Kelty TC 2.0 Child Carrier, Blue

My family (myself, my wife, our 5 year old son, and 1.5 year old daughter) recently took up hiking as a new hobby. My wife had happily and successfully carried our daughter in a baby sling through malls, amusement parks, and such; our daughter is of the "clingy" type - she generally spends more time in our arms than in a stroller. However, we knew the sling was not up to this task so we started looking into alternatives. The Kelty carrier came highly recommended by hiking and other "outdoors" websites so we decided to give it a try. We were not disappointed.

The carrier is very well built and quite sturdy. The construction looks like it was made to last. Our daughter slips right into the carrier and is held in securely (but not too tightly) by the shoulder harnesses that click shut (similar to the seatbelt on a stroller). The kid's compartment is almost infinitely adjustable - so I'm sure it will fit kids large and small (our daughter is on the small side) for...Read more

I bought this looking for a compact design. The ratings I've seen on various sites have all been pretty good. It has good storage. My son liked it, but I felt it was a little difficult to get him setup.

For someone who is 5'0" this is not a good fit. This pack adjusts at the waist - the lower back padding slides up the carrier. For me, that meant no matter what I did, the bottom of the pack would rest on my bottom which is not comfortable. Other packs adjust at the shoulder so that the carrier moves up the body.

Neither my husband nor I could wear this pack for more than 30 minutes without our shoulders getting sore. I ended up buying a pack with a better harness adjustment system - try looking at Deuter or Littlelife for a better design.

This is my second Kelty carrier -- I own both the FC 3.0 and this one. I love them both, they're both incredibly comfortable to wear, but I think I like this one the best. It's smaller, so I don't feel ridiculous walking around town with it on. I've tightened the child opening and used it as carry-on luggage on trains and planes and have stowed it under my seat. I like the way it stands up, so I can easily access items from the backpack. I honestly feel very little is lacking in comparison to the 3.0 -- except the sun hood, which I just borrow from my FC (the FC sun hood works quite well with this carrier) and I have not had any issues with my 18 month old daughter hitting her head, as some reviewers have mentioned. I can't help but wonder if they have the seat raised too high (there are three height settings).

Between my FC 3.0 and my TC 2.0, like I said before, I love them both but I don't think I could live without my TC.