Customer Reviews

Kelty TC 3.0 Child Carrier, Black

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My wife and I are still in the process of trying out the Kelty TC 3.0, but first impressions are always good too... and some of this is critical information until Amazon updates their product description.

In addition to having a great new color scheme, the 2010 Kelty TC 3.0 (The previous model was apparently the Kelty KIDS Transit Carrier 3.0) has one major improvement over the previous model: A foot-step to use to hold the carrier in place when placing/removing the child into/from the carrier. If you take a look at the photos, you'll see a cut-out in the front of the backpack, and that's what it is for. I took a long hike with our little one last night to try this out, and it was very comfortable to wear. Our little-one loved being able to look around, and even though this was her first time in it, was happy and alert. Getting the carrier on and off takes a little bit of practice, or a shelf that's waist or hip high. Kelty recommends lifting the pack to your thigh, and then pulling it on, and this does seem to work well, but having a counter or car trunk is even easier. The other new model (The TC 2.0) is $30 less, but doesn't include the $35 sun/rain hood, or changing pad. I can't see why you wouldn't buy this one over the 2.0, unless you're in an area where you /never/ expect to go walking in sun or rain. Right.

Our LO is right at the low end of Kelty's reccommended size (7mo, 15lb), but is capable of sitting up by herself just fine. I expected to have the seat adjusted for its smallest size, but in fact she's right in the middle of the range. We'll see how she grows, but I think she may out-grow the seat well before she gets too heavy to fit in the carrier. But she's definitely safely held, and can look wherever she wants. Some reviews have said that the shoulder-straps for the LO don't have clips... but actually they do. Kelty has just put felt over them, so they can't pinch little fingers. If you read the manual, you'll see them, and they are /completely/ and easily accessible. I find I have to tuck them out of the way to get our LO in and out, but that will be easier with practice.

For those who have seen the videos of the KIDS 3.0 (the old model), the torso adjustment is now in the hip belt, and not the shoulder straps. I feel that this makes more sense, since you want the child's head to be at about the same place, regardless of where your hips and shoulders are.

However, BE AWARE: The 2010 model does /not/ include either the zip-off daypack, or the small mirror that were included in the previous model. I have let Amazon CS know about this, so hopefully they will fix their product description soon. Apparently, I'm getting a discount, but for everyone else, be aware.

I don't think the missing daypack is that much of an issue, but the mirror would be handy for checking-in on our LO. It sells for about $6, so we'll probably buy it to add on at some point. In regards to the backpack portion, there is one compartment that's just the right size for the sun/rain hood and changing pad, and another that is just about the perfect size for an around-and-about diaper bag. We got ~20 backup-disposables, 2 cloth diapers, wipes, 3 burp cloths, a blanket, and a change of clothes in there, and still had /just/ enough room to stuff in 5 board books when we walked to the library. If we take out some of the backup disposables, we should have plenty to add a change of shirt for mom and dad, and still have the extra room. Not great for any overnight trips by itself, but a perfect day-trip size, which is the intent. Still, if it had the zip-off daypack, we'd be able to fit just that little bit more in, which would be nice.

I'm 5'10" and the torso fit was great on the longest setting. My wife is 4'9", and it still fits her.

So:
PROS
---------------------------
Foot-step for bracing
Comfortable, but not too big
Sun/rain hood included
Changing pad included
Torso-length adjustment(!)
New colors are great

CONS
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No mirror-on-a-lanyard
No zip-off-daypack
A little more backpack-space would be great.

So pleased with this baby backpack! I went back and forth so many times comparing this pack to the larger ones with the big metal kickstands and I'm so very glad we chose this one. I'm writing a long review to help anyone else in a similar scenario:
Things we love: (1) Love the sun shade - it's a must-have to keep baby out of the sun on multi-hour hikes/walks. It also serves dual purpose making sure any branches don't brush against him and protects against rain & wind. Would be even better if it was retractable, but hey we won't push our luck. It's easy to get on & off and looks pretty snazzy. (2) 11 month old baby (~23 lbs) loved it and was comfortable for a good 2 hours riding in it. There are several different adjustments (around legs, at groin, over shoulders, and around chest) so you can get a very custom fit, as snug or lose as desired with plenty of room to grow. The material is also very soft and baby can rest his chin on the back. It also stands up on its own and has a little area you can step on to stablize it, so it's easy to load & unload baby. (3) Great as a backpack - I wore it for the first hour (5'4" gal) and then after taking a break we adjusted the torso slider plus all the normal shoulder & waist strap adjustments and it fit equally well on my 6'1" husband. It's hard to find the torso adjustment at first (metal sliding bracket with peg) but it's a really cool feature to get the right fit for multiple sizes of wearers. Perfect sized day pack on the back, plus mesh bottle holders on both hips and one small zippered & one velcro pocket on the waistband. Perfect for keeping cash, chapstick, and cell phone handy. (4) Looks great. And I don't just mean the color and style, but it looks appropriate for multiple uses. You can wear it at the park or in the airport or at Disney in addition to hikes, and not feel like you're standing out with some super techy pro-hiking pack with metal kickstand. My ah-ha moment was when my husband was wearing it walking around a little park next to our hike. He said he would have felt a little silly if it was one of the bigger packs, and i agreed.

