Child Carrier: how old/heavy till you stopped usin

I'd like to purchase a child carrier so the family can go backpacking with me but my wife says our son probably wouldn't use it for long. He's going to be 2 in April but weighs almost 30lbs atm. I also have a 6 year old that we would be taking as well so we are not going to be traveling long distances. I know the Sherpani Rumba can hold a kid up to 50lbs with a total load of 70lb, not sure if Id like to test that weight limit though : )
Anyhow how old was your child when you stopped using your child carrier and they started hiking on their own.

Thanks.

My son was 4 1/2, but only about 36 lbs at the time (he's now 8 and still only 52 lbs). The problem wasn't weight so much as height... he just got too tall and wiggly to be comfortable. When he got too big for the carrier he pretty much quit hiking. If you've never hiked with your 6 year old, be prepared for them not wanting to hike even short distances.

MNS

Well its good to know he will be able to use it for a few years if I get it for next season. He's built like his mother so he probably will not be to tall. I guess I'm lucky enough that my daughter loves to go hiking. We've gone on number of day hikes. She keeps asking me when I will take her backpacking with me. : )

Thanks for your help.

I booted Ford out of the carrier at around 3 1/2. I just couldn't take it after that. For the next year we didn't hike long distances - rather under 3 miles. I started pushing the miles at 4 1/2.

Though I still used his jogger stroller on bike friendly trails till he was 5!

My kids were small for thier ages so the issue was their ability to walk more than my ability to carry them. It was a long slow process. At two years old I encouraged them to walk a lot -just took them out of the carrier and let them do small portions. By 5 years old they could walk very well and carry a small backpack. My kids were not too keen on going uphill and did better on flat trails. My little granddaughter is now two and would walk up to a mile at 1 1/2 years! 2 year olds certainly have the energy to walk sevaral miles, they just do not see any reason to walk in a straight line when every rock on the way is something to play with.

In the 2-4 age group, I've found, with both my own kids and my grandkids, that the kid will want to walk a while on his/her own but then will tire out and need to be carried. But as soon as (s)he has rested a bit, there will be screams to get down again. The same is true of a stroller, as you may have noticed.

You have at least 1 1/2 years before the kid can complete a hike of 2 miles without being carried part-time. However, each child is an individual. Some may be totally independent by 3; others may need to be carried part-time until nearer 4. It does help if you have them walk as much as possible, because they'll get stronger sooner!

I'd get the carrier; you definitely need it now and for at least the next year, probably a bit longer. If it's a good one you can sell it once the child outgrows it. Our carrier (one of the earliest Gerry carriers) went through 4 kids. We had it 12 years and then sold it (thanks to inflation) for almost as much as my parents paid for it in the first place. (If I'd kept it, it would probably be worth a lot to anyone who collects "antique" hiking gear!) Last spring, my youngest son sold the Kelty carrier I bought for their first child; their youngest child was 4 in October. It was more a case of the kid's getting too heavy. The problem with this particular child is to modify his "hiking" style, which consists of a dead run until he tires out.

If cost is an issue, look for a good used carrier.

I'm hoping I can get one soon so I can start getting him used to it on day hikes.
How does this sound, since my wife isn't in the best shape I was thinking when we take my son I will carry all the heavy items ie my son, tent, food, stove, cooking pot etc. This way she can carry the bigger lighter items like sleeping bags, jackets, kids change of cloths and diapers, to help keep her pack weight down. I want to make sure she enjoys it as well.
Seem kind of backwards though from all the family pictures Ive seen with the wife carrying the kid. I still have time to figure it all out till summer, not to mention find a tent for us to fit in.

Thanks again for your replies.

It depends on the kid - and the weight/type of the pack. The Kelty's for example stick out really far making them great for men, some of the other brands fit better on short women

I have the Kelty, and I still carry my 2 year old. His poor older sister got kicked out when he was big enough to sit in it, so she had to walk when she was about two. But, I would still carry her, just on my shoulders with my son in the Kelty. I weighed them two days ago when I was at REI on the big scale in the backpack area. Both are 30 lbs. So, the other day, when I was carrying them both, 60 lbs plus the Kelty. And, my wife wonders why I don't want to take all the kids backpacking.

With my daughter the problem was bony knees in the middle of my back. She never did get too heavy to carry. She turned 24 yesterday.

My daughter is now 9, but still only 52 pounds. She can now outwalk me when I am carrying everything, as long as we go slow enough for her not to have to break into a run to keep up. I think as a general rule one they are too heavy to carry they are big enough to walk and keep up, as long as you don't encumber them. When they start outpacing you, then you can start loading them up a little. I can still carry her now and then but I need to lose some weight. She can do a 20km day easily, as long as she isn't rushed. She did that two summers ago in very rugged terrain. The trick is not to encumber them, but to let them outperform you and set the pace, but its ok to prod them now and then also as long as there is a carrot also, and you are suffering and they are not.

When she was younger I prefered to carry her in front when she was sleeping. If she is on your back you have to be careful, and it helps to have someone else with you to check on them, but in front it is easier to see for yourself and you can improvise your own carrier. I had a separate carrier from the pack, which I could also use in front, or I could carry my daypack in front and her on my back, or up on my shoulders. It was designed as a back carrier, but it worked in front and its safe to improvise in front because you can see them.

Even when she was small she got down and walked alot. She would go up on my shoulders now and then when awake, from where she would use the map and compass and bark out commands. She would always get down to cross anything that looked like a bridge or stairs. She still loves bridges. The front carry was great when she was sleeping. Of course it helps if they are small and you are big, and you don't carry too much other stuff. We used that carrier until she could no longer get her legs in, which was when she was going on seven I think, 40 pounds maybe. I am 6' tall.

The backpack carrier put my daughter to sleep. When she was having fussy nights we walked the neighborhood. Quickly it was a matter of extracting her without waking her.

We did 4 nights in the Grand Canyon when she was 14.

I told her I was applying for a Grand Canyon permit on New Years day and she asked to go. A decade after her first trip. She is afraid she is not fit enough though.

I used a Tough Traveler Kid Carrier from the time DD3 was 1yo until just after her 2nd bday.
Then she wanted to walk. She's now 2.5 and has done a few 3-5 mile hikes. And we WILL not carry her unless she's injured. She'll cry but after a brief stop and some M&Ms/gorp she'll start again.

Food... buy her a weight vest from Wal-Mart and tell her to start wearing it whenever she can (at work if possible, at home, doing chores etc.). Start with just a couple of pounds and work up. She'll be surprised how quickly she will get into shape.

Otherwise, you could invest in one of those "adult" strollers...

MNS

That looks very similar to what I had. I liked it. I rigged it up so I could use it in front when she was sleeping and I was hiking alone, but used it both ways. I like it being separate from my pack. I carried the daypack in front if she was on my back.

Cute as a button. Margaret used to be that cute. She still is, but she's grown some. We tried cigarettes and everything for awhile, but it didn't work.