Best Way To Hike With Your Kids – Kid Carrier Review
Your going on a hike with young kids, how do you carry them? There are a ton of options out there. So which one is right for you? Let us help. We own several different packs. Here is a simple, practical kid carrier review.
Options
The list of child carriers is about a mile long! There are many great and wonderful carriers out there and then some not so great ones. You need to take into consideration what type of activity you will be using your carrier for. Is it just for going for a leisurely stroll at the park, going on a hike, or going backpacking? Figuring out what you want a carrier for will help shorten the list and help you make a wise choice.
Our First- Moby Wrap
The First carrier we got was a Moby Wrap. To be honest I think I only wore it twice. Some people love them and they are really comfortable but I wouldn’t suggest one for a hike.
PROS
* It is really comfy.
CONS
* A ton of fabric. It felt like I was putting on another shirt
* Its a process. Maybe I didn’t try it enough to get the system down but I felt like it was so time-consuming and a little cumbersome just trying to get it to fit right.
*Constant adjusting- I felt like once I started moving then I would have to adjust it all over again.
Ergobaby
I have wonderful sisters and sister-in-laws that got me an Ergobaby when I was pregnant with my first. I have loved it! It works great for infants, they have an infant insert that really makes it nice, and it works for young toddlers. We found by about 6 months your child is heavy enough you’ll want more support in carrying them.
PROS
*It is so easy to put on and adjust.
*Great for day hikes. It is nice with your child on front because you can still carry a pack on your back. The extra pack is great to be able to carry snacks and water plus it can help to balance the load.
*There is a little pocket in the front which is a great place to store extra snacks. 🙂 The Ergobaby has been great for us while are kiddos are really young.
CONS
* The back strap by your shoulders can be a little tricky to buckle. With some practice though you will get the hang of it.
* The sun shade. Sometimes I feel like it is going to suffocate my child or that it gets too hot. It hasn’t though and I am grateful it is there.
Deuter
When I was only about 3 months pregnant with my first we were browsing through a thrift store and saw a Deuter pack. We knew hiking was something that we wanted to continue doing with our kids so we decided we might as well get it. It was too good a deal to pass up. It has been a great pack and we have gotten in a TON of miles out of it.
PROS
* The shoulder straps adjust for different torso lengths and the shoulder strap cinch, the one that pulls the top of the strap laterally against the pack, has two adjustment heights. This has been so great for us especially when I use the pack. Adam uses the higher setting and I can use the lower one. It helps the pack to fit better and is much more comfortable.
*Light weight (relatively).Our pack, which is an older version, comes in at about 6 pounds. The new Deuter Kid Comfort Air is about the same 6lbs 3oz. Kids are heavy, plain and simple. So if you can knock off a few pounds with a lighter pack then that is a win!
*Cost. Child carriers are not cheap but this one is a little bit more affordable (especially when you get it from a thrift store).
CONS
*The Sunshade only covers directly overhead. I feel like it doesn’t provide a whole lot of coverage most of the time, since the sun is only right over your head for part of the day.
* Rain protection. Same as the sunshade, decent but not great. It only covers the head area so your child’ s legs can still get wet. And it is sold separately
*Arm straps for the kid. The buckle is kind of low, so sometimes it is a pain trying to buckle and unbuckle them.
*Child ride height has a pretty small range of adjustment. We found that we couldn’t get our daughter up high enough to see very well so she tended to lean over which really affects the balance of the pack.
*Storage. The main storage isn’t very big. It works fine for a day trip but for backpacking its not ideal.
Osprey Poco
We have always been fans of Osprey. Our regular backpacking backpacks are Osprey and we have loved them for their quality and comfort. Since Mazie is getting bigger and we want to do more backpacking with the girls we decided it was time to get another pack.
PROS
* The Sunshade. It is AMAZING. I don’t have to worry about any sunburns with this one. It also stores really nicely in the pack
* Rain protection. This is also great. It covers the child and the whole pack.
*Storage. There are three Poco packs, each one has a different amount of storage. We got the Osprey Poco Premium. It has the most storage and a Zip off back pack which is great for backpacking.
*The arm strap buckle for kids is higher up so it is easy access when buckling and unbuckling.
*The child ride height and shoulder strap heights are really easy to adjust on the fly which is very convenient.
CONS
* The shoulder strap cinch only has one adjustment height. When the torso height is adjusted down to the small setting, which I use, the straps cinch up instead of straight towards the pack.
*Rain Protection is sold separately.
*Cost. Be ready to pay and arm and a leg haha. They are pricey, luckily we got ours during the REI member sale, 20% off baby!
*Weight. More storage space is going to make it heavier so it’s a give and take on this one. The premium comes in at a whopping 8 lbs 5 Oz.
*The hip straps tend to dig into your hips if you get the strap too tight. With a little testing and some advice from a fellow REI gear junkie, we figured out the hip strap hugs you pretty well so you can get away with leaving them a little more loose then you might in a normal pack.
Overall, we found that the Poco works best if you need the extra storage and love all the nice features. Its a comfortable pack and should work great for backpacking. If you are looking for something a little more economical and don’t really need all the storage and fancy features, Deuter may be the pack for you.
If you still have an infant we would definitely recommend the Ergobaby. Its a comfortable pack and works great for the real young ones.
We love all of these packs. They have some great features and we think you would love them. We’ll be shooting a lit review video for the Deuter and Osprey packs so you can get a better view of what they offer. We hope you find what works best for you so you can get out there and adventure with your kids.
Your Turn: How Do You Plan On Carrying Your Child/Children On Your Next Adventure?
-Adam & Paige-
Embrace The Kids- Let them be the reason, not the excuse.
P.S. We never thought we would find ourselves working full time on the internet but we have been surprised how simple it has been to get started using this system. Wanna give it a shot? Register for a free Live Broadcast to learn more.
