Stroller/Backpack combinations
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Kelty backpack/stroller combo
Feb 2006
Hi - has anyone had any experience with the Kelty combo backpack/stroller? It looks great but would like some input from someone with real world experience. Thanks! is it worth it
We have used our Kelty stroller/backpack combo since my son was about a yr old. We loved the versatility and ease of using it. My husband often wore it as a backpack when we were in crowded environments, or where the road was rough. I am a petite person and didn't use the backpack but loved it as a stroller. A few cons are that the straps used for the backpack sometimes would get caught in the wheels when using it as a stroller. The wheels are also fairly small, but worked fine on sidewalks. We used this until my son was almost 2 1/2 then he fit too snuggly in the carrier and was pretty heavy when my husband carried him. Oh, and you will get lots of questions and comments when using the stroller. I don't recommend it for wallflowers! Caroline
More recommendations
July 2001
We recently used a combination backpack stroller made by BabyTrend for our 8-month-old daughter while we were on vacation on the East Coast. This particular model was lightweight and basic. It had a nylon seat and a metal-tube frame. The frame folded down to make a stand so you could put the baby in the backpack and folded up to become the handle of the stroller. It has only two wheels, so when used as a stroller you had to either hold it up by the handle or flip the handle down to provide support as a stand. As a backpack, it seemed comfortable enough to wear for the short distances and durations we used it with our 20-pound daughter, although the waistband was not tremendously well padded. Our baby could not sleep comfortably in the backpack configuration because her head hit the backpack-wearers head. But it was easy enough as she was drifting off to convert it to a stroller, where she was able to sleep comfortably. My parents bought it (over the internet?) so I don't know the model number or price. Shelley & Robin
With the writer's permission, I'm fowarding the following from another parents' email list to which I subscribe. I found a website [www.lots4tots.com] that featured two different models. We used the In Step baby backpack and stroller on our recent trip to Scotland with our one year old. It cost $59. It was worth $1,000! It's a very light-weight, well-made item -- like a backpack the sling seat is adjustable to compensate for the baby's size. It has several wonderful features for travel:
- It really works as a backpack and it really works as a stroller
- To convert from backpack to stroller or back you just press in two buttons and pull or push the handlebar. The baby stays in it the whole time and enjoys the ride. The backpack straps and well
-padded hip belt fold up into a little snap-strap, so that they don't dangle when you're rolling.
- In stroller mode it's smooth, turns beautifully, and it's so narrow that you can push it down an airplane aisle with no trouble at all (as long as YOUR baby doesn't insist on reaching out and trying to touch/flirt with every single smiling face down the length of the airplane... :)
- In backpack mode it fits fine in most overhead bins for storage
- It comes with a snap-on rain canopy that works
- It has a nicely designed small carry-bin with zipper, for stuff that you need, which folds up behind the baby when you convert it
- The only downside is that the struts of the backpack are a little narrowly placed for a wide-hipped person such as myself, so that they poked me when I used it as a backpack -- I tended just to fold some cloth there, or just rest my hands under the struts, which was quite comfortable. We located it on line, searching for In Step stroller backpack, then found which stores near us had it. Lorraine