Deuter  Kid Comfort III Child Carrier

We first used this pack when our son was 6 months old. We took him on a 5 day pack trip 20 miles back in. This pack has performed very well! We took our son again last fall when he was 2.5 years old on an 8 mile hike for 4 days. We love the amount of stuff we can pack into this thing with the kiddo in it! Grantid, the pack does get heavier the more you stuff into it with the kid riding. A few critiques: the mesh water bottle pockets are not big enough for a 1L bottle, the shoulder strap system is quick but could be quicker, it needs foot stirrups for the child. Pros: can hold a lot of stuff!!! We love that the rain/sun fly is attached and integrated into the pack. We also love/hate the tall headrest.

The KCIII is a great pack that will make it easy and comfortable for you and your child to get outside. We've had our daughter in sincce about 6 mo. and she's almost 2 now. Most importantly the KCIII is comfortable for the child. Everything is padded, including a big pillowy chin rest and padded side that offers neck support when baby konks out. Our daughter loves getting in the KCIII. For the sherpa, the KCIII is super easy to adjust with one velcro strap, so parents can trade off with ease. It's got a lot of storage so if one parent takes it they have room for all of baby's need and enough extra space for mom or dad's items. The pack has an oversized kickstand that is really solid and stable, big front and back straps for lifting the pack onto your back, and is really, really comfortable to carry. It's large, which is a draw back in tight spaces or crowded busses, but the full shade keeps the sun, rain, tree branches, etc. off your child and seems like would help if we ever took a spill. The pack cleans up easily- soap and water - and still looks great after 1.5 years of abuse. The best thing I can say is that it's so comfortable and easy to use, that'll it will get you and baby outside! If you're in a more urban environment or likely to go on shorter walks and hikes, the KCI might be a better option due to it's smaller size, length and weight.

I love this carrier! I was a little worried because of the price, but once it was on me, I realized it was worth every penny. We tried several other brands (Kelty, REI, etc.)but none was perfect. Until the Deuter. We got this when our now 4 year old was about 9 months old. We carried her in it until she was 3 (35 pounds) and she started hiking herself. We now use it for our 2 year old (25 pounds)and it shows no signs of wear and seems brand new. It is easy to adjust between my husband and me, so both of us can use it. It has extra cargo space in the bottom. This is by far the best piece of kids equipment that we ever got!

We debated long and hard about dropping almost $300 on one of these. We decided to go for it based on the resale values on [...]. I'm sure glad we did.We've had it for over a year, and my 3 1/2 yr old and 2 yr old love it so much that they argue over riding in it (actually considering buying a second one). It is really REALLY comfortable for both parent and kid. It is incredibly simple to adjust and strap in the the kids despite their differnt sizes.My only complaint is that it's really big and costs a pretty penny. We have brought in on a plane w/o issue, and find it's MUCH better than a stroller for congested areas like festivals.My daughters' favorite part is the attached hood, well worth the extra money if you are alreayd considering another model. It has been great for both Midwest sun and Northwest rain. The storage capacity is pretty amazing as well.The pillow and mirror are very well thought out.

I absolutely love this backpack carrier! The only thing I can compare it to is a Moby carrier, which is not a fair comparison. The Moby is only comfortable if your baby is less than 5 or 6 months old. I'm only 5'3" and it is definitely comfortable. I'm not going to say I can't feel the extra weight, but it does distribute evenly and you don't feel it all on your back. I did a lot of research and felt the need to invest in a top of the line pack because you want the best comfort, especially if you have back problems already. My boyfriend wears it as well, he's 6'0" and hasn't had issues. I wouldn't recommend this to someone who is not an outdoors type of person, I feel like it would be a waste of money. Definitely recommend it for all hikers and people that are outdoors a lot, farmer's market, concerts, events, etc. It is big, but it isn't bigger than a stroller and has the perfect amount of carrying room, and is great when a stroller isn't appropriate for your travels.

