Original Review + 1 week follow-up Review:
I have broke my review into categories as best I could. If I think of more I'll add more.
We decided to buy another brand, known for superior comfort & ergonomics, to compare. With this update I will provide my comparisons. I chose to leave out the name of the other brand only to show I am not trying to sell or promote any particular product. (I'll refer to this pack as the Chicco and the other pack for comparison as P#2
STRAPS: shoulder & waist straps are poorly padded and narrow. waist is super high coming around the mid-upper belly... for reference I am athletic build, 5'9my; my wife is 5'5 we both have this issue. Chest clip works well, helps keep things in place, however, my wife didn't like the position. She has a bustiers chest and found the position to pull and accentuate her chest in a way that was uncomfortable both physically and awkward socially. she needed to keep the strap almost fully lose to not feel awkward, but that also meant the pack was less secure, shifting on her shoulders and backside, which made things less comfortable.
UPDATE: Nothing got better with the Chicco pack. P#2 had significantly better padding, wider straps that spread the weight across more of your shoulders. The Chest clip is adjustable (up/down) which made significant improvements to pack comfort, security and social acceptability; especially for my wife. Additionally, P#2 had significantly better waist strap adjust-ability, allowing you to raise/lower for proper fit.
CHILD HARNESS: This is OK. Easy to unclip. Subpar design. All straps fall to the inside while putting child into seat (unavoidable), leaving you to fish around for them. Straps are narrow with zero padding for your little ones. waist strap is a little hard to access with kid in pack.
UPDATE: OH MY GOSH! night & day difference between harness of Chicco vs P#2. front harness design on P#2 is so easy. You don't lose straps when putting kids in, no fishing them back out. no struggle to reach in to clip or unclip. P#2 clips disappear behind their own padding at the child's backside. straps are comfortably padded and very ergonomic. so easy to clip and unclip...PLUS clips are behind your child so they CANNOT unclip themselves either by accident or b/c they were playing with the clip (something i hadn't thought of for the Chicco)
WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION: extremely poor. no matter how we adjusted the straps, baby position, etc.
UPDATE: Chicco had no improvements. P#2 had better weight distribution largely r/t better strap adjust-ability.
COMFORT: It is extremely uncomfortable, bearing all the weight on shoulder-tops. Gave my wife bad neck pain that lead to bad headache. Our child is 23 lbs so about half the weight capacity.
1st walk, my wife made it 50 yards before significant discomfort. My 1st walk, I had the same XP but continued to walk; maxing out my discomfort about 10-15 min in, then my wife put it on for the remaining 3 min home.
2nd walk, I was able to wear it for about 8-10 min before significant discomfort began, and endured for about 25-30 min before I had to pass it to my wife.
3rd walk, I was able to wear it for about 10-15 min before significant discomfort began, and endured for about 40-45 min before I had to pass it to my wife.
UPDATE: The comfort of the Chicco capped out for me no matter how many walk i took trying to acclimate; about 10-15 min before significant discomfort began, and endured for about 40-45 min before I had to pass it to my wife. This seemed to be the cap. each additional walk mirrored this, with about 10-15 min before significant discomfort, and I could only endure about 30-45 min of this Chicco torture.
This coming from a guy who has done multi-day backpack/camping adventures all over the USA & abroad, as recent as last summer, in areas such as Glacier National Park, Ozark & Yellowstone Wilderness Areas (just to name a couple).
My wife's XP with the comfort of this pack was similar to my own, only she always had significant discomfort begin after 5-10 min and could only ever carry for 15-30 min. I cannot even imagine how frustrating it would be if on a long hike we had to switch off every 10-15 min, not giving the body time to relax after the discomfort before having to take it on again.
P#2 1st walk, took a 30 min walk, by the end of which there was very mild discomfort (but i also had not played with any of the adjustments yet).
P#2 2nd walk, took a 45 min walk, by the end of which there was very mild discomfort (played a little with the adjustments).
P#2 3rd walk, took a 60 min walk, by the end of which there was very mild discomfort (I am continuing to play around with the adjustments). But clearly P#2 there is no contest here.
CHILD ERGONOMICS: Subpar. seating is fine. the main issue is the position of the legs. The only place for them is in your back (depending on child size this could become very uncomfortable) or where your arms need to swing. first day on a normal arm stride, my kids toes dug right into my funny-bone 3 times (not so funny). other carriers have foot straps or have a design that allows a more vertical dangle for their legs, rather than now designing into room for legs. If you don't mind legs, feet, knees in your back, power to you. child seat is good and backing is good.
UPDATE: Chicco additional comments. The P#2 child seating adjustability is significantly better and easier to achieve than on the Chicco. P#2 places the child further up and off the carriers back; meaning better airflow, less sweating, and significantly more leg room for the child (so knees and feed do not dig into carriers backside). This provides free range of motion for your natural arm stride. The P#2 has foot stirrups so the child's legs don't dangle and cut circulation from constant pressure. Also, I didn't realize this until I saw it, but the foot stirrups allow your child to get a bit of leverage allowing them to adjust their own position slightly, preventing circulation cut off.
SUN VISOR: Too small. does almost nothing unless the sun is lower in the sky and you only walk away from it.
UPDATE: Chicco's is a joke. if they were to take the same design accordion and add another 1-2 panels, effectively doubling or tripling the extension, it would be acceptable. its not easy to remove for days when its not needed. It doesn't collapse, meaning is sticks way up and catches on things.
P#2 was significantly Better. collapsible, retractable design with internal zipper storage, which means it wont be in your way on gray days... no snagging trees, bushes, or the bane of my existence spider webs. Much better coverage from the sun for the kid too.
PACK SIZE: we loved the smaller size.
UPDATE: P#2 we opted for the smaller pack from this brand. even when fully broken down it is larger than the Chicco.
PACK STYLE: we loved the simplistic style.
UPDATE: We still really like the simplistic design of the Chicco, and if the other brand had a bare-bones option similar to the Chicco, we probably would have gone for it. However, P#2 we opted for the simplest pack from this brand. We REALLY like it... so much better. Even just the simple add-on of a mesh pouch on the belt strap, perfect for sunglasses or my phone, blows the Chicco out of the water. something Chicco could have just as easily done for no added cost.
DURABILITY: Impression is moderate to good. fabrics, metals and even plastics seem decent. but i doubt it would hold up if you are hard on it.
UPDATE: have not notices any issues that would lead me to believe the durability would be acceptable. however if i compare the the quality and level of durability I anticipate after using the P#2, I am confident the P#2 durability will easily last 2-4 times longer even with harder use.
FRAME: full metal frame keeps child secure. I hate the packs that don't have the bar all the way around the top. This one has it! its also decently padded. good job on that. collapsible legs are easy to flip open and closed while wearing it.
UPDATE: Chicco, has straps connecting the front and back stand legs. I didn't realize how nice it was to grab the strap and just pull forward; which brought in the collapsible back legs, after putting on the pack. The P#2 does not have this strap connecting the legs. both my wife and i are plenty flexible to reach behind us, grab & pull the legs in. but not everyone has great shoulder flexibility. P#2 has a metal frame with bars that read all the way around the child, keeping them secure, much like the Chicco. However, the P#2 has the side bars detach on 1 side so they can fold up and flatten for better storage. The padding on the P#2 is significantly better than on the Chicco.
STORAGE: love the fold-up design. so much smaller than other packs.
UPDATE: P#2 has the side bars detach on 1 side so they can fold up and flatten for better storage. doesn't store in as small of places as the Chicco.
OVERALL: Not even close to being worth the money. I could see this selling for $40-50 but not $150. If you find this comfortable, then this is the bag for you... its simple compact design is great, in theory. I just with they didn't skimp on some of the areas that are important, like weight distribution and ergonomics.
FINAL UPDATE:
After comparing the Chicco with the P#2 there is a clear winner in my mind. We will be returning the Chicco at our earliest convenience. we had high hopes for it, and it crashed and burned hard for us. Maybe if my wife and i were of shorter stature, and if my wife was less busty in the chest, it could have passed as acceptable. if you fall under those categories, give it a try...just make sure to buy someplace that is good about returns. maybe even consider buying this + another pack to compare like i ended up doing.
| Product Dimensions | 18 x 16.8 x 30.7 inches |
|---|---|
| Item model number | 07079569470070 |
| Target gender | Unisex |
| Minimum weight recommendation | 17 Pounds |
| Maximum weight recommendation | 40 Pounds |
| Material Type | Aluminum |
| Additional product features | Lightweight |
| Number Of Items | 1 |
| Style | Traveling |
| Batteries required | No |
| Orientation | Back |
| Item Weight | 6.5 pounds |