A friend of ours had a bag similar to this one and we absolutely loved it and quickly came home to order it. The Kelty TC 3.0 is the newest version of this bag. We were looking for the older model because of the zip off diaper bag. We searched and searched and found the zip off version on Amazon.com well when we got the bag it was not the zip off version as pictured. With disappointment from that feature we still enjoy the bag. The step hole is nice I guess, but it makes it hard to get stuff in the bottom of the bag because of this. Overall slightly disappointed, but not worth returning the product. We still use and love this purchase as a baby backpack. The other features just would have been nice.

This was bought for someone with a small build (4'11). She loved it (and no she wasn't the passenger!!!) Her baby was 17 months. They took it on an 8 mile mountain hike. Her husband (5'6) enjoyed using it too!

To start off, I was very happy with the Kelty TC 3.0 backpack. I read reviews and most of them were positive. Two gripes that people seemed to have were that the pack is uncomfortable and that the waist belt adjuster slips.

In using the pack I have found that while it's not the most comfortable, it is great for farmers markets, walking the streets, and casual use. The pockets are big enough to store what you need and the adjustments are pretty easy once you get the hang of it.

The problem that I had with this pack (and with a replacement that Kelty sent me) was with the waist belt adjustment. There is a pin that slides into specific holes on a verticle rail which is mounted on the lower front of the pack. This pin is not long enough. The end of the pin is rounded and what I found was that after any sort of wear on the aluminum rail (about a week of use for me with both packs) that pin will slip and the waist belt is now in the middle of your back.

Kelty told me that this is the first they heard about this. I mentioned that there were plenty of reviews on different sites detailing this problem. They then retracted and told me this is the first time they've heard of this happening without user error. I asked them what the common problems were and how I could remedy the situation but they didn't really have an answer other than, the pin isn't in all the way. The pin is spring loaded, it's either in or it's not. Just to be safe, I would double check the pin before every use but it didn't help.

They did send me a new pack and offered to upgrade me to another pack but all their child carrier packs use the same mechanism so I called Amazon and begged them to take the pack back even though it was past the return date. They obliged and I will now get something else.

Other issues that I've had are that if your child has curious hands then the sunshade is not staying on. The velcro is too tempting for little kids not to play with. The bottle holders will not hold a large water bottle because they're too shallow. These are minor gripes that might only take one star off, but they're worth mentioning because it's your money buying this item and you should know before you buy.

As an aside, some of the reviews that talk about the adjustment issue are no longer found on certain websites. Maybe a coincidence but I find it very odd that this is the case. The other thing was that after I told them the second pack did the same thing they wanted me to send the packs (the original and the replacement) back for a new one so their product designers could see them. They couldn't believe what I was saying could happen twice. After they were a week late in calling me back I told them that I didn't want a replacement and that Amazon would take the pack back. They no longer had any interest in the other pack. It didn't seem to me like they really wanted to review the problem.

We needed a carrier for our 2nd child, and I refused to use our old external frame kelty carrier (very uncomfortable for me). This is very comfortable, is adjustable for both child and adult(s), and can be used as the diaper bag too! We aren't a stroller type of family, so this was a logical choice for us. It does kind of collapse when you don't need the child carrier part, but it is bulkier than jsut a plain diaper bag.

I got the Kelty TC 3.0 for my husband as a Father's Day gift. Our son is 8 months old and loves it. He feels secure all strapped in and my husband feels really comfortable carrying him. He's about 17 lbs now, and my husband can carry him easily. The one "tip" was to let the waist band take the brunt of the weight, rather than in the shoulders. The carrier works for both of us (5' 10" and 5' 3"). We haven't had the opportunity to use the sun/rain shade yet, but used it at a music festival and then again for a 4th of July event for fireworks, etc. It was an amazing alternative to taking a stroller with the crowds. We intend on using it for hiking as well, but the temperatures here have been unbearable recently so we haven't taken it out for a "nature" spin just yet! :) The storage space has been more than adequate for day trips and the changing pad is a nice perk also.

So far I am VERY satisfied with this product and I am very happy we chose the TC model over the FC series models because I think those would have been too bulky for our needs.

Wow - thank goodness we listened to all the other parents comments! This purchase was our life savor for our recent trip over seas. Our 18 Month old (22lbs) boy could not have been happier in his Daddy Pack (as he called it). We wen to hikes, walked for miles through cities and he just loved it back there. He even found it comfortable enough to take naps in!!

Bravo Kelty on a great product!!

I'm no expert, so I can only give a basic mom review...But as someone with a great deal of back problems, I can say this backpack is AWESOME! It's VERY supportive, easily adjustable, and completely comfortable when you walk. My daughter fits in there VERY easily and seems to really like it. I love how you can adjust the height level of the baby "seat" so they can "grow" with it. Another thing I was worried about (as someone with back issues) is it being too heavy, and it's absolutely NOT. It's very lightweight, and even with a water bottle and a change of diaper or clothes, it's very lightweight. Solved the problem of me trying to take my baby AND my two dogs on a walk--now I have both my hands free, and my daughter thinks it's fun!

Well made and pretty comfortable to wear. My son may be too small for it though. Seems like he leans/shifts to one side and it makes it a little tough to distribute the weight evenly. Fits in the airplane overhead bin (barely) so it's good for traveling but not sure I'd want to use this for extended periods of time.