and have lots of features, but we borrowed one (sorry, don’t know which model) and my 18-month-old climbed out of it, even when strapped in, and the friend carrying it said it was much less comfortable than the Gerry. The person we borrowed it from said it hurt him as well.

>Since we are both ultralight fanatics the weight of most baby carriers seems excessive. Is this because of the support necessary for such a pack to be comfortable?

I think so. Kids are active loads, they often lean to the side, and they carry high and out, so a good frame and adjustment system are crucial. Kids, and their gear, also get heavy. With diapers, wipes, food, bottles, change of clothing, extra clothing, and survival gear, plus my own gear and food (often including 4 liters of water) my loaded REI Piggyback weighs about 25lb, not including kid. My 3-year-old weighs 30lb (he’s only 10th percentile in weight for his age) and I end up carrying him after the first 3-5 miles, so my typical kidpack weight is 55lb and growing.

Since the REI Piggyback is so comfortable for carrying a heavy load, after it’s done carrying kids I will probably turn it into a pack frame for carrying out meat or fit it with a lightweight packbag. I separated the transport frame from the child seat portion and weighed them separately. The frame weighs 3lb 1oz, which isn’t bad for a pack that can comfortably carry well over 60lb. The child seat, including the stand and small packbag, weighs 2lb 13oz and thus accounts for almost half of the pack’s total weight.

>We are in search of a carrier that is simple, comfortable, lightweight and has a small storage area for baby wilderness necessities.
>Does anyone have any recomendations? Although price is always considered, it is not a limiting factor.

You might check if you can find an older REI Kids-Only Piggyback, which is over a pound lighter than the new REI Piggyback (REI weight: 7lb 2oz; $165). REI has added more features to the packbag, including hydration sleeve and zip-off daypack, that may or may not be worth the weight. You might instead get the REI Tagalong (REI weight: 5lb 11oz; $99), which has a mesh pocket on the back, and either have the other parent carry the gear or rig an ultralight packbag to fit under the seat.

Hints: I clipped a small carabiner into the bottom of the mesh pocket and use that to clip the bottom of my hydration bag. That way the kid can’t pull it out of the pocket, and it doesn’t fall out when you bend over. You may need to buy a longer hydration hose. I also use a fanny pack to carry trail snacks for the kid and my frequently accessed gear, because it’s a pain to put on and take off the kidpack to get something especially if the kid is asleep.

When the kid was old enough to hike, I modified a Petzl Oustiti climbing harness to fit him and clipped a length of webbing onto the back, which is also clipped to my own rescue belt/harness. We have rough trails in Hawaii, and one mis-step could send the kid over a cliff. A harness is much better than holding his hand, which puts a lot of strain on small arms and my back, and this way he can pick his own route up rocks and steep trail while I top-rope him for security.

Thank you for all of the great information that has come from your experience.
One other concern that I have is that I would like to make sure that this pack is comfortable for my wife who has discomfort carrying anything other than a woman specific backpack due to her figure.
Since I have never hiked any distance with her pack I am not sure if it would be comfortable for me. Are there any downsides to a female pack being worn by a man except maybe a serious crime of fashion?

>One other concern that I have is that I would like to make sure that this pack is comfortable for my wife who has discomfort carrying anything other than a woman specific backpack due to her figure.

She might try doing what I did: borrow a 40-pound kid, put him in the pack, and wander around REI for an hour or two. A good kidpack will be fully adjustable, so take the time to fit the pack carefully. I haven’t seen any gender-differentiated child carriers.

The Baby Bjorn shouldn’t pose a problem since it has no frame.

>Since I have never hiked any distance with her pack I am not sure if it would be comfortable for me. Are there any downsides to a female pack being worn by a man except maybe a serious crime of fashion?

Can’t think of any. You might want to write down or mark any of the crucial adjustments, such as torso length, if you change them. She’ll probably appreciate that. Nothing I hate worse than figuring out a mile into a hike that somebody else wore the kidpack and I can’t remember which slot fits me.

