Child Carrier

[CB4]

Just got an Osprey Poco for hauling the kid around. The waist belt is not as comfortable as a Kifaru but I overall I thought it was comfortable to wear. The difference comes in the height of the waist belt and the lumbar pad.

 

[tdot]

Just got an Osprey Poco for hauling the kid around. The waist belt is not as comfortable as a Kifaru but I overall I thought it was comfortable to wear. The difference comes in the height of the waist belt and the lumbar pad.

I think the Osprey is quite possibly the worst waist belt I've ever used. Strapping it to a frame was the only option for us after the kids were 15+ pounds. Everything else about that pack was pretty decent.

 

[CB4]

I think the Osprey is quite possibly the worst waist belt I've ever used. Strapping it to a frame was the only option for us after the kids were 15+ pounds. Everything else about that pack was pretty decent.

My little guy is 17lbs right now so thats all I can base it off of. Once he gets closer to 30 I'm sure I will find a way to rig it to my Kifaru frame.

 

[Marbles]

Thanks for the input. I just found a screaming deal on the kelty journey elite after I posted that is going to be hard to pass up. What do you like better about the Deuter? My biggest concern is child size. My son is almost 3 (35 lb)and would like to get more than one season out of it possible. Looks like the Kelty, Osprey and Deuter are all rated for 48 pounds. Way I figure it, that is based on their frame and suspension. If it is attached to a more substantial frame, I would assume the weight would be almost a non issue, assuming the child can physically fit in the seat and harness. If the Deuter has more capacity, might be worth paying $150 more.


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The Deuter will fit a larger kid than the Osprey. Conversely the Osprey will work for a 6 month (provided they have adequate head control) while the Deuter would be too large.

On the Deuter it is easy to remove the shoulder straps to eliminate some of the extra bulk. The Osprey creates more space between the frame you are strapping it to and the frame of the carrier.

I don't have experience with a Kelty.

 

[Bearwhisky]

The Deuter will fit a larger kid than the Osprey. Conversely the Osprey will work for a 6 month (provided they have adequate head control) while the Deuter would be too large.

On the Deuter it is easy to remove the shoulder straps to eliminate some of the extra bulk. The Osprey creates more space between the frame you are strapping it to and the frame of the carrier.

I don't have experience with a Kelty.

Thank you for the detailed input!


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[easilyamused]

Picked up a used kelty carrier and promptly cut off the belt and straps and attached it to my kifaru nomad so i have a bit more gear capacity for day hikes

 

[Freezing Moon]

Slightly off-topic but do you all ever use front-facing carriers with a full backpack on as well? I have a couple that I use for my son but the farthest I've taken him has been a day hike.

 

[Marbles]

Picked up a used kelty carrier and promptly cut off the belt and straps and attached it to my kifaru nomad so i have a bit more gear capacity for day hikes

Nice. I ended up cutting the belt off my Deuter, not having the extra material between the two frames makes it ride better.

Slightly off-topic but do you all ever use front-facing carriers with a full backpack on as well? I have a couple that I use for my son but the farthest I've taken him has been a day hike.

I have with my daughter while flying. In cold weather the would work well. I feel it would get hot and sweaty for the kid on most hikes. It really depends on the conditions. My front pack is also much more limited in respect to how big the kid is.

For a kid under 6 months or who lacks head control a front pack is the only safe option.

 

[Lurch12]

Love my Thule Child Carrier. Has many miles on it. The only problem is I have 2 boys now and I have to choose which one I take with me if I'm going further than the 2.5 year old can walk..

 

[Bearwhisky]

Slightly off-topic but do you all ever use front-facing carriers with a full backpack on as well? I have a couple that I use for my son but the farthest I've taken him has been a day hike.

I strapped a front facing carrier to my F1 mainframe, it was uncomfortable for my son after a short amount of time. Knees and thighs were digging into the frame. I also tried to just hike with him on the front and that was a heck of a challenge.


