UKH

Sturdy and comfy for the adult, and more importantly for the occupant, the Kid Comfort Pro is a Rolls Royce among child carriers, says Rob Greenwood. 

Good write up!

I have the the older Kid Comfort III and can report similar levels of satisfaction and quality to the model in the article.  No questions that you'll get 2x kids out of it ... and very possibly a 3rd ... which makes the price much more appealing.  Hip belt and back support is impressive.  My one lived permanently in the boot of the car.  Made for good exercise ... thigh burning if on the steep stuff.  Allowed fantastic access to country parks etc that would be otherwise have been out of bounds with wheels.

There are a couple of limiting factors to be aware of (all makes and models):

1. Comfort for the adult is super important.  I tried a friends at ~1/3 price point.  Was much more in the "emergency quick carry" category.  These Deuter ones are, IMO, top of the range in comfort.  If you want to go any distance (which in reality .. you can't go that far really with a little one on your back.) then its needs to be comfortable for you to carry them.
2. In winter ... kids get cold.  You'll be hot hiking them about the place ... but you really need to wrap them up in winter, especially given they are sitting still, if you want to be out for any meaningful length of time.  Grumping because of cold will quickly take you back to the car.
3. As they grow heavier, physically getting the thing up off the ground and round onto your back can be tricky.  My wife always struggled (it's a big somewhat awkward thing to lift up off the ground, with a person in it and rotate it up onto your back) and as my son reached the latter stages of its use ... I too began to feel it.  We ended up emptying it of everything else to keep the weight down - water/nappies/snacks etc. and my wife carried that lot in a day pack.

Great bit of kit.  Highly recommend.

Good feedback, thanks Stu.

Always reassuring to hear that others have had the same experience!

Only three? You're not trying hard enough.

We have a now 14 year old Deuter Kid Comfort. Children 1 and 2 used it, then it went to a few different friends for their children to use. When child no. 3 came along nearly 3 years ago, my friend Tony found it in his attic and returned it to us and for the last couple of years child 3.0 has been using it regularly.

He is now coming up on 15 kgs and add in a couple of kgs of weight of the carrier itself, it's not light anymore. Mountaineers used to carrying full racks and rope each along with tools, crampons, a helmet and all the rest will probably be a bit better prepared for this than some, but personally I find a pair of walking poles now makes me feel much more secure. A few weeks ago carrying my son, I had folded up walking poles in my hand as we were walking along a pavement heading from our house into the countryside when I went over on my ankle and came down quite hard. Child 3 was fine, but beyond leg, arm and hand grazes, I hit the right side of my chest quite hard. I don't think I broke ribs, but they were very bruised and it's taken 3 weeks for the chest pain to go away. I suspect if I had my walking poles out already I wouldn't have fallen.

BTW, does anyone else call these things papooses? When I was little it was always referred to as a papoose, I think they might have even been sold as that when we bought our in the mid-00s. But now they are all child carriers.

I looked up the word papoose which I had been told was a native American term, but it turns out that it means just "child" (in Algonquin). Wikipedia says "In the United States and the United Kingdom, the term "papoose" is sometimes used to refer to a child carrier. Some tribal members consider this usage offensive" which explains why you don't see them called papooses anymore. But does anyone else agree that child carriers used to be commonly referred to as papooses?

Another great review Rob.

Also great to see that you're in good health!

I should see you down in South Wales for some esoteric coastal climbs before too long!

That lifespan is unsurprising.  They don't actually get worn very hard at all.  Babies/toddlers add very little wear and tear - some muddy boots and bit of slever on the head rest when they're sleeping (washable).    It's not like a mountain backpack that you fill with hardware and drag across rocks.  Few scratches on the outer frame is all my one is really showing.  Makes the price point quite appealing when you get that many kids out of it!

£250 is RRP price.  Google tells me it can be had for ~£185 inc postage and packaging: https://www.outdoorgb.com/p/Deuter_Kid_Comfort_Kid_Carrier_NEW/

Sorry to hear you hurt yourself - hope you're okay Toby.

Thanks, it's good to be back!

In a weird way the lockdown has probably been good for me, as it's forced me to stay local and take things slowly. To begin with I could barely walk for five minutes, so the fact I can now go out for a stroll with a small and wriggly person on my back really is something of a breakthrough. No idea what climbing is going to feel like, but I'm looking forward to it as/when I can.

When it comes to South Wales Exposure Explosion is high on the list when I get back to some semblance of form. I doubt that's a route you want to be unsure about your ability on, as the thought of retreat could be quite unappealing!!

Hope you're doing alright in/amongst it all too.

You're quite right, it's the adults that suffer from high wear - the pack and the babies are much more resilient

I bought one for my twin Sister when her daughter was born - I think it was Karrimor (when they were still a proper company). It was used for her 3 (oldest is in her mid 20s now) and then passed back to me when my (now 11 daughter was born). It did sterling service, they don't get much wear, they don't need to be too technical, children weigh less than rack and ropes and tend t0 be carried on slightly less demanding ground.
It was then given away to another parent to use.  30 odd quid well spent back in the 90s!!

My 2 3/4 year old is now 13 or 14 kgs I think. I'm pretty certain that's more than my winter pack weighs (60 mtr 8.5, half a full rack including spectres/warthogs - occasionally ice screws, tools crampons, bothy bag and so on!). Of course its up to everyone how long they keep putting their kids in a carrier, but I'm glad that our Deuter comes with a back system like an old school 65 ltr backpacking rucksack - big chunky hipbelt etc.

Edit: I've been cycling with him a fair amount in a back mounted baby seat - it makes cycling uphill into really good exercise! I don't remember what age we stopped using the bike seats and kid carriers with my older kids, but I had forgotten it's relatively hard work! Perhaps I was just fitter a decade ago!

Haha. I haven't weighed children in a while & I was younger & fitter when mine was small!
Maybe it's a perception thing on my part?
I'm also gradually getting rid of some of my ancient gear and replacing it with a shiny lighter rack!