Soon-to-be-Dad needs some suggestions!


Bushmonkey85

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Hey guys, I'm really hoping this isn't deemed too "off-topic", but this is about the only community where I really respect the opinions, so I'm coming to you for some ideas!

I'm gonna be a first time dad in about 7 weeks!! I'm crazy excited!! We're having a girl, and I'm bound and determined to get her out in the woods with me as often as I can! I've really been looking for a baby carrier (like the backpack or front carry kind) that I can take her hiking in, and need some ideas.

Anyone used a certain kind they liked? Recommendations? Preferably not something too girly looking :D And I'm a big fella, so bigger is better, but I can usually mod stuff if need be.

Thanks for the help!
 
The front carriers are great for when the kids are small. Once your little girl gets a little bigger, pick up a backpack child carrier with a frame. (I got one in good condition off local classifieds for ~$20.) Have fun and get her out there!
 
Those three-wheeled stroller deals worked pretty well for me when we went out. I forget what kind it was but it had larger tires and was a lot easier to maneuver on the trail than a lot of the others we (the boss and I) tried.

As far as the backpack type, I preferred the front carry kind simply because I could keep an eye on the little one a bit easier. But they grow out of that pretty fast.
 
Kelty seems to be the most widely available "good" brand. There are several private label branded versions of the Kelty gear, as well.

Buy used. Your wife may be against it, but saving 50% on something that some poor sucker only used three times is a good bet. Don't worry, you'll have plenty of opportunities to spend that money elsewhere.
 
First off congrats!
Coming from a dad of a 2 year old girl I highly suggest the Kelty child backpacks.
Just about any of them will work as long as you get the right size for your body.

You can easily pick up used ones from thrift stores, used kid clothing and toy stores or craigslist for $20-50.
 
Those three-wheeled stroller deals worked pretty well for me when we went out. I forget what kind it was but it had larger tires and was a lot easier to maneuver on the trail than a lot of the others we (the boss and I) tried.

As far as the backpack type, I preferred the front carry kind simply because I could keep an eye on the little one a bit easier. But they grow out of that pretty fast.

Congrats.

ATBV, all terrain baby vehicles, are great. They can go anywhere, alright, almost every where. The 18" tires don't get bogged down in gravel and roll over smaller obstacles with ease. But you'll need to wait until the munchkin is at least a year before using one. She'll need time to develop her neck muscles first. The passenger can get bounced around pretty good.
 
Conrats, I used the front carrier. I felt the backpack style limited my access to the kid.http://www.babyage.com/baby-gear/baby-carriers/ergobaby-performance-carrier-78605.htm This is the one I used, its a little pricey, but I used it with all three of my kids and never had a problem with it. Plus its tan, earthy color and has pouches. Mil-surp pouches can be added to it with some imagination, had mine tricked out, but passed it on a couple years ago to a bush pal and new dad.
 
Kelty for us too . I travel internationally all the time with my daughter and even on the plan and airports my daughter is on my back in a Kelty t.c. 3.0. It is amazing slim profile, no huge bars hanging off, removable rain hood, and a handy mirror built in to the shoulder strap to check on the kid with or let them beat you on the head with as my daughter prefers. I like the black one . It even folds up nice and just looks like a normal daypack too. Love it love it
 
First of all congrats. When my son was young (25yrs ago) I used to take him volks marching with me when I was in Germany. I always perfered the chest pack, he was a new born and I was better able to see what he was doing. As to brands I have no clue.

PS he still has his march medals on his wall.
 
congrats! fathers of daughters are special. i have 2, now 17 and 21. youngest is my woods buddy, and has been since i touched her 8 month old
hand to a Smokey Mountain stream... awesome times.

the pack advice has been given. jumping ahead, my advice is to never push too hard when it comes to the woods. let her set the pace. you will relive the wonder of your childhood through her eyes as she finds bugs, lizards, and 'cool mushrooms' or whatever... things you'd forgotten were important. the journey is the imporant part, not the destination... remember that. don't break her trying to get there. later on, you'll be glad you did it that way. if destinations are that important, go alone. mine still can't keep up with me. we still go at her pace.

along the way, you'll also run into God, boys, sex, drugs, self esteem, school, friend problems, the future, and so on, but you'll be able to discuss them with her easily... amazing how that just works out... oh, and you ARE her first boyfriend... how you are is how she'll expect men to treat her... so set the bar high. and above all, love her mother...
 
First off, congrats! I have a daughter myself.

Up until she was one we used a baby bjorn. Most of the time my wife would carry her and I would carry the gear. From age one until 18 months we used a jogger stroller. We tried a backpack carrier but she hated it. At around 18 months I couldn't get her to sit in the dang stroller anymore because she wanted to "carry a stick and walk like daddy". No she just walks along next to us. It's all gonna depend on your kid and her personality.
 
Chicco front carriers and Kelty made a sturdy backpack

I used both for hiking bike trails in the beginning just to get the little ones outdoors.....i still miss that front carrier, they grow so fast!


good luck and be prepared for the meconium
 
Congratulations! When my son was born, I had a front carrier. When he got to around a year, he was big and strong enough to have a fit one day and break my nose with the back of his head! Nothing like being dazed, going into fight mode, thinking you must protect your family, then realizing your son is crying and covered with your blood, all in a mall food court! I suggest the back carrier for when kids get a little older and heavier. Plus, the good back carriers have places to store all the diapers, bottles, food, clothes, etc, that you will need.
And, most of them are self standing, so you have a safe place to keep your child while you prep a fire, make lunch or the like. Just make sure they are comfortable. A crying child in a public place is loud. The same in the woods is ear splitting. Trust me. Best wishes for your future bushcraft lady!
 
Congrats on the baby girl.

I've got a Kelty backpack that is great for toddlers and bigger kids. They aren't much use until the kid can sit up (which will happen faster than you can possibly imagine). I found one really cheap at a second hand store.

Check out Maya Wraps. My wife swears by these and has carried all three of our kids in one form of wrap or another. I've even seen her carry a newborn in a sling on the front and a toddler in a wrap on her back, but I think she was just showing off. There are lots of different places to buy wraps or slings (a search on ebay for baby sling shows like 2000 items). My wife has a couple from this site that she really likes. http://www.mayawrap.com/shop/home
 
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I have the Kelty FC2, I think, it has a small pack attached to the top back and another pouch on the bottom. It works great once they can hold their heads up, comfortable to carry too. When they are really small the front carry method is great.

Congrats!!
 
Here is my boy at 3 months in the front carrier, I think it is Chicco.

Hiking with the family. - YouTube

In the video you see my boy who is 3.5 now and a shot of my daughter in the Kelty, she is 1.
 

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Congratulations! Being a Dad is part of a noble institution :4:

We used a Snugli front carrier and both the Tough Traveler and Kelty packs. All of them are Great bits for getting out with little ones. As was mentioned the three-wheeled, bike tire strollers are quite nice as well, especially when it's break time. No jostling around when you stop and babe can be sat up or laid down in them.

My guess is like most families, you will have a collection of different items you utilize. When ours were little and we went on an outing we regularly filled the trunk of our car with different "stuff" :25: Now that they are older....we look like the Beverly Hillbillies when we travel.

http://www.toughtraveler.com/cat3.asp
http://www.snugli.com/
http://www.chariotcarriers.com/
 
Congratulations!!

Fatherhood is awesome my oldest just turned 18yrs old today,They are truly a blessing everyday coming from a dad of 6 enjoy every moment because they grow up in a blink.
 
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My son, 12 days old, up on a ridge line with old pill boxes. Baby Bjorn we got in a 2nd hand store, this was on of the "air" or mesh ones.

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Nabbed the jogging type stroler on craigslist, these are a lot better for going off-road as it were. Once he hit 16-18 lbs, that Baby chest rig aint so comfortable for anyone.

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This is the Kelty K.I.D.S. FC 3.0, grabbed it of amazon when it was on sale. Mom carried it and was pretty comfortable. This was when the boy was about 7 mo. He's almost 11mos. now and his pack is shoved in a big duffel bag. I will be carting him around volcanoes national park next week. Should have pics in a few weeks.
 
Congratulations dad! I've got 5 daughters and one son (17 grand little ones now too) and although I don't know anything about the new baby carryin stuff, I do know the closer you keep them to your heart when they're young, the closer you'll be when they grow up.

Kids like to see where they're going more than they like to see where they been so carry in front as long as you can.
 
Congratulations and enjoy your baby girl! I have 2 young boys (9 & 6) and can't imagine life without them! As far as baby carriers go, remember that for the first months, their neck muscles are weak and still developing. You need to be certain that they can hold their head up on their own BEFORE you go to a backpack carrier! The chest carrier is best while their neck muscles are still weak. With her on your back, she will get bounced around a bit so be certain she can take it.
The chest carrier hugs her and supports her, I never cared for them because I always thought that they smothered them with their face against my chest.

Love her and spend as much time with her because it goes fast!
 
Having been too poor at the time to afford either, I ratchet strapped the car seat to my Alice pack frame and carried my boy that way. It looked Uber ghetto but it worked and he didn't care. Wish I had taken pictures, would have been neat to show his girlfriend whe he's older.
 
I got the cheapest kelty kids carrier, and I have carried my girls many fun and comfortable miles. I liked the mesh back on this version the best, and often they just crash out after a few miles. So they are sawing logs pressed up against my sweaty back so I appreciate the extra air flow I suppose this affords me. When they were little we had the baby bjorn we got an craigslist for like $20. Those are way more new and the kids grow out of them quick. the backpack is good until they can walk. I still carry my three year old in it some, but she walks along a good bit now.

Good luck and congrats. Its a blessing, so enjoy.
 
I had twins so for a few months it was hard to get around with them. but the front carriers work great. The best advice i can give you however is work as much as you can on neck and leg muscle development, get them sitting standing and waking as fast as possible. Now at 2.5 my kids outlast me on a dayhike and fishing trip, i gotta run to keep up [and carry all the gear,water and food]

and a fun fact boys seem to naturally want to pee in the woods, mine are having trouble tkaing a stand up at home in the potty but on a tree its no problem..I think im gonna glue bark to my toilet
 
There are a lot of great suggestions already but thought I would go ahead and add my two cents. We started off with some hand me down front packs which are great though some times a bit of a tangled mess, maybe it's just me. We also found they put a lot f pressure on your back and it hurt to carry our child. My wife had heard about the Ergo & done some research and we really liked them, a friend had one & she gave it to us. It is by far the most comfortable for both my wife and I. (although it has a embroidered flower on the front I will still sport it for my little girl). They do make them in all different colors they are a bit more costly but by far worth it. The child is front facing to your chest, your back or your hip. They call it "Ergo" because you carry the baby ergonomically correct for you & the baby.

Next now that she is older my wife still uses the ergo for her and I use a Kelty its a basic model that is fairly comfortable I like it a lot got it for a good price and cannot complain. Just recently barrowed a friends while on vacation it was an REI brand and it worked really well more straps than I new what to do with but the adjustability was excellent. For backpack styles I like both of these a lot, I know with the Kelty we got the sun shade for it and do recommend getting some sort of shade for your little one. Hats all to easily can become toys while they ride in their pack. Installing the shade is not my favorite but its not overly difficult either.

Strollers, for outdoors I am a fan of a B.O.B. but way pricey though it can be a good investment if your child likes strollers. Plus's and con's to them.

Hope this helps to the already many great suggestions.
Congrats.
 
Oh man, I've got what you need, but it's in a storage unit two states away. Front carrier.

Look into those baby slings too. Really comfy for both parent and baby, really versatile: baby can lay down and sleep, or sit up when she's older. Works to like 20 pounds or so. Ours was black...so we had to be careful in the summer that the kid din't get too hot.

Yes, you need to use some common sense with one, but it works wonderfully and mom can even feed with it and no-one can see.

Basically a baby-hammock. Even with my bad back, it wore very well.

Good advice on the jogging stroller above. When she gets older, pick up a cheapo umbrella stroller to toss in the truck or whatever. Two reasons: first, a big stroller will get left behind and you WILL make a stop where you will wish you had it with you. Second, you can do jumps, broadies and whatnot (when she's old enough) and an umbrella stroller has enough 'spring' to absorb the jumps...and if it bends, it's only 20 bucks and not the big $150 stroller.

EDIT: Look into a wagon for trail use once she gets older. My kids love it and it is so much better than a stroller!!! I have a fold-up, a big-tired garden wagon and we wore out a Playschool plastic one. I'd snag a garden wagon if you have a truck to haul it in (they big and heavy!). A few simple mods and you can install a car seat, make a blanket liner and gear holder...got mine on sale for 50 bucks.

Oh yeah bro...car seats: Yes, the Graco stroller/carseat/carrier combos are worth it. Get one with the twisted handgrip that runs longitudinal to the seat. It is SOOOO much better to carry! Make sure your stroller is tall enough for you. I', 6'2" and messed up my back with too-short strollers...sucks bending over that long on those extended shopping trips. Later, when you get a bigger car seat, spring for one with the best padding. Grumpy babies in hard carseats will make your life miserable.

Get a Costco and/or Sams Club card. You will save the membership cost to both on the savings in diapers. Oh, don't chintz on diaps or the wipes. Huggies wipes all the way unless you get a skin reaction. The cheapos suck more than a $3 gas station folding knife.

Take her with you on day trips...the park for like the first few months. The work up as both your parent experience and the kid's experience grows. Remember, you will have a learning curve as a parent, so make your first baby trips close and supported...infants are a handful and things go bad fast with them.

Babys gear is like bushcraft gear: at first you may head out with a truckload of stuff, but once you learn what you're doing, you'll get it pared down to the essentials (1 diaper per hour expected to be gone (min 2), box of wipes, two extra pants, one extra shirt, sleeper, three blankies, two bottles and a Nalgene of filtered water for infants. By the time toddler age comes, it'll be one diap and a box of wipes and the water bottle).

Enjoy man. I've had wee youngin's in my life since I was a teenager...and I'm in my 40's now with my last one at 3 years old. It's a ride!

Samantha (now 5) at around 6 months old, just back from some light 'wheeling (driving around town...too small to go offroad!):
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