My Life Outdoors

We recently bought the Deuter Kid Comfort II backpack child carrier. We bought this pack to carry our 6 month old daughter on our frequent hikes. The Kid Comfort two has brought our family closer together and our daughter seems to love riding in it. Anytime we put her in the pack she smiles real big and begins to kick her feet in excitement. She is constantly looking in every direction on our hikes and has not fussed or become upset.

 

(UPDATE: Since writing this review my daughter has grown quite a bit. She is now 2 years old and continues to ride in the Kid Comfort II. Now that she is bigger she fits much better in the pack and has begun to enjoy it more. She is constantly saying things like “I want to hike with daddy” and “I want to climb the mountain.” Over the last two years the pack has held up nicely with little wear and tear. The Kid Comfort II continues to be reliable and comfortable. )

 My daughter asleep in the Deuter Kid Comfort II. Take note of the optional sun shade, retracted kick stand, under seat storage and large padded hip belt

UPDATED Image: Here I am with my 2 year old daughter in the Kid Comfort 2. Walking across a snow filed.

The Kid Comfort II is a aluminum frame backpack child carrier capable of carrying 50 pounds. Our daughter currently weighs 15 pounds (Update: 25 pounds). Combine that with the pack weight of 5 lbs. 6 oz and I am consistently carrying 20 pounds (Update 30 pounds). This does not include first aid kit, survival kit, rain gear, diapers, 2-3 liters of water and other miscellaneous items that end up in the packs ample storage space. This easily pushes the pack to 25-30 pounds (Update: 35-40 pounds). Even with this much weight the Kid Comfort II is very comfortable. The padded shoulder straps adjust to fit any torso. Combined with the padded hip belt it is very easy to keep the load off your back and on your hips. The back seems well ventilated. On a recent 6 mile hike with temperatures reaching 110 degrees I expected a lot more sweat. The pack breathed well and kept my back cool.

UPDATED Image: Kid Comfort 2 in Arches National Park in August. Kept us cool in very hot conditions.

The child cockpit is well ventilated to help keep our baby cool. The optional sunshade/rainhood is great for keeping the sun off the baby without blocking her view. I am not so impressed with the rainhood aspect. Caught in a recent thunderstorm while attempting to summit Mount Livermore, the rainhood seemed to keep her head dry but did nothing to protect the rest of the child. We ended up wrapping the entire pack with a rain poncho just to keep the baby dry. I have since bought the Kid Comfort Deluxe Rain Cover which claims to protect the entire child. We will see how it does. (Update: Since writing this review we have purchased the Deluxe Rain Cover and have been very pleased with its ability to protect from wind as well as rain. My daughter on the other hand is not as thrilled when its time to put the Rain Cover on. She prefers unobstructed views)

UPDATED Image: My Daughter playing with the a clip on the sunshade

The side buckle allows easy access when putting the child in or taking them out of the pack. My daughter seems to like to rest her head on the buckle which began to scratch up her chin on our last trip. It must not have hurt too much, she didn’t cry nor try to move away from the buckle. Part of this may be due to the fact that our daughter is still quite small. The child cockpit seems to be built for larger children up to 2 years old. Even with the straps adjusted as small as they will go our daughter can still move around a lot. The other day we put a friend’s 2 year old in the pack just to see the difference. We weighed the youngster at 27 pounds. He fit well in the cockpit and seemed very comfortable. I hiked him around our living room for about 5 mins and couldn’t really feel the extra weight. Of course I didn’t put any of the extra stuff in the back I mentioned earlier which would have added 5 to 10 pounds. (UPDATE: Now that my daughter is bigger the pack really shines. She no longer has difficulty with the buckle and fits in the cockpit well. The pack performs well with the wight of the child and extra stuff making hiking with the family a pleasure.)

UPDATED Image: Tying my Shoe with the Kid Comfort 2 and child on my back. The Cockpit keeps her firmly in place.

All in all we are very pleased with the pack. There are many convenient features like the retractable kickstand, water bladder compatibility (3 liter bladder is a tight fit), load lift straps, and a lifetime warranty. It is easy to see why this is the number one backpack child carrier on the market. I highly recommend the pack for anyone looking for a high-end backpack carrier.