Thanks again Douglas. Nothing like learning from someone elses experiences.
My wife found child carrier packs by sherpani that seem to have scored high in reviews. I am not familiar with this brand. Does anyone have experience with their products?

Have you looked into the baby hammock/sling things? Kind of interesting… and since its just fabric, probably lighter than anything with a frame.

The ones Ive seen made are usually cotton with 2 metal d-rings locking it up… but a light polyester sling with a good fastex clip would probably weigh just a few OZ, and sling across the front would leave you open for carrying a regular day pack.

Since this new product has not yet been released (due July 1, 2005), nobody has experience with it yet. Looks promising, though. Sherpani is the company formerly known as Madden Mountaineering and has made highly rated kid backpacks for quite a few years.

From the Sherpani Website…

http://sherpani.us/ProductDetail.cfm?Catalog=131&ID=127#

Rumba Superlight

Superlight Baby Carrier
Available July 1, 2005

4lbs 8oz
1500 cu. in.
* Laminated waist belt and harnesses
* Exclusive Five Point Chest Plate for child’s safty and comfort
* Load lifters and stabilizer straps
* Large mesh back pocket
* Lower storage compartment
* Packcloth interior for easy clean-up
* Rated to carry 55 lbs
* Stirrups for improved child’s leg circulation
* Fits torso sizes 17″-20″
* Optional Topper sunshade with tuck-away rain windows
* Cayenne and Black have no floral accents

The Rumba Superlight is a lightweight alternative to the award-winning Rumba baby carrier . It differs in having slightly less volume for storage and comes in one frame size.

As the name implies, the Rumba Superlight baby carrier is considerably lighter than other baby carriers on the market, weighing in at just 4lbs. 8oz. – great for around town or ultralight backpacking trips.

The Rumba Superlight features an exclusive Five Point Chest Plate that prevents slouching and holds your baby upright comfortably and securely with padded foam and five security straps. The Rumba Superlight baby carrier is designed to comfortably fit both men and women with torsos ranging from 17″-20”.

I see someone’s selling a 4-year-old Madden Mountaineering kid pack (comparable to the Sherpani Rumba (non-superlight version)) on Ebay for $99 plus shipping.

This is my first posting so I may not be doing it right. Sorry.

I have a 2 year old and want to do some hiking. I’ve researched backpack carriers and have found the favorite brands to be REI, Sherpani, & Tough Traveler. Some like Kelty but more say they hurt. I’ve found backpacks on ebay made by Allo-Thyme, Chicco, Jack Wolfskin, & LaFuma, but can’t find anybody who’s used them.

Question- What’s the best choice??

>Question- What’s the best choice??

I still recommend REI (see the second post in this thread). Be sure to have your child hike at least part of the trip so he/she can get used to the idea. My kids were 2 when they started hiking (in tennis shoes), and now both like hiking more than riding, at least until they get tired.

Check out the revues at http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Packs/Infant%20and%20Child%20Carriers/

My co-workers weren’t jealous when my wife and I traveled– not about taking a long trip, but they were jealous about my mother watching the kids for a couple weeks — the best “baby carrier” around :)

We started car camping with the kids very young. Both were winter babies and were several months old before summer came ’round. Hiking, car travel, and sleeping in tents were natural things by the time they could navigate the rocks and roots well. Lots of drills about what to do when lost– and not to blow the #$%^&* whistle all the time, just when it trouble :) My kids are in high school now and the carriers have gotten better.

oh boy, right up my alley!

my advice is going to be opposite of some, but i used a baby bjorn-style carrier for my first (until he could ride in a backpack carrier) and i HATED it. all the weight pulled down on my shoulders. i vastly prefer a sling, which IS a hands-free carrier if you have it rigged right, and is extremely light. i use one to carry baby #2 everywhere, although he is now old enough for a backpack carrier.

we own 2 carriers, an REI Piggyback and a Madden Caravan. i hate the Piggyback (i think the hipbelt is awful), but my husband loves it. i love the Madden, but my husband can’t get it to fit him properly. The Madden has superior storage capacity to the Piggyback, but the Piggyback has a bladder pocket between adult & baby. if the new Sherpani carriers have included better water storage (and if you even use bladders), i’d say definitely look into the Sherpani Rhumba.

the advice to check out the reviews at backpackgeartest.org is good. we’ve tested at least 2 additional carriers that weren’t mentioned in this thread – i think by Yakima and Deuter.

the first backpack carrier we bought was a Kelty. it was awful and terribly heavy. i can’t recommend them.

