I quickly turned into a Deuter fan using their cycling packs, and have since purchased their packs for skiing, general hydration, and, of course, carrying our son (who is just now outgrowing his KangaKid as he approaches 2 years old!). Heck, we liked this pack so much we decided to have another baby! :)
Anyhow, this pack is a diaper bag on steroids. My wife and I will typically pack an outer layer of clothing, a handful of diapers and wipes, a light lunch for us as well as food and milk for the boy, his extra layers of clothes, and then a compact camera and other personal items.
Besides the kid carrying portion, there are separate zippered compartments: a big main compartment, a smaller fanny pack-sized compartment, and an even smaller wallet/key/cell phone sized section. And of course there are the elastic/mesh side pockets for bottles, hats, dirty diapers tucked inside plastic shopping bags.
The kid carrying section is very secure, with a shoulder harness, a lap belt, and cinch straps on the sides to ensure Junior stays pressed tight to my back.
The straps for me are wonderful: a generously padded waist belt to lift the load off my shoulders, tension-adjustable shoulder straps that ensure they don't bite into my shoulders, and an elastic chest strap to keep the shoulder straps from sliding their way off.
Getting a squirmy infant into this contraption is a bit comical, and should be practiced whilst sitting on a cushy bedroom matress. Once the kid is loaded and secured, the pack becomes quite top-heavy while slinging it across my shoulders. This, unfortunately, is the case with the other baby carriers I've used, and is all about technique and supporting the child's weight near the bottom of their torso while performing this maneuver. It's easy to become proficient at, and a second person is nice (though not necessary!). Like I say, practice a few times on the matress while gaining experience and confidence.
I might point out that, unlike other Deuter packs, this one is intended to have a limited life span (max child weight of about 30 pounds, says Deuter). So, unlike a backpack you might use until it dies, many owners only keep these for a couple of years before getting rid of them **Hint, Hint** (sorry, Amazon).
(Update 6/13/11): just wanted to mention that I crammed out 2 year 2 months boy back into this for a 2 mile walk yesterday. I didn't think he was going to fit but his weight is still right at Deuter's 30-pound max; his height is 34 inches. He was a tight fit -I needed to loosen all the seatbelt straps to the max and he was a little hesitant to get in, but after a little complaining and once I had him on my back he was having a good ol' time we probably had our best trip ever.
(Update 9/4/11): Our oldest is now 2 years 5 months, still 30 pounds but now 37 inches, and still fits. We loaded the pack with lunch, diapers, three small blankets, various hats, a full box of wipes and the usual variety of "stuff" and set out on a short hike with no intention of carrying anybody in the pack. But our route took a turn for the adventurous and, well... I'm glad we had it with us. This was unquestionably the fullest load I've carried yet (kid & gear combined).
We purchased this pack for a trip for a trip to Europe and walking my older child to school. My son was two when he started riding in the pack and well over three when I insisted he was too big to ride anymore--he would still be in it today if he could. The child carriage is safe and secure--I've seen a four-month old enjoying hikes and never worried about my son slipping out of the sides or top. The storage offers plenty of room for what you need for a day--diapers, snacks, water--and works as a great pack even without children. My husband and I could easily adjust the pack to fit and could smoothly transition while walking, no extended stops required. This made traveling through airports much easier for me--while I had to take my son out for security checks every time, he'd go right back in and I never had to worry about him wandering in a foreign airport. The pack made him feel much more secure--he could see the action and interact with adults from the safety of our backs. We not only used the pack for trips, it was in daily use walking my daughter to and from school everyday. Like I said, my son would still ride in the pack if he could. I have tried a variety of carriers over the years (Bjorn, hip sling, baby sling, kanga kid, strollers) and when we travel with young children, the sling and kanga kid are must haves.
Buy Deuter KangaKid Now
We were looking for a carrier that would be used in urban situations, so it needed to be durable, slim, and have adequate storage. We found the Kanga Kid to fit these options the best of all the packs we tried (Kelty, Sherpani, and one other brand that was at REI but is no longer carried there).
This pack is NOT designed for a 5 mile day hike. If that is your primary use for a child carrier, you will need a full frame carrier. We have a Deuter Kid Comfort III for real hiking, and our baby has sat and slept in it for 6 hours no problem. But that's a completely different set up than the KangaKid.
The KangaKid is a step up from an Ergo/Beco in that it will carry larger kids (meaning NOT newborns) and has a lot of storage. For urban, short term child carrying with lots of functionality beyond a child carrier, the Kanga Kid is a winner.
We have owned this pack for a year and a half and have found it to be a solid purchase. We use it primarily as a diaper bag when we go to the zoo, street fairs, or the farmer's market because our little guy (now 21 months) doesn't like to sit in his stroller for very long. We also use it to carry him when we're camping and he wants to be carried, but we need our hands free to cook.
This pack has allowed us to basically bring a diaper bag/child carrier all in one, and we find putting are older baby in this carrier and carrying him on our back to be easier than using an Ergo or Beco and back-carrying him. He also sits higher in back in this carrier, so he has a better view than when he's in his Beco carrier.
What I like most about this pack are:
-Carrier portion zips completely shut: All the straps tuck in and it looks like a regular backpack. None of the other carriers look like backpacks they look like child carriers.
-Relatively slim profile: Because the carrier portion can be completely zipped away, this pack is very slim when it is shut. We easily hang it over the handles of our stroller when its not being used as a carrier. It really isn't that much larger than a diaper bag, so it makes it easier to take along to have just in case.
-Large storage capacity: Easily fits just about anything you would put in a diaper bag. It actually has FOUR storage pockets 3 are zippered, and one is an open pouch that is secured with buckles. This makes it great for things you want easy access to w/o dealing w/zippers (i.e. bottles, snacks. It also has two mesh pockets which are great for holding water bottles. The largest section will fit the optional sun canopy/rain shield (highly recommend).
