What is the BEST hiking baby carrier/backpack for child to be able to move some and be comfortable?

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Tarzan-got

My husband is 6'2" and 290lbs and I'm 5'8" and 185---we are not small people. I don't want our daughter to have to do a split in order to sit in the carrier. We want a backpack one because she doesn't like to be right up against us either. We are starting to go hiking regularly and would love to be able to take her with us. She is 2 but only 22 pounds. We'd love for her to be able to move around.

Answer
here is a variety read the reviews
http://www.rei.com/search?search=child+carrier

Planning honeymoon trip would like a few suggestions about location, whales, secrets (if willing to share)?

Mad Lu

Hi, My fiance and I are planing to go to the islands, Hilo is where he has some family but we are not in touch with them at this moment.
We want to spend 2 weeks 1 week for a cruise around the island and the last week at 1 or 2 locations to really soak it up.
When would be a good time to take the cruise so it will increase our odds to see a whale? or what months are they more active?

What about some state and local parks. are their any main island rules that one should know about prior to hiking or even backpacking?

What other suggestions do you have for a couple that loves the outdoors, and the true culture of Hawaii? Historical sites?

Really i guess i could of summed this up by tell me what you know? any unique locations for a morning picnic. (yeah i'm that corny) lol
any help is appreciated thank you for your time.

Answer
The humpback whales come to Hawaii from the coast of Alaska and British Columbia during the winter and have their babies, then migrate back there in spring. They can not eat while in Hawaii, the mothers lose a huge amount of weight producing milk for the babies, and have to go back to feed as soon as the weather warms up further north.

Backpacking and hiking: I LOVE to hike in the tropical forest. Do watch out for "Kapu" (Tabu) signs and steer clear of private lands, as many locals and native hawaiians frown on tourists. Make sure to wear strong Tevas or flip-flops if you go. Regular sports shoes will be so muddy and wet, will be unsable afterwards. I see a lot of broken cheap rubber flip-flops along the trails, have no idea how people walk through the jungle barefoot! Wear repellent.
http://www.trails.com/toptrails.aspx?area=10015

The most glamorous archeological site is on the Big Island, south of Kailua-Kona (on the west side of the island, opposite from Hilo) in Kealakekua Bay, the City of Refuge. Amazing and exotic site.
http://hawaii.aloha-hawaii.com/tours/city+of+refuge/

Also near Kailua-Kona in Keauhou, the manta rays come to shore at night at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort...they shine light on the water and as there is no coral to protect the shoreline, deep-sea wildlife comes right to shore attracted to the plankton attracted to the lights. You can also do a night-time "torch" dive to swim with the mantas now.
http://www.fair-wind.com/mantasnorkeldive.asp

You should stop at the cloud-forest town above Kailua-Kona of Holoalua. It is an artist's colony with a great B&B, but also interesting because this is the center of the Kona Coffee cooperative.
http://www.konalea.com/

North of Kailua-Kona is the Kohala Coast where a lot of the 5-star luxury resorts are. It is also the location of a boat ditch ride which is both historical and fun, has GREAT reviews:
http://www.flumindaditch.com/
(Note: the ditch suffered some damage in the 2006 earthquake, check to make sure it is operational again).

Are you going to Maui? They have a new line of guided adventures cal the "zipline" where you jump off the cliffs tethered to a line. You hike up into the mountains, they start you off easy and cliffs become progressively higher.
http://www.zipline.com/

And while we are at it, since you are on your honeymoon, if you are in Maui, drive the beautiful road to Hana through the jungle and stay at one of their great beach resorts. Very isolated, beautiful.
http://www.hotelhanamaui.com/index.php

You should be able to take a helicopter to the Na Pali coast of Kauai and have a private picnic in a inaccessible spot of paradise. They pick you up later.

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whats a good sling for a summer baby?

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two july b

What's a good baby sling to use for a summer baby?
comfy and cool...i also have a 2 yr old so ill need something sturdy while im chasing my first kid. is the sling the same as a carrier? should i get one of each or one that can hold a newborn and an older baby?
thank you were about the same height but i weigh more..

Answer
the two most important things to ensure a good carrier/sling is: SIze of the Parent, and Weight of the Child. A great sling will be of no use if it doesn't fit.

price was not an issue to me so I can't remember what I paid for what, but you can find most of these on eBay if you are not picky regarding the color.

I have purchased (and been given) a total of maybe 6 slings and carriers. Heres my review of them
btw my Post partum weight /height is 126# 5'7"
(I will rank them at the end)

HOTSLING - I got size 3 (way too big for me) and my son hate it, always did, from 8 wks old, at 4 months old, he freakin hates it. My sister is very small (5'1" and about 110#, she bought size 1 and her son enjoyed the ride there). pros - very compact for travel, lightweight. cons - one adult arm is constrained so your are limited (can't fold laundry etc); and my son hated it but it was the wrong size and he fell too low.

MY BABY NEST (available at www.babiesrus.com online) - this uses the concept of a wrap around tie sling but you don't have to tie it. you just slip your arms though and wrap the waist belt around you and under your babies bum. (I got a medium, and even called the company rep and she told me she was the same size as me and she uses a medium). Again, I needed the small. My son sinks too low and it pulls on my shoulders and back. THIS IS PROBABLY THE BEST TYPE WRAP SLING THAT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE TIED OR WRAPPED EACH TIME. It's a pretty amazing little invention, just get a size smaller than you think you are b/c the spandex material is very very stretchy. Pros - comfortable for both mommy and baby if you get the right size, baby can be worn front, back and hip. cons - material stretches out after about 10 minutes of wearing. My husband also says it looks gay and he won't wear it.

SLEEPY WRAP - also a great wrap and my son actually likes this one. It's not that difficult to tie but does take some practice. The pros: comfortable for baby, can wear front/back/side, and one size fits all. Can accommodate toddlers as well as infants cons - also stretchy material, cant' really wear more than 30 min

SlingLing - nice and cool. some babies/parents don't feel secure with it

BABY BJORN - structured type carrier, pros - simple on/off. I can do it without other adult helping. my husband will wear it. baby worn in front but can face parent or outward. cons - not as comfortable for parent when baby weighs 20 pounds or more. can't wear on back. has metal in the clips so you have to take it off when you go through metal detectors at airport.

DEUTER - a great concept if you are over 5'7" tall. I am right on the borderline of this being comfortable. it's basically a backpack that has a seated compartment for an infant/up to maybe a 24month old. Pros - don't have to carry a separate diaper bag, Baby sits in more of a seat like position, good for Disneyland / going on long hikes where you don't want to carry a purse/other bags. Cons - not for short people, or even average height person, also remember it has a full back pack built in. This is a bit of overkill for just puttering around the house.

AND THE WINNER IS:
Ergo Baby Carrier.

Pros - baby can be worn front side and back, newborns (with special insert) and 3 yr olds fit comfortably in it. can purchase a separate small backpack to attatch to the carrier
very comfortable to both parent and baby

cons- it's kinda thick but that's what makes it comfortable. They were designed in hawaii and it's pretty hot there so I think it's ok for summer use.

some people complain about the price. I say better to buy one good one than go through 5 others before you find this one (but in all honesty the My Baby Nest one is awesome but I was just told the wrong size to buy - mis informed by customer service employee).

Good Hiking Pack for Kids?

Emma

We're interested in getting a sturdy backpack for our oldest daughter. I'm willing to spend around 100-150 dollars if I know that it can be passed down through all 3 of our kids until it's completely out grown by all of them. I'd rather an external frame pack (it's what I'm familiar with) but if you know a really high quality internal frame I'll take it into consideration.

The kids right now are 7, 5, and 2 years old. We're thinking our first hike-in trip will be in 2 or 3 years when the little one is old enough to walk the trail by herself. My husband and I would bear the brunt of the gear, the oldest a little gear in the pack we're looking for, the middle one some dry food in a regular book-bag, and the youngest would just walk without anything.

Just so no one freaks out, we're not being unreasonable in our plans. My husband is an Eagle Scout and is an experienced hiker. I have only done drive-up campsites but have been camping since I was a baby and spent some time in the Army so I know how it feels to haul 70lbs of gear over several miles. As a family, we did some 1 mile hikes last year when the middle kid was 4 years old and we currently do 2-3 mile day hikes every few weeks, so we know that a 5 year old can keep up as long as you don't push too hard. In fact, this weekend we did a 3 mile 200 vertical foot trail with the Big Girls walking, the little one was carried in a pack, and finished in just over an hour.

All that aside what I'm looking for is a good quality, durable, external frame pack for a kid in the 9-11 year old range.

Answer
With the exception of the 7 year old they are to young yet for any large capacity back packs so simple day packs that you can get at any sporting goods supplier will do. In that pack they should carry some water, some snacks, a flash light, a whistle, a space blanket, a fire starter, a multitool, a signal mirror and a two way radio (and know how to use them).

Long treks 2-3 years from now? your eldest could probably use a JanSport Scout Pack or the Kelty Jr. Pack and be able to carry around 25lbs on an external frame pack. However for a young frame internal frame packs are better to use for balance, control and comfort and instead of carrying the weight of a metal frame they can carry more gear they need. There are many high quality packs and you should try before you buy, rent them if you can. REI is one place that rents gear and they have reviews available for the gear the do sell. Check them out

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