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[92xj]

KIfaru Child carrier

I seem to get asked about this a few times a year and I finally got it set back up for the lock down walks with the kids. Here is how I do it. No complaints, kids ride great and no body pain for me. Hopefully the pictures are self explanatory.

www.rokslide.com

 

[SonnyDay]

KUIU Icon Pro kid carrier…

 

[CainGang]

I have an Osprey child carrier and it is no where near as comfortable as my Mystery Ranch pack. I am wondering if anyone has ever built there own child carrier to put in the load shelf of there pack? I was thinking of using an old Johnny jumper seat, making a PVC frame to slide into my meat shelf. Has anyone ever tried this before?

Following- would much rather figure out how to modify my current pack than buy a whole new one once we have kids.

 

[Bearwhisky]

Following- would much rather figure out how to modify my current pack than buy a whole new one once we have kids.

I dont think you will find something quite as comfortable for the child as something designed to carry them and at least lashing that to your suspension system. Ive tried several methods rigging stuff up, and its fine at first but after a half hour or so, my son hates it. Itd be fine for a quick loop, but im wanting a system i can at least take him out a few hours+. Trying to do my best to not give him a sour taste in getting out in the woods. Thats worth a couple hundred bucks to me. I picked up a kelty journey carrier on sale for about $150. Im working on rigging that to my F1 Mainframe. Will update here with pics and insight when I get it right.


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[CainGang]

I dont think you will find something quite as comfortable for the child as something designed to carry them and at least lashing that to your suspension system. Ive tried several methods rigging stuff up, and its fine at first but after a half hour or so, my son hates it. Itd be fine for a quick loop, but im wanting a system i can at least take him out a few hours+. Trying to do my best to not give him a sour taste in getting out in the woods. Thats worth a couple hundred bucks to me. I picked up a kelty journey carrier on sale for about $150. Im working on rigging that to my F1 Mainframe. Will update here with pics and insight when I get it right.


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Great point about long term comfort. Definitely worth more to have the kiddos enjoy being out than it is to save a few bucks. Looking forward to seeing how that rig turns out!

 

[Bearwhisky]

Ok I think I finally have my child carrier system dialed. I ended up purchasing a Kelty Journey Perfect Fit Elite carrier, and attached it to my Eberlestock F1 Mainframe (Tall). I only chose this carrier in particular because I got a good deal on it, but I think this model will end up working the best for me anyways. Heres why...

After I got the carrier, I decided I would just give it a spin as it comes from the factory. Did a couple miles and it was pretty miserable. The adjustable suspension system (“Perfect Fit”) works as advertised, but the system doesn’t carry a load very well. I think it might work OK for a child “as is” if they are 20 lbs or less.

I got to tinkering with it and figured out a way to remove the factory hip belt and shoulder straps in a way that I can put them back on (so I can resell/give away when my kids get older). Its pretty simple. There is a zipper on the bottom of the child carrier that allows you to access the internals of the carrier frame system. There are 2 small bolts that attach the hip belt to the stays. Remove the two bolts, slide out the hip belt, replace the bolts. I messed with the shoulder straps for a while, but realized there was no way to actually remove them without cutting webbing. I ended up loosening them all the way, and tucked them into the frame section of the carrier (where the top of the shoulder straps are attached, there is a small opening, just slide them in with the bottom of the strap going first). All I have to do when it has exceeded my use is pull the shoulder straps out and bolt the hip belt back on.

Once I got all the straps and belts out of the way, it was very simple to securely fasten the carrier to my frame with the factory strap/buckle system provided from Eberlestock. There are 3 straps/buckles on the frame. When you set the carrier on the back of the frame, the 3 straps line up almost perfectly to secure it (again, my model is the tall version of the F1 Mainframe, but I imagine the regular would work too). The top strap wraps around the top bar twice (under the spit-up pad) and is easily buckled and cinched on both sides of the frame. The middle strap runs through an opening for the “perfect fit” adjusters on the carrier (this is the least secure of the three straps because of the openings orientation, but is offset by the security of the other two straps). The bottom strap goes under the framing of the carrier on the outside and pulls tension in and upward. The top strap is basically pulling in to the frame and downward, and the bottom is pulling in and upward, securing the carrier from all directions. The combination is extremely secure with zero wobble/shifting.

Attached are pictures of the set up. My son is 3 years old and 35 lbs for size reference. Not sure if he will fit in this thing next year, but I have two others that just got here so I’m sure it will get plenty of use!

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