A baby doesn't have to end your hiking life. That's the core finding from Outside Online's gear testers, whose daughter — now eighteen months old — has already hiked ridgelines in the Blue Ridge Mountains, alpine lakes in the Rockies, coastal paths in New Brunswick, and red-rock trails in Arches and Zion, plus plenty of city walking around Chicago. The trick: a proper hiking child carrier, tested across dozens of outings.
After trying several models, three standouts emerged, each suited to a different style of trip.
The Osprey Poco LT is the travel pick. At five pounds nine ounces with a huge 25 litres of storage — nearly double its rivals — it swallows layers, snacks, and a soft cooler of supplies, and carries kids up to forty pounds on a light aluminium frame. A built-in UPF 50 sunshade protects little faces. The killer feature is how it folds completely flat, slipping into an aeroplane overhead bin. The family has stopped bringing a stroller to the airport entirely, using this pack instead. Downsides: thinner straps, a shorter hip belt that suits smaller-framed wearers, and limited comfort on very long days. Ideal if your trip involves hikes of roughly five miles or less.
The Kelty Journey PerfectFIT Elite is the comfort-and-pockets option, about two pounds heavier but far more generous. Nine pockets, a zippered "dirty" compartment underneath for post-blowout clothing, six grab handles, and a stable kickstand make it practical. Its roomy seat and oversized chin pad mean it doubles as a mobile cot — the toddler fell asleep on nearly every autumn day hike near Asheville when outings were timed around her nap. If your priority is a well-rested kid rather than a light pack, this is the one.
The Deuter Kid Comfort is for ambitious families — longer routes, scrambly terrain, even backpacking trips. It fits like a true backpacking pack: sliding torso adjustment so multiple caregivers can share it, ventilated mesh back panel, and a seat that grows with your child from around ten months onward. On long days in Arches and Zion, the tester reported noticeably less shoulder and hip fatigue than with the other two, and the locked-in hip belt kept things stable while scrambling over slickrock and squeezing through slot canyons. The trade-off is just 14 litres of storage, so plan on a second daypack.
For parents of newborns, Osprey's Poco Soft offers a front-carrying option before kids are ready for a backpack-style carrier.
Why does this matter for holiday planning? Because the right carrier effectively replaces both a stroller and a chunk of luggage on hiking-focused trips — it rides in the overhead bin, keeps naps on schedule mid-trail, and opens up destinations from national parks to coastal walks that might otherwise feel off-limits with a toddler. Frequent travellers will lean towards the Poco LT; day-hikers who drive to trailheads get more from the Kelty; mountain-loving families should spring for the Deuter.
First reported by Outside Online.
