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The Osprey Poco Plus Child Carrier is a 26L capacity backpack and child carrier. With plenty of storage pouches, a rain cover and adjustability for various sized children ( and parents) this pack should see you through years of quality time in the outdoors with your family. This is the most comfortable child carrier I’ve tested and is the one I now use all the time.

In Depth Review

After many years of adventures out on trails I’ve finally become a father. I thought this would hinder my time spent outdoors but actually I’ve simply incorporated my time outdoors with time with my son and found that a child carrier is useful when I’m out for a walk on trails but also very helpful when I’m doing chores in the house and he is feeling clingy and wants me nearby and just wants to watch.

The Kid Bit

The pack has a fully framed and padded ‘cockpit’ which surrounds your child/baby and an adjustable double halo harness and child seat for safety. With the metal frame and very sturdy upright standing on its own you feel that your loved one is always cushioned and secure. The whole area around your child has soft contact surfaces, an anatomical fit and ventilated side panels to provide comfort in the summer. There is also a built in sunshade to keep the sun or the bulk of the rain off them.

Often my son ( who is now 12 months old) is so comfortable in the cockpit he falls asleep when I’m hiking after about 20 minutes and all I hear is a little snore from behind my head. One thing to note is the legs of your child can be a bit exposed to the cold in winter so I suggest layering up strongly as its hard to wrap any kind of blanket or duvet round their leg area.

The Parent Bit

There is a ventilated tensioned mesh backpanel with up to 6 in./15 cm. of torso adjustability so you can make the pack feel right whether you are short or tall. There is even a useful length guide for small med, large etc.

The Poco® Plus includes a Fit-on-the-Fly™ hipbelt for a wider fit range too. I recommend doing the hip belt up very tight so that the bulk of the weight is carried on your hips comfortably rather than on your shoulders.

Storage

There are a number of storage areas that include a mesh outer pocket area that you can just about reach back to when wearing to stow childs toys and items. There are two zipper pockets on the waist belt which should be large enough to store your cell phone in but be careful as I found when wearing it the curve of your body actually prevents it from being easy to use for phones.

There is an external 1.5L hydration sleeve allowing you to drink on the go but I would have liked to have seen a pocket mounted on the shoulder straps at the front so I could store a water bottle (or childs milk bottle) within easy reach.

The lower zippered compartment is the largest storage area and by being near the base allows you to keep the weight distribution even when carrying a child. This area stays mainly dry through the waterproof fabric and by having the zip face outwards behind you.

There are also internal pockets to help you organize things which is thoughtful.

Weight

The pack comes in at just shy of 8lbs which is a lot but its necessary to give you the comfort you need. My son is only 12 months and already weighs 22lbs so its important that a load this high is comfortable to have on your back for many hours.

Storage and Travelling

The pack has an aluminum tubing frame that’s lightweight but gives stability to a heavy load. There is a collapsible foot bar to give you more maneuverability when the child carrier is on and there are also built in stirrups for your childs feet. There are locking hinges and rotating side arms on the frame to allow it to fold down when travelling in the car or airport with it.

Verdict

The Osprey Poco Plus Child Carrier is a 26L capacity backpack and child carrier. With plenty of storage pouches, a rain cover and adjustability for various sized children ( and parents) this pack should see you through years of quality time in the outdoors with your family. This is the most comfortable child carrier I’ve tested and is the one I now use all the time.

PURCHASE $285

Features and Specs

• Built-in sunshade easily stores and deploys for convenient UV protection
• Removable and washable soft-to-the-touch drool pad
• Deluxe child cockpit with Double Halo child harness
• Cord loops and mesh pockets provide child access to toy and pacifier storage
• Adjustable and removable stirrups
• Lightweight folding aluminum frame
• Zipper slash pocket
• Dual grab handles
• External hydration sleeve (fits up to 1.5L reservoirs)
• Osprey AirSpeed suspension
• Adjustable torso
• Lower zippered compartment
• Zippered hipbelt pockets
• Poco Child Carrier and Carrying Case are cross-generation compatible
• Lower stretch mesh pockets
• Fit-on-the-fly hipbelt
• Internal pockets can accommodate most popular luggage trackers

About Osprey

Since Osprey was founded in 1974, every single product design has passed through the hands of owner and founder Mike Pfotenhauer, who created his first backpack at age 16.

In Santa Cruz, California, the young entrepreneur opened a retail shop in the front of his rental house where backpackers and travelers came for custom-fit, made-to-order packs constructed over several days by Mike himself. As the demand for the great-fitting packs increased, Osprey found itself relocating to its current home in Southwest Colorado.

Today, Osprey is a melting pot of diverse personalities, backgrounds and abilities. All share the common belief that adventure is open to everyone and found anywhere.