OE Shoulder Hiking Carrier for Child and Toddler with Sunshade and Detachable Backpack by Our Expedition

I have been meaning to write a review for the Our Expedition baby carrier but I wanted to wait until we had a few adventures in. This photo is how excited my husband and baby were when I got it for his father's day gift. My baby was 11 months old at the time and fit snuggly at around 17lbs.Since having it for a couple months, we have used it on big trips to Sam's Club, taking packages to the post office, walking in a mall, and while walking in a big box store. ALWAYS, he thanks Our Expedition for being so comfortable, simple, and for giving us free hands!! It makes carting around a kid so easy with no stroller to drag around. People always compliment and are so impressed. And our kiddo is so content with a great view in a comfy spot that we don't have to worry as much for any outside danger.Quality: Very nice material. It's rugged and stitched well. The padding for shoulders and mesh for weather is awesome. The buckles snap cleanly and smoothly together. (There's even a whistle on one.) The zippers zip smoothly.Features of the carrier and backpack: Speaking of, I really like that the zippers have a bright color- easy to locate. All of the loops and hooks are so helpful. Some of the longer straps have a small band at the ends to roll up and neatly hold them so they're not flying around. The top front pocket (backpack) with the buckle is so genius. I can toss around a water bottle, kids toy, mirror, lotion- very quick access. There are two main compartments for the backpack. I haven't used the accomodations for using a water pouch/bladder (camelback) butI'm so excited that we can we when go on hikes!If I am nitpicking for impovements: the way the backpack rests behind the carrier when connected. The connection is very secure but it can sag with a gap between your back and the bag. Maybe some velcro/velcro straps around the poles on the bag to carrier? (Sorry, I'm not very creative.) Or add some reflective tape for night time safety. The instructions to extend the carrier for height are a little hard to visualize so definitely search on YouTube and watch their video on how to extend the carrier for taller people and making sure it is at a good height for the best comfort (if it's wrong, you'll feel more should pressure. If it's right, it's more evenly distributed to your back and hips. )Anyway, the fold for the carrier is so easy and keeps things thing compact when not in use. It reminds me of how you assemble a tent.Another cool compact item is the sunshade attachment, neatly hidden in the backrest. The straps to tighten whatever is in the water bottle side pockets are so handy- we keep a hand sanitizer bottle in one and it is locked in. There are just so many things we love about it. I could go on and on.Customer service: I was bummed when I tried to purchase one earlier this year but I signed up for a " contact when in stock list" on OE's site and bam, they let me know right away and I swooped in! This customer service is amazing. Trust me. It's worth the wait. Only a couple days ago did my husband realize the extra pieces to extend the carrier were missing- I know they came in the pocket but I was upset because I think I accidentally threw them out. He emailed OE to order the pieces and they're going to send it to us free. Wow y'all wow.You can feel so much care and genuine heart and mind went into this product. That's why it is so wonderful.I'm planning to buy more of these for my friends and family. Can't wait for another release.(Also, so sweet for the twin hats surprise. My family loves them.)May I suggest writing out "Our Expedition" when selling on Amazon I've heard some people have a bit harder time finding the carrier.Thank you for reading my novel. Now get on the list to know when they're available again!!!!

The Our Expedition has become the default carrier that my toddler uses every weekend now. It's made of durable materials and I feel extremely safe carrying my toddler in it. I do recommend practicing it with your toddler a few times in front of a full size mirror before you head out with it. My son naturally took to it as he already wore backpacks and he loves riding on my shoulders. It feels great to have my hands free again which my toddler is happily enjoying a birds eye view from above my head. The backpack is a major bonus to help carry diapers and other supplies. Please note, the items in the backpack are not accessible when the child is riding, so only use it for things you don't need immediately (or at least until you can bring your child down). You should also be cautious about doorways and trains where the shorten height of the door may result in your child bumping their head. Otherwise, for the open streets and parks, you don't have to worry about bumping head issues. I highly recommend this carrier to my family and friends as it's a very easy and safe way to travel with a young child who may not be able to keep up with walking long distances.I also own the Osprey Poco Plus, but that one is double the price of the Our Expedition Carrier. The Osprey Poco Plus wrecks my lower back whenever I use it with my toddler for more than an hour. In contrast, I never have this issue with the Our Expedition as the weight is much better distributed over my shoulder and hips.Additionally- I had recently lost the shade attachment during a trip. I reached out to the seller to see if I could purchase a replacement. The seller was super nice and shipped me a replacement shade, free of charge. Super nice!

We love our carrier, its light and our son fits right on it. However, it appears to be designed by an engineer who has never met a human family before. There are may too many clips and straps and doodads. I feel like I'm getting ready to climb Mount Everest whenever I use this because of all the points of connection that I have to pay attention to.For example, when it folds up, it can be a hassle because the folding frame requires one to pull it apart however there isn't anything that one can grab onto. The cloth cover will slide off if you pull too hard, and there isn't a handle on the frame itself.Additionally, the attachable backpack has four corner clips (ok, makes sense) but there are two different types on the top and bottom which makes it confusing to do quickly. The backpack itself is nice and we often use it as a standalone, though we haven't tried putting a water source in it yet.Finally the sun shade on the top is rather difficult to put on and the excess front straps to keep it in place are like catnip for my toddler. The one time I put it on he just kept pulling the straps down so the shade would cover both our faces.Overall, its a very handy device. A foldable shoulder mount with an attachable backpack is a great idea and is very useful. However I hope that the engineers hire someone with a toddler to be on their UX team next go around. This would be much better with about 75% less clips and straps.