Baby Backpack Carrier

We gifted our godson an Osprey and the father loves it. He says it’s comfortable.

That was another one we were considering but it looked like it was $50 to $100 more depending on the model. Maybe we can try the cheaper one out first and then if we’re not fully satisfied, try out the Osprey  I wish there was somewhere to try them all on but the closest REI apparently closed, and it was an hour away

The Luvdbaby carrier on Amazon looks interesting and a nice price – does that include a rain/sun hood?  You might want that.  (I couldn’t help but notice the very poor fit or adjustment of the shoulder harness on the female model in the photo.  You don’t want a big gap under the shoulder strap like that.  It either indicates an inability of the torso adjustment to fit women, or the people just didn’t know how to adjust a pack properly.  Probably not an issue if you will be the sole carrier.)

It would be very hard to go wrong with an Osprey or Deuter carrier.  One of the things I really like about the Deuters is the ability to unclip the whole cockpit so you can reach in and access all the buckles on the child.  Kelty is another brand that has been doing this for a long time.  The premium models will include a rain/sun hood, more gear storage, and sometimes a diaper changing pad.  You want the carrier to fit you like a proper backpack – your kiddo will probably be happy no matter what.  They LOVE riding up there!  The Amazon product does have a lot of good reviews.  Seems worth a try.

Yea it includes a rain/sun shield. My wife and I will probably both carry him but I’ll be doing most of it.  I’d probably guess they just didn’t bother to adjust it for the photos… but there is only one way to find out.

I definitely want and need it to fit like a proper backpack  I have bad shoulders and so I need that good transfer of weight to the hips. The front carrier worked for quite a while but my shoulder just can’t take it without a real support system. It’s funny the pack is going to probably weigh like 5x what my backpacking pack weighs.

Have you tried the Osprey? I’m interested in how well their mesh works at keeping you cool  We’re headed to Alaska so it probably won’t be issue for quite a while but eventually we’re going to be heading down into Mexico and beyond. By that time it’ll probably be a different kid, lol.I think I’ll just order the cheap one and see what I think and return it if I need to  and try something else. We will be going to through Seattle and they have plenty of gear stores….but I need one now too.

For fit, you can try to see if there’s one available in your local Craigslist. I know I’ve seen a couple for sale when browsing around but then again, I’m in LA. Worth a shot though.

For products in Amazon from brands I’ve never heard of, I try to verify those reviews. For this one, it didn’t look too great.

https://www.fakespot.com/product/premium-baby-backpack-carrier-for-hiking-with-kids-carry-your-child-ergonomically-efdb624d-6839-491f-87b4-6a75896cd67c

Not much reviews outside of Amazon either.

If you’re concerned about price, try out Kelty or Dueter. I tried them out in REI with weights and didn’t find them as comfy as Osprey. Osprey also has a mesh in the back.

<p style=”text-align: left;”>That’s a good idea, I’m going to give that a try.</p>
 In the past my wife didn’t care for the Osprey packs, they just didn’t fit her well for some reason. I personally would like to try one out. She did have one of those giant Keltys back in the day that she didn’t seem to mind.

I personally have not tried the Osprey carriers, but you are correct in wanting to get that weight onto your hips.  You are probably just going to have to try some things, cuz as you know packs fit everyone differently and this is no exception.

We actually found a Bass Pro Shop That had a total of one carrier, the Osprey. They must have a deal with them because 80% of the packs were Osprey.  We both liked it but my wife wants to still try the cheaper one. I think I’m just going to get the Osprey though. It might be more expensive but it’s something I’m going to be using pretty much every day for several years. I’m cheap but when it comes to things I use everyday, it’s worth it to have the best.

The only thing that I didn’t like was that I felt like I had a really high center of gravity and I assume that’ll only get worse as he gets bigger  I assume it’s so he can see better? Is that adjustable? Are all baby haulers like that? It seems like it could get dangerous as he gets bigger.

@buylow12,

PM me, We have a Dueter Kid Comfort II that we may be getting rid of.  My daughter is over 2 1/2 and we are kicking her out of for this year’s, hiking season.

The only thing that I didn’t like was that I felt like I had a really high center of gravity and I assume that’ll only get worse as he gets bigger  I assume it’s so he can see better?

Yes, they all have a high center of gravity and it does get worse, but you get used to dealing with it.  I believe it is because they get the kid away from your body to prevent overheating.  It gives the kid a bit of wiggle room too which makes it more comfortable for everyone.  Make sure you foot is on that back bar when you load your kid to keep the back from tipping over.  When you pick him up to put on your back, pick up from middle handle.  If you try to pick the pack up from the shoulder strap, the thing will tip upside down and your wife will yell at you (the kid stays inside as long as they strapped in correctly).  As you can imagine, I have some personal experience…

I’ve had two of these.. neither are made any longer.  The one you linked looks a bit like the one I bought that was REI branded.  I liked it better than the other one I owned.

With respect to the high center of gravity, unless the child were glued to your back, they are going to be back there aways.  Most carriers, however, give you the option to lower the seating position so the child sits farther down in as they get older.  The Ospreys certainly adjust.  This will help a bit.  Unfortunately, we don’t have the ability to redistribute our kids’ weight as we do with gear!  You are probably making a good decision with the Osprey carrier.

Yeah you will be imbalanced at first but you get used to it. I used the Osprey with my godson yesterday while strawberry picking for a couple of hours. It felt awkward at first especially when he was moving around there, but I felt stable enough to kneel or squat down to pick fruit and he was enjoying the ride the whole time.

I figured that was pretty much standard  I’m used to my pack that fits me like a glove,  it actually feels like part of my body. Switching from a front carrier to a back carrier probably exaggerates the difference to me too. I can’t wait till I’ve got proper backpack supports though. The front carrier I have tries but it’s only moderately successful and I have a bad shoulder.

He seemed to love it. He was instantly smiling when I tried it on with him and then he did the same when my wife tried it on.

I’m glad to hear some more recommendations for the Osprey. It’s crazy we’re literally three hours from Sequía Kings Canyon, lake tahoe, and Yosemite  Not to mention all the national forest land and there isn’t a decent backpacking store in an hour radius. I guess farmers don’t backpack,  lol. I guess everyone just uses stollers, we got a nice one but I ended up carrying him 90% of the time  and he doesn’t seem to really care for it he prefers the carrier.  Plus it gives me a workout everyday when we either go for a walk or hike too.

I had the Deuter and hated it. It was the model with the built-in hood, not the detachable one, so it was quite a beast.

At that lifestage I hadn’t gotten back to backpacking, but we were doing some hiking.

So is it mainly gonna be the three of you? If so I’d have one of you carry the babe in soft structured carrier (e.g. Ergo or Beco) or better yet a woven wrap (learning curve—the baby-wearing equivalent of the flat tarp) and then have one of you take the the family day pack. cons: it’s warmer body-to-body, pro: much better center of gravity.

Take this with a (large) grain of salt……my most experience with a Kelty baby carrier was with my son who just graduated college. Good news: we both survived the carrier and it worked great going up and down some big hills back in the day.

But he outgrew it sooner than we expected and he wanted to run beside us rather than be confined to the carrier until of course he tired himself and wanted to get back in again.

My vote is for that Kelty model……but it might not be made any more :) – I do remember buying it at REI.

It was super comfortable for me and my son seemed to fall asleep right as soon as he got in the carrier mostly because he had tired himself out running around by then.