>and not to blow the #$%^&* whistle

Our procedure is to issue the whistles at the trailhead, then give the kids 10 seconds (by stopwatch) to test them out. After that, whistles mean trouble. “If you are in trouble, blow the whistle. If you aren’t in trouble and you blow the whistle, you’re in trouble.”

Baby Bjorns are insanely uncomfortable to wear, I can't imagine hiking in one. For long periods of carrying my son (zoo trips, museums, etc), we used a mei tai and this was very comfortable for everyone, even though he's a big baby (20 pounds by 6 months). I carried him in the mei tai until he began to want more independence and started pushing away from my chest, then we moved to the Sherpani superlight, where he can't pummel me if he wants out.

Mei tais and soft sided baby carriers tend to run more than a Baby Bjorn, though they're lighter.

lol. I never expected to find a thread like this on an UL BP'ing site, but since I'm about to join the "parenthood club" (due date=Sept 14), I appreciate the experiences and thoughts shared.

I bought the Sherpani ultralight and I don't like it at all.The straps are not thick enough,the torso doesn't adjust,the kick stand(for lack of better words) is always out and I bump into stuff with it,the place where the kid sits is too wide so my kid ended up standing on it and was way too high and tippy….etc. I thought that the weight of the ultralight was good at first but my kid actually feels lighter in the piggyback.Almost bought the tagalong which is almost the same pack with no storage and no place for water hydration system but got this one cuz I wanted the extra features.Some features I like about the piggyback are: very nice child and adult harness,fully adjustable harness(torso… etc.), very easy child loading( this is important because my kid can freak out when its time to get in),water bladder compatible,and it comes with this cool little mirror that fits in a shoulder strap pocket. If you like the sherpani than that is great,maybe it didn't fit me well.That's all I have to say about that.

Done with my rant.

I'm a mom of 2 year old, due date for number 2 is tomorrow… and my hubby and I are keeping sane by planning light-weight backpacking trips- ha! Seriously, last summer our girl had just turned one, and we took a two-nighter in the Tetons… amid car-camping to get there and back from Chicago. I wore her in our Kelty, the medium-bells and whistles one, and it was a bad fit for my smaller, female figure. 1-2 hours hiking around town starts to hurt my shoulders. The new Kelty, however, looks like its' shoulder straps are adjustable, like a normal pack. (Why does it take companies years to figure these things out?) We also were given high recommendations regarding the Sherpani, but the whole waist belt and wimpy shoulder strap issue, makes the new Kelty seem like the best solution… for now. I guess I'll do the Bijorn on the front, and Kelty on the back, for the end of this summer, at least, until our toddler grows to be a bigger hiking toddler. She really loves climbing in the "pack-back" so it will be hard to graduate her.

Kokopax makes a great lightweight backpack. http://www.kokopax.com/home/onlineretailers.aspx

A little over 2 1/2 lbs and it fits in airline overhead bins.

Hello everyone,

Great conversation! My son Henry started out at 11 months at at 3, he's now been on 9 backpacking trips. My daughter Lily is 3 months and just had her first trip 2 weeks ago. Good times! It's great to see more parents thinking about taking their kids out into the wilderness!

After a lot of research, we ended up with a Sherpani Ultralight that we used with Henry for a long time. My review of it is here:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/2007_sherpani_rumba_superlight_child_carrier_review.html

I liked the pack a lot- reasonably light and I found it quite comfortable with my ultralight loads. But as Henry got heavier (over 20 pounds) I found it to be increasingly uncomfortable, particularly in the drilled-out shoulder straps which pinched when over weighted.

