This is a superior child backpack with lots and lots of possible adjustments to distribute the weight. The integrated rain canopy is not something you find on most carriers so it's a huge selling point. I have an Ergo Baby and several Baby Bjorn carriers, but my son really has gotten far too heavy to carry him around in them. I don't hike that often, so to be honest, for most 'applications' I look a little ridiculous with this ultra-engineered contraption. However, my spine sure thanks me. I'm a single mom and can get the baby in this pack and strap it on without any trouble -- something I cannot say for the Ergo Baby as it doesn't stand up on its own. The Ergo Baby was also causing terrible backaches. Now, I put my 7-month-old in the Deuter almost every evening and he's so comfortable he falls asleep right away. This affords me the ability to feed my older child without a crying baby to contend with.
CONS:
1.) HEIGHT - I will caution that the carrier is quite tall (I should have checked measurements before ordering). When I wear it around the house, I frequently run into upstairs light fixtures and sections of low basement ceilings. I've now learned to duck a lot... or I should say 'squat' a lot. Rest assured the baby doesn't hit his head as he is far shorter than the top of the carrier. On the bright side, that leaves lots of room for growth. And I do understand that this carrier is probably intended to be used solely outside so the height may not be an issue for others.
2.) STRAPS - It would have been nice if there were elastic loops attached to the ends of each strap. This would allow extra strap (say, if you are small and there's lots of slack hanging) to be rolled or folded up and bundled with the loops so you don't have these extremely long straps hanging down your legs. This is something the Ergo Baby carrier makers included in their design. I may actually sew some elastic to the Deuter straps because the rubber-bands I use seem to get caught on things and fall off.
3.) KICKSTAND - As a previous review commented, it is much easier to return the kickstand to its closed position when you have help. I don't typically have help. That said, my arms are somewhat double-jointed so I can actually reach the orange button directly behind the middle of my back. Some may find this impossible. Also, (and this is the most frustrating) the kickstand swings back out unexpectedly all the time. I've chipped the paint on walls and scratched the refrigerator with the semi-extended kickstand that I'd folded down earlier. To solve for this, I tried using a bungee. However, clipping a bungee to two metal rods directly behind your back requires you to be a contortionist (and use mirrors). So, I now use a very long twist tie. This works okay, but I'm not crazy the solution. So what would I suggest? This kickstand locks in the open position. Maybe it could lock in the closed position. Or maybe Deuter could include some type of attached hook like what's used on many stroller models. That would be ideal.
All-in-all I love the carrier. The quality is impeccable and I don't regret my purchase. With two simple design modifications (#1 above is more of a comment & not complaint), I would have been over the moon.