Best Hiking Baby Carrier Backpack for Petite Moms

Hiking with a kid carrier can be one of the most enjoyable phases of outdoor time with your child.  Now that my youngest is 6, my family is past this stage.  Although at the time, I occasionally pitied myself for being loaded down likka pack mule… now I truly miss these days.

The days of hiking a nice long trail, without needing to turn back after .5 miles for a tired child who can’t keep up.

The days of knowing you are transferring a love of the outdoors to your child at a precious age.  Even as your baby dozes off for a nap in the fresh air, to the lull of mom’s cadence on the trail.

There are so many fantastic benefits to hiking with your child in a backpack carrier!  It’s truly one of the best pieces of gear we owned for our babies/toddlers.

But wait… what if your pack doesn’t fit, causing you back pain and greatly hindering your enjoying of the experience?  No bueno.

Calling on the [Petite!] Hiking Pros

Although I’ve written about MY experience and tips for hiking with child carriers, I’m 5’10”.  What worked for my body frame, may not work for all moms.

So when a 5’1″ reader recently asked for my advice on a comfortable carrier, I turned to my outdoor blogging mom friends and experts.

These awesome women gave me so much valuable feedback… I realized I needed to share their expert advice.  They know of what they speak!  These moms have spent many happy hours on the trail with their kids.

Best Hiking Baby Carrier Backpack for Petite Parents

I posed the question to a group on well-known outdoor bloggers.  They’ve tested lots of gear, and here is their tried-and-true advice.  Many of them have written full gear reviews for the hiking carrier mentioned, on their own blogs.  You can check them out for more details.

“What is the best hiking baby carrier backpack for petite parents?”

• Dueter.  I am 5’3” and it fits me well.  ~ Amelia, Tales of a Mountain Mama

• I am 5’2″ and the Deuter Air worked well for me. But others have disagreed. I am guessing torso length is more the issue. A soft carrier like Boba might be more forgiving. ~ Alyssa, The Kid Project

• I have a friend with a short torso and her deuter pack doesn’t fit her right either. I would suggest trying on as many different styles as she can – I have the kelty that she’s talking about and the back adjust will sometimes slip on mine, which is super annoying. You could also recommend a soft sided carrier ~ Susan, MountainMomandTots.com

• The osprey poco has torso adjustment that is huge! And the pack itself is much much more stable and sturdy than the kelty’s so more stress on the pack, less on the body. ~ Sabrina,  Mama Wild and Free

• I’m 5’3 and loved the littlelife voyager! I think we had the voyager 4? The back adjusts so you can share with someone who is 6′.  ~ Karen, Play Outside Guide

• I’m 5’1″ and I found the deuter was good until my kids hit 20 lbs. It was so uncomfortable after that. I had it on the smallest setting and still was not great at that point.  We had the II. I am really small so even when backpacking the max I can realistically carry is 35 lb. So wasn’t too big of a surprise that 20 lb kid + pack and gear was pretty heavy for me. I think that was the bigger issue than the pack itself.   Up until then I loved the pack though and it adjusted super well for myself and hubby.  After 20lbs we used toddler Tulas. I find them sooo much more comfortable. I can still comfortably carry my 3.5year old if needed. I’d highly recommend checking one out but they are only for older babies/toddlers.  ~ Sarah, Rockies Girl

• Any of the Deuters. I’m 5’1 and it was the only pack that fit me perfectly. It has an adjustable harness that is super easy.  I carried my son in the Deuter until he was almost 4 and never had a problem with the weight. We used the Kid Comfort III and loved it!   ~ Melissa, Adventure Tykes

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