We then switched to a Sherpani Rumba which isn't light but handles the loads very nicely and has more storage capacity. I love this pack when hauling a 25 or 30 pound kid and lots of gear.

For this last trip, Lily didn't have the neck strength yet for a face-out pack like a Bjorn when facing out. But she protests like crazy when facing in. A sling would have worked great, and that was the plan, but Lily wasn't into it. I ended up hand carrying her- mostly on her belly on my forearm. This worked fine for 3 miles but a sling will be needed when she's heavier. A Baby Bjorn (or similar) facing forward will be great, and then we'll switch to a Sherpani at that point, unless we find something better.

These days when Henry and I go solo (again he's 3), he will mostly walk on his own and he'll ride on my shoulders for short stints. On the shoulders is not comfortable for the whole trip, but works when the child is strong enough to walk most of the way on their own.

The Kokopax looks cool, except you can't carry much else- tough when backpacking. This is a problem with many of the lighter packs.

My buddy Marty tried out the Deuter Kangakid, thinking it might be a good option but neither of us were big fans of this design: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/2007_deuter_kangakid_child_carrier_review.html

Best of luck!

Doug

We did our first backpacking trip with our son when he was 3 months old. I carried a Baby Bjorn Active and a light backpack and my husband carried the rest of the gear. Other than having too much gear, we found it worked really well. It was great around camp too, and kept him warm during cool Oct. weather.

We LOVED the Baby Bjorn Active – but the ACTIVE part is key. This model has a back panel that provides additional back support and allows you to adjust the load better for more comfortable carrying. We had both regular and active models of Bjorns and the difference when walking for any period of time is dramatic. After about 20 minutes, I was ready to be done with the regular, but I could carry the Active for hours. The Active is not UL, but it is very well designed and I was able to carry our son until he was ~25 lbs. And it fit both my husband (6-2) and me (5-5) very well. Great for airports too – I can't stand strollers. The Active is worth every penny, even though it is much more expensive than the basic Bjorn. We got a good deal on eBay on a new one, but check Craigslist for used ones too – most people buy them and then hardly use them at all. We have hundreds of miles on ours, many in the woods, and it is still in great shape. Easy to wash too (just don't put it in the dryer.)

One other thought my husband just reminded me of – they now make a Baby Bjorn Synergy. It is pricey, but it combines the Active design with the mesh material used in the Baby Bjron Air, which is more lightweight and breathable than the standard material of the regular and active models. If I had endless funds, I'd seriously consider this one. We had an Air, and the material is great, especially for summer in the Southeast, but without the support, it wasn't much fun to carry very far, so we hardly used it.

We also have a Sherpani Rumba backpack that we love (including our son, as you can see from my avatar). We've just started backpacking with it and have had good success. Our little guy is just over 2 and weighs ~26 lbs. I usually carry him and some light stuff and my husband has the rest of the gear. My husband and I can both use the harness very comfortably – I use it at the very smallest setting and he is almost at the other end. So if you are shorter than 5'5, you might want to check out the harness carefully to be sure it goes small enough – kind of silly for a company that caters to women, but oh well, at least the pack has wide height range (more so than the Superlight). The adjusting system is great because you don't have to take the kid out of the pack – simply pull or release the webbing straps. Again, we have lots of miles on this backpack and have found it very comfortable, despite it's hefty construction. Our model is 3 years old and does not have a spot for a hydration pack. But the fit outweighs that shortcoming in my opinion.

We recently tried out a Sherpai Rumba Superlight as we too were trying to cut weight (essential when hauling a kid), but we found it uncomfortable (especially my husband), and we feared that it just wouldn't carry the weight well enough with a less robust harness. We actually conferred with Doug and our suspicions combined with his experience led us to stick with the regular Rumba as our go-to pack, and we expect to put many more miles on it. The harness for the child is great too – very secure and easy to adjust.

Good luck finding the right system for you, and happy hiking. Walks in the woods were the best way to make our little guy happy as an infant, and it seems that gave him the bug early. Have fun!