After reading many reviews, I bought and compared four backpacks: Kelty, Osprey, Deuter, and Phil & Teds.
I ultimately returned all four of them because the belts were all too wide for me. I am 5ft, 100lbs and the belts hit both my ribcage and hips at the same time, making them impossible to tighten for a good fit. I got bruises just trying them on for a few minutes. This entire process was a disappointment, and a huge waste of time spent reading reviews and making returns (they come in huge oversized boxes, and I don't have a car...). [Behavioral economists out there, you may be interested to know that while writing this review is increasing the cost of this transaction to me, it is actually making it slightly more rewarding as I hope for it to be useful to other parents.]
For many of you with larger frames (i.e. longer waste lines), I would recommend the Osprey by far. It is extremely well made with great attention to detail. The kickstand is nicely hidden in the fabric, and easy to open and close. When it is open, it provides a large extra storage compartment (it collapses when the kickstand is closed). It is much easier to load the baby into than the Kelty. The sunshade is the best by far on this backpack in terms of baby coverage and ease of use / withdrawal. The mechanism to adjust the backpack frame is extremely easy to use. It has stirrups for baby's feet. Very easy to load the baby in and out. In terms of practicality and attention to detail, Deuter would be my next pick (except it is way too big, and the sunshade does not come out far enough).
Note that the Kelty and Pathfinder are *voluminous*--their sheer size sent my husband, mother and me into hysterics. Even if you think you don't care what you look like walking around with one of these, the size of these may make you rethink. The Deuter is particularly gigantic--mostly because of its height.
Phil & Teds claims to be better looking, and I beg to differ (and design matters to me). While its size is very reasonable, it is very poorly conceived. The storage pockets are designed in such a way as to be useless; they won't hold much of anything. Your blood pressure will increase trying to put the sunshade in and out of its pocket. The baby harness alone is a reason not to buy it. It requires pulling the straps over the baby's head (a little bit like a T-shirt), and they are very thick and fleecy--it would be too hot for the baby on a warm day. I am not sure the part that goes under the baby's chin can even be removed to clean (if it can be, it's not easy).
Buy the Osprey if you are bigger than me, save yourself the hassle I put myself through.... And if any small people out there have found a backpack that works for them, I would love to hear.
After reading several reviews online, I went ahead and bought this (not from Amazon, although Amazon's price is more competitive). I just wanted to walk into a store to compare the premium against the pro model. In essence, they are pretty much the same, but the price difference isn't too much (if you're already planning on spending all that money on a backpack anyway). I really liked the few added features of the premium over the pro. I had to visit the manufacturer's website to know what they were, but basically, I think it comes down to the baby changing mat and the detachable backpack, which is really where I think the difference is worth it. It is not a huge backpack, but it will add some much needed storage for light day hiking. I really love the quality and craftmanship: this is a sturdy unit, and held both my 15-month old daughter and 3-year-old son comfortably on my back. They both enjoyed it. They keep on asking me to take them for a ride. I would highly recommend this if you are planning on any walking/hiking with kids in toddler age or below. Remember they must be old enough to hold their head up alone (about 6 months?). Very good product.
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At first I was hesitant to try this particular backpack, but after I used it a few times (hiking and walking downtown), I've come to really appreciate all the attention to detail!
I'm a bigger guy (5'11, 215 lbs) and I had absolutely no problem adjusting the shoulder and waist straps to be comfortable. My 2 year old daughter was also delighted with the sunshade and the included stirrups. The baby seat adjusting is super convenient, and my wife (5'2, 125 lbs) was also able to adjust it to fit her comfortably within 30 seconds. Even though it probably isn't recommended, it was incredibly easy to hoist my daughter up on my back with no assistance from the wife.
We haven't used the included changing pad (it's in an inconvenient location), but the extra storage in the kickstand area in addition to the included day pack are excellent hideaways for snackies and toys.
There is a space for a bladder (which isn't included, btw), and I was pleased to see I could easily fit my Camelbak brand bladder in the pocket and not have to buy a special Osprey one. Overall, I've got nothing negative to say about this carrier!
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I really wanted to add a review because this is a new product that just came out in Jan 2012, and there aren't too many reviews on Amazon for it yet. I looked at several different models and did quite a bit of research before purchasing this pack. I am really impressed with the quality of the product! I have only been on a few hikes and a couple of long walks, but so far this backpack is very comfortable. It is so easy to adjust and my little girl loves it. I went with the premium model since I didn't already own a osprey day pack, and because I thought the changing pad was a cool extra. It turns out the plus model would be fine, the detachable pack on the premium has only two pockets, one large, and one little pocket. You would be fine with the large storage space in the stand area. Just know that if you want to close the stand, the storage space that the open stand creates shrinks quite a bit. I just left the stand open and had no problems and I didn't have to remember to open it back up before taking the pack off. The changing pad is really thin and small and hard to access, so it is not a necessity. Other than that this is truly an awesome pack, and I am so glad I got it!
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My husband bought this for an extended vacation we took overseas -the backpack worked great for areas where we couldn't use a stroller. It was a great fit for both my husband and me (He has a slight male frame while I have a shorter smaller frame) and distributed our son's weight wonderfully. Continued use over a period of days didn't leave us with back or shoulder aches either. We loved that the outer backpack provided extra storage and there was also plenty of room in the area at the bottom of the bag. We do recommend however, that if you use this for cold weather hiking (like we did) that you bundle up our little one. We found that while the air venting on the sides of the backpack are great for summer, they're a bit chilly for your child during the winter. We got around it by layering clothing and using an extra blanket to buffer wind. Also, we were able to use our Kelty adjustable raincover easily with this bag -just another little reason we've loved it!
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My daughter wanted a sling backpack for this next school year. We agreed on this one b/c of the size. We picked the purple one, it is really pretty. The pic doesn't do it justice. It fits her really well, she is 9yrs old and really tall. The straps are padded and go comfortably around her (even me). There is an additional handle on the side that you can tug it around with if need be. It expands nicely. Her folders and binder fit perfectly. The only drawback is we'll have to downgrade to a smaller lunch bag. She had a big puffy one that doesn't fit in as good. The smaller chamber in front is nice and roomy for misc stuff. I do miss all the little hidden pockets for this/that like a traditional backpack but for the money, this is a nice one. Another feature she likes is that when she's wearing it, she can unclip. There's a release clip in the middle of the handle that goes around her. Suppose that will come in handy to take off easier when it's heavy vs flinging it over your head to take off. Also the side pockets do a nice job of holding a traditional sized bottle of water.
