Kelty

KELTY Pathfinder Kid Carrier

• Curved, molded, shoulder straps, padded, molded backpanel w/ single stay adjustment, torso adjustment slider, 3-layer, padded and contoured waistbelt, load lifter straps, sternum strap, Scherer cinch waistbelt system, Sternum strap whistle and two waistbelt storage pockets.
• Maximum Child Weight: 40 lb 0 oz
• Maximum Load Weight: 50 lb 0 oz
• Auto deploy kickstand, 5 point harness, 360 degrees of 3M reflective tape, and a no pinch hinge.

Product Description

Our top selling Pathfinder carrier offers all the essentials for taking baby backpacking without feeling strained.

Product Details

• ASIN: B000GC0E3A
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #173,887 in Clothing (See Top 100 in Clothing)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great carrier but should have skipped the sun shade, September 17, 2005

By 

PghYinzer "more of myself after winter" (Pittsburgh, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

We've had this carrier for 7-8 months and have only used it to go hiking - our intended purpose - a handful of times. We used to go backpacking a lot in our childless days and I would not say this carrier is quite as comfortable as the pack I used for that (a Gregory) *but* then again my Gregory pack has always just ridden quietly on my back and doesn't throw its weight around and yell in my ear. I think the wiggle of the cargo accounts for the difference in comfort, and the difference is not that big. Still, I have never hiked more than 6 miles with my kid in this and I can't imagine going much further than that. I'm willing to admit this is due more to my going soft than poor pack design, though.

We can fit all his diaper supplies in the attached backpack if we use disposables, tie a few toys off the loops on the carrier, and stuff a sippie cup in the holder in back, and it makes for a nicely contained baby unit for a day hike.

What I have found this pack to be unexpectedly great for is to use in place of a stroller where strollers are a hinderence - such as historical sites - or for walking around the mall or grocery store. My kid has reached this point where he hates to ride in the shopping cart and tries to climb out, but for some reason he is happy as a clam riding up high on my back in this pack. Generally happier than when in the stroller, even. Never fights to get down.

My husband and I can both use this pack comfortably. I am about 5'4 and use the pack on the second from the smallest setting; he is 5'10 and uses it maybe 2 settings bigger. I think there are about 8 settings in all so this could certainly work well for a wide range of people.

From a kid perspective, my boy is about 30 pounds, 35 or 36 inches, and he's riding with the seat in the middle (of 3) adjustment.

The only thing I don't like about it is the sunshade/rainhood, which is included with this model but makes this model more expensive than the next model down, which I think is called the Journey. We just never use it because it wigs my kid out so we should have saved the money.

I also looked at REI's child carriers, Baby Trend, and a lower priced Kelty (Base Camp, I think?) and the suspension just didn't compare. The Pathfinder line is just much, much more comfortable. I don't even understand why Kelty puts out carriers like the Base Camp.

My only regret is not having gotten a frame carrier sooner. I overestimated at which point he'd be ready for one.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kelty Pathfinder backpack baby carrier - great product, April 8, 2007

By 

Doug or Kaz (currently on the East Coast, USA) - See all my reviews

We bought this product for our April, 2007 trip to Walt Disney World. It was a great purchase. People all over the parks pointed and commented on our 8 month old daughter's 'great ride'. She was up in the air and could see everything easily; she watched the parades and other things going on around us. The sunshade was the best! While other babies languished in their strollers with no sunshades or with blankets draped over their strollers for shade, our daughter had fresh air and plenty of shade in the Pathfinder backpack. It also has a plastic cover for the front mesh part that turns the sunshade into a raincover. This works for light rain, but anything heavy or blowing is going to come in the sides, and there's no cover for the child's legs/feet other than the carrier itself. A minor concern for me, as I don't plan to be out in a major rainstorm with this.
Both my husband and I used this backpack carrier with ease. I often had to go off to the "Baby Care Center" to change her or feed her, and so took off and put on the carrier by myself; doing so isn't 'easy' but it's not hard either!
The sunshade also keeps my daughter from grabbing my hair, which was a problem with our other backpack carrier.
The toy loops are a great feature, as is the zip-off backpack/diaper bag that hangs off the back of the seat. Although the backpack/diaper bag was a bit on the small side, it did carry a days worth of diapers, wipes, a change of clothes, a small hat and jacket as well as my large-ish waterbottle. I used velcro straps to hang things off the carrier, like a camp towel (burp cloth) and a camp pillow (used when nursing her.).
The waist and chest straps really help distribute the load, making this carrier very comfortable. Our daughter weighs about 18 lbs now, and I plan to use this up to 30 or more pounds. I had a much smaller backpack carrier for my older daughter that had much fewer features, less padding, less adjustments, and a snap-closure diaper bag - it was harder on my body to carry and didn't adjust well between my husband and I.
The Kelty Pathfinder is the mid-range Kelty, between the Journey and the Adventure. We tried both the Journey and the Pathfinder at the store (REI) and the only difference we could see was the Pathfinder came with the sunshade... a big plus for us. Since the difference in price at that store was the $30 that the sunshade would have cost to add to the Journey, we bought the Pathfinder. I read somewhere later the Pathfinder also had more padding, but I didn't notice that in the store.
I will definitely be using this carrier now that our Disney trip is over. My daughter enjoyed being in it, occasionally napped in it (though a stroller is much more suited for napping!) and there are just so many things you can do with this that a stroller can't do( at least not easily) ... escalators, stairs, street curbs, some store aisles/displays. You do have to be somewhat careful when turning yourself in a store or crowd as you do 'stick out' in the back, but you learn to make that adjustment quickly.
I haven't tried the optional Stirrups - Add-On Accessory but think they'd be a nice addition.
Update: We bought the stirrups, and the mirror. The mirror comes in a pouch that attaches to the straps. Both are handy, though the mirror seems more useful. The stirrups make it *seem* like your child won't be just hanging there from the seat, but I'm not sure they've made any difference for our daughter. Then again, she's only 13 months now, she may get more use from them as she gets older and gets the hang of using the straps to shift/carry her own weight.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We love it!, July 14, 2008

By 

Tracy (Columbia, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: KELTY Pathfinder Kid Carrier (Sports)

We bought this two weeks ago from Amazon and could not be happier with it. I purchased this after much research and seeing used Pathfinders going on ebay for about the same price (We paid $120 total for the carrier and shipping). Our son loves being up high and able to see. We went to the St.Louis Zoo last weekend and received a lot of compliments from other zoo visitors. This fits both my husband and I (I am 5'6", He is 5'10") and we found the adjustments to be easy, after reading the instructions. Be prepared to make the adjustments and follow Kelty's suggestion to mark the location of the adjustments if sharing between two or more adults. It also helped that we tried other carriers at local biking/camping shops and learned about the adjustments from the staff.

The carrier is extremely well constructed (aluminum frame, super strong fabric, well sewn, even the velcro is a higher grade than you see on most products) . The sunshade is great for sunny days and has kept our 8 month old from pulling our hair and hats. We bought this for hiking, festivals and other events that require a lot of walking. We tried the new Kelty FC line at a local store. I could not find any difference in the construction, just the storage. We liked the Kelty Pathfinder better, mostly for aesthetic reasons, but I also find it more comfortable and I am not certain why there would be any difference between the two Kelty lines. The zip off back pack is also very handy for diapers/wipes/diaper cream/sunscreen. There are two water bottle holders on the zip-off pack and the 2 pockets on the belt are great for keys/phone. I highly recommend this product.

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