Customer Reviews

Sherpani Rumba Superlight Baby Carrier - Air Blue

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4 star:		(1)
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I looked at multiple different reviews and products for a baby carrier. my son was 2 when i bought this and approx 26 lbs but very tall. this pack distributed the weight the best out of the packs that i tried. it is probably a bit over the top (the chicco brands would probably be more useful and all that a day-hiker would need). the sun shade is nice but unless the sun is directly overhead AND your kid sits completely upright, it doesnt really work. the storage for that when not in use sucks, which is the only bad things i can think of. being very tall (6 foot), the pack fits me perfectly--it is supposed to be adjustable but i am thinking that it would be too long/large for a short person. in short, if you are a serious hiker, this is the pack for you. if you are just going out wallking, you can get something cheaper without all the bells and whistles.

We reviewed several carriers online and in-store at our local REI. We decided that we would try out the Sherpani even though we had not seen it in person because we wanted the stir-up feature for our little one's legs.

PROS:
*This is the only bag on the market (that we could find) that had stir-ups for our little one's legs - This apparently helps with circulation because when their legs dangle for too long (e.g., during a long hike) their legs may go numb.
*Comes with a rain/sun cover
*It is very light
*Has a hip straps to distribute wait

CONS:
*Stir-ups were very flimsy and were not adjustable. They would not work for our little one until she much taller (and she is in the 99th percentile for height for her age -- 9 months).
*Base stand (to keep it sturdy on the ground while loading the child) was not stable when on the ground. My little one easily pushed the back pack over (which means to me that if I put her in it, she could easily topple over).
*Base stand does not have padding around it and has exposed nuts and bolts which are sharp and could potentially hurt the child's legs.

We returned the carrier and purchased the Deuter Kid Comfort II Child Carrier and are pleased with it. It has all the features we wanted (minus the stir-ups) with added padding.

The carrier is very well made, looks durable, and the straps are easily adjustable. The comfort however was completely horrible. My wife and I went for a simple 4 mile hike to break this thing in with our 4yo daughter riding in it. She is very petite and the pack wasn't loaded heavy. After about 20 minutes I could tell this wasn't going to work. Where the waist belt connects to the Rumba there are "wings" on each side that dig into your hip. I thought it was because I'm wider but it did the same thing to my wife. The shoulder straps never felt like they could adjust properly either because it always felt like my shoulders were being flexed backwards. Around the same time my daughter complained it hurt her crotch. By 30 minutes in we had to take her out because she was in such pain. We then switched kids to the Rumba, I took our 22 month old in the Rumba (thinking it was all a weight issue) and my wife took the 4yo in our Ergobaby carrier. Although it made the pack lighter for me, the "wings" were still digging in my hips and my shoulders were really hurting by now. The Mrs. and I then swapped packs thinking that maybe the Rumba just didn't fit me, however she complained about the very same things and is much smaller (I'm 5' 10" 200lbs, she 5' 4" 110lbs). The 4yo in the ergobaby was far more comfortable than the 22 m.o. in the Rumba. The odd thing is that the Rumba straps adjust near identically to the Ergobaby so I'm sure we were doing it right.

It is such as shame because this thing looks very well made, adjusts easily, and had all the features we wanted.