-Lightweight: Most child carriers weigh 5+ lbs. This one only weighs 4lbs 6oz.
There are only two issues we have found with this particular carrier:
-Limited carrying capacity: Since it is only rated for 30lbs, its use as a child carrier has limited life compared to other carriers. However, it is so much more functional than other carriers as a daypack that it outweighs the weight limit as a child carrier. I don't intend to carry my son when he's 45lbs in a child carrier at that age he needs to walk!
-No pockets on the waist belt: This is somewhat of a serious flaw because things you want quick access to (i.e. wallet, keys, cell phone) are hard to reach in the when the pack is on your back, and it is cumbersome to have to take the pack off when your child is in it to answer your phone. I use a small camera case attached to the waist belt strap to remedy this, but the larger Deuter packs so have one waist pocket, and it should have been included in this model also.
We highly recommend the sun shade attachment, which includes the rain shield for maximum versatility as a carrier.
FYI if you plan on buying a used one, make sure it was manufactured AFTER 2007 if you want the sun shade. The earlier models don't fit the sun shade attachment.
As for fit and comfort, I am 5'2" and my husband is 5'10". We both fit this pack very comfortably (and it is difficult for my short torso to find a pack that fits). We don't wear this pack for more than an hour or two at a stretch; I don't believe it is really designed for that. That being said, I recommend you try packs on with your baby in it (or at least 20lbs of weight) if you can before committing to it.
Read Best Reviews of Deuter KangaKid Here
We purchased this pack for our trip to Switzerland with our 8-month old. We loved this pack. The bag itself can hold all the diaper bag essentials and more. When baby isn't riding the harness zips out of sight. The bag is a little short for long torsos which can make the weight distribution a little uncomfortable, but still a good pack. Our baby likes riding up high and has napped in this as well. The pack rides high on your back so it can look a bit odd when there is no child in it since regular backpacks sit much lower.
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We purchased this pack for our upcoming trip to Taiwan because of its smaller size compared to full size backpacks and lighter weight. Hopefully, it will be easier to wear for extended periods and easier to stow.
In the meantime, I've been testing it with our 11 month old, 20lb daughter just walking around the block, going shopping, and so on.
THE GOOD:
+ Daughter loves it back there; no problems with being in the backpack for 30-45 minutes at a time (the extent that I've had her in there so far) and even fell asleep in it when we went out shopping
+ The backpack is relatively lightweight compared to the full-sized options
+ Lots of storage and the outermost "pocket" is fully expandable so you can throw something relatively large in there. Keep in mind that because you'll already be carrying around a 15-20lb baby, you probably won't want to have too much stuff thrown into this bag given the weight limit of 30lbs and the general challenges of carrying that much weight on your back in the first place.
+ Pretty solid construction. I have my own anxieties (i.e. tripping over something), but the pack has proven to be solid so far.
+ I guess as comfortable as something like this can get. Bear in mind, you're now walking around with an extra 20lbs strapped to your body so there's going to be some level of discomfort after a while, but it's not bad. The bag does a good job of distributing the weight such that you don't feel it concentrated on your lower back.
+ Lots of adjustments to get it right on your frame.
THE NOT SO GOOD:
While my daughter is fine once she's in the pack, it is a screaming match to get her in there. The main problem is that the one set of clips near the front are completely free-moving on the strap. What this means is that once you get your child in, you have to hunt and dig to find those two clips so you can secure them. This is time consuming and causes the baby a great deal of discomfort. You can somewhat alleviate this by always moving the clips near the top of the straps, but it's hard to keep them there because they are free moving on the straps. Dunno...maybe we'll figure something out with some rubber bands...
While it distributes weight relatively well, I can see it being a challenge for extended periods of time (>60m). I can feel it a bit in my lower back and hips after a long walk, but this is to be expected to some degree given that I'm carrying an extra 20lbs on my back.
The changing pad is pretty minuscule. I would have liked to see something that folded up and could be unfolded to something larger. It's almost pointless to have a changing pad that small.
Nearly impossible to single person mount a child and seems very precarious to single person dismount. I'll be traveling with family so this is not as much an issue, but it should be noted that it is very, very tricky to get a child in here solo because the bag doesn't stand. I recently saw the Kelty TC 3.0 Child Carrier in person and found that this may be one advantage of the Kelty: it does have a small structural frame in the base and a foot anchor to allow you to stand it up and single-parent mount your child into the pack.
Overall, it's a pretty good product. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. However, if you have the opportunity, I would highly recommend trying it in person with your child. I would also recommend considering the Kelty if single-parent mount/dismount is important since it's very tricky to do so with this carrier.
I searched high and low for a pack that could haul all my climbing gear to the crag, go on multi-pitch trad, and then go alpine and do some multi-day or week long packpacking. If you'd like to buy one pack and have it meet all those needs, put on a Trion Guide. A similar product is the Deuter Guide 45+, but when I compared them side-by-side, the Mammut won out despite its higher MSRP. This pack is light, while being more than just a sac with shoulder straps: 3.5 lbs base-weight is excellent considering the comfort of the suspension system, the convenience of the side-access zipper, the pockets, and the gear loops you'll want for your alpine equipment. The suspension system is also moderately ventilated on the back (although there are packs that do this better), but most importantly for me, the suspension system provides an EXCELLENT range of motion for the wearer. I needed something with which I could twist, bend forward, bend back, lean, stretch, etc Mammut delivered. I won't go so far as to say you forget you're wearing it, but its real comfortable for an active user. Its water-resistant coating is pretty effective and the bag can survive being scraped against granite during routes.
