best baby backpack carriers for men
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What is the best baby backpack carrier for men?
Updated: June 22, 2021
Best Baby Backpack Carrier for Men
We have researched and reviewed them all, and the best baby backpack carrier for men is the Osprey Poco Plus. The hipbelt extenders, fully adjustable torso and quality load lifters provide the best fit for a man’s body.
Other great options are the Thule Sapling Elite, Kelty Journey PerfectFIT Elite, ClevrPlus Urban Explorer, and the LuvdBaby Premium.
Child carrier backpacks are simply the best. They allow you take your child on adventures, hike trails, explore new cities, or just trips around town. Baby backpack carriers are the best way to bring your child along for the adventure in a safe, comfortable, and convenient fashion. Below we will cover our top picks for the best child carrier backpacks for men specifically. Our list includes three premium options and two lower cost options.
Top Rated Baby Backpack Carriers for Men
Quick Links:
Osprey Poco Plus
Thule Sapling Elite
Kelty Journey PerfectFIT Elite
ClevrPlus Urban Explorer
LuvdBaby Premium
Top Rated Baby Backpack Carriers for Men - Comparison Table
The comparison table below utilizes a rigorous scoring system to evaluate the key components of a baby backpack child carrier: Comfort (Adult Comfort, Child Comfort, Fit Adjustability), Safety (Child Safety, Sun Protection, Nap Effectiveness) and Other (Gear Storage, Extra Features, Durability, Cost). The Osprey Poco Plus is the best baby backpack for men, with the Thule Sapling Elite not far behind.
1. Osprey Poco Plus
Pack Weight: 7 lbs. 14 oz.
Pack Weight Limit: 48.5 lbs.
Gear Capacity: 26 L
Hipbelt Extenders: Yes
Best for: Hiking, Travel
Price: ~$330
What we love:
- Hipbelt extenders ensure a better fit on men with a larger waist
- Fully adjustable torso and shoulder straps help fit a tall frame
- Excellent sun protection for your child
- Great storage options for full days on the trail
What’s not great:
- No detachable backpack
- Heavy pack weight
- High price point
The Osprey Poco Plus is the best baby backpack carrier for dads. It simply has the right blend of features that matter most. Let’s start with the overall fit and comfort. If you plan to use your child carrier backpack for hiking, you want to make sure that you find a backpack that fits properly. Easier said than done. However, Osprey includes hipbelt extenders on the Poco Plus. These slide out and “extend” the length of the padded hipbelt. This helps ensure men with larger waist lines are comfortable with a fully loaded backpack. Great feature. For anyone with a 36 inch waist or larger, this is a really nice feature to have. This backpack also fits tall frames very well. Up to 6′-4” should have no issue.
Another reason this is our top child carrier hiking backpack for dads is the storage. With 26 L of gear storage, you have plenty of room to pack for a full day on the trail, or a full day exploring while traveling and adventuring around a new city. This backpack can easily hold lunch for a family, a child’s change of clothes, water bottles, toys, diaper gear, and extra layers, like rain jackets.
Lastly, whether you are looking for the best baby backpack hiking carrier for men or just looking for a great backpack for the family, the Osprey Poco Plus has the top rated child sunshade on the market. Not only does this help keep your child safe from sunburn and exposure, this helps keep your child cool and comfy, and helps them nap better. Osprey also offers a rain cover (sold separately here) that extends the usefulness of a baby backpack child carrier.
The only real downside to the Osprey Poco Plus? It comes in near the top of the price range for child carrier backpacks at around $330. However, you get what you pay for. This pack will last forever, and provide you and your family endless memories and adventures. Worth every penny. Check out The Kid Packer’s in-depth review of the Osprey Poco Plus to learn more.
2. Thule Sapling Elite
Pack Weight: 7 lbs. 8 oz.
Pack Weight Limit: 48 lbs.
Gear Capacity: ~25 L
Hipbelt Extenders: Yes
Best for: Hiking, Travel, Day Trips
Price: ~$350
What we love:
- Awesome gear storage including detachable backpack
- Self load / walk out access for child
- Rain cover available for bad weather
- Big hipbelt zippered pockets
- Unique extra features
What’s not great:
- Sunshade could use a few improvements
- High-end price tag ~$349
The Thule Sapling Elite is one of the top rated baby backpack carriers for men. Similar to the Osprey Poco Plus, the Sapling Elite has hipbelt extenders. This is really one of our top features when it comes to child carrier backpacks for dads. By unlatching the Velcro, you can simply slide out the extenders, giving you a few extra inches of padded hipbelt. This really helps men with a 36 inch or greater waistline find a proper fit. Proper fit is critical to ensure the weight of the backpack is effectively transferred to the lower body, limiting strain on your back.
Another reason why the Thule Sapling Elite is one of our top rated child carriers backpacks for dads is the gear storage. With roughly 25 L of gear storage, similar to the Poco Plus, you’ll have plenty of room to bring along all the gear needed for a full day hike with your child.
The extra features on the Sapling Elite are also great selling points. Detachable stirrups, rain cover (sold separately here), hydration bladder storage, and