I purchased this in 2007 for hiking with our oldest child and now use it with our youngest who was born in 2010. I first put them in the pack at about 4 months. It seemed a little big for them at that size but they seemed to enjoy the ride. I now pack the youngest at 1y.o. and 25ish lbs. and it is comfortable. I have even given it a test run with my 4y.o. at about 40+ lbs. Doable, but we just did it for kicks. The bottom pouch is a good size. Large enough for diaper changing goodies along with maybe a day hike worth of food and a change of clother for the little one. The last outing I packed a fly rod and a couple fly boxes and misc goodies in the other pouches. The stowable shade is nice to have in the rainy NW and it is also a nice feature to keep the sun out of juniors eyes. The only reason I give it 4 is because it is a little pricey and at 6'3" it is a tad short for me. That said, it is easily adjustable to fit my wife too. It's built like a tank (at least the model year we have). My kids will outgrow it long before it wears out. It still looks new and I will pass it along to a friend for much more use. Overall, a good pack.

I had once seen a couple hiking with their child in a "Kelty" carrier and thought I need to get one of these. But, when I started researching about kids backpack carriers, I pretty much had made up my mind about getting a Deuter. I am the type that rather pay more but have a great product. I bought the Deuter II at first and brought it home and tried it and it was fine. However, I still had my heart on the Deuter III. So I got that as well and had them at home side-by-side to compare the features. The reason I personally liked Deuter III - It was just bigger with better support - I like the shade feature b/c our little one does NOT like to wear anything on her head. - It had better cushioning around the chin area. My husband and I used it on 4 different hikes in Sedona and our daughter LOVED it. She's 15 months, weighs 21 lbs and 30 inches tall. It was easily adjustable to fit my husband who is 5'11" and myself 4'11". I will admit that it took a while for me to get used to it. It did seem too tight around my hips and seemed to have been putting pressure on the outside hip area, but I think it needed getting used to. I was pretty comfortable throught the hike. Disappointment: - It supposedly comes with a mirror so you can see your child. Well, it a LITTLE compact size mirror that you pull out of the pocket and use to look behind you. (And I thought there was going to be an attachment that the mirror was hung from). Overall, I am very pleased with it. I will not hesitate buying another one for a 2nd child. I can't believe I didn't buy it earlier and was instead using Baby Bjorn during the hikes. I can't believe how uncomfortable our daughter must've been - not to mention the uneven weight it was putting on our backs. P.S. In pictures it might look like our daughter is uncomfortable leaning to the side but that was not the case. Her vision was blocked so she'd prefer to lean to the side to look ahead of her.

My Husband is 6'3". He carries our son who is 2 and a half. We have taken this pack to 4 or 6 national parks with multipal day hikes in each. We took it to Yellowstone for 2 weeks last year and will be bringing it to yellowstone for three weeks again this year. Having spent the money on a nice pack allows us to enjoy places with our son that would not be possible other wise. My husband and I are avid hikers and love getting out. The only complaint I have is the zipper in the larger compartment is a challeng to close due to a square shape. Over all Im 5ft and my husband is 6'3" and the pack works for both of us.

When I first brought the Kid Carrier III home, my daughter was barely three. She immediately took to it, sitting/standing in it to watch television. And she loved being in it when we hiked White Mountain National Park and places all around the city. It's easy to slip on and off to let a child hop in or out of it. And its architecture takes maximum stress off of the back—it's very comfortable. I bought this item prior to becoming a Family Ambassador for Deuter; and though I paid full price for this item, it really is worth every penny. My daughter will remember those family hikes for the rest of her life.

I wish we bought for our first child! Now that we are on baby #3 and she has outgrown the Baby Bjorn (which is the best), we finally went for the hiking pack so that she can keep up with her older siblings on the trail. My husband, 5'8" & 160 lbs. has no problem using the pack with our 17 lb. 14 month old. He says it's very comfy and for long hikes. I am very petite, 5'4" & 100 lbs., and I also had no trouble wearing the baby. The Deuter Kid Comfort III was significantly more comfy than the II and worth the extra $$. Even being as small as I am, I was able to adjust all the straps small enough to fit me securely. And most importantly, it doesn't take more than a minute to make the adjustments from one parent to the next. We didn't even have to take the baby out to adjust it smaller for me. Lots of deep storage pockets are great too. We will be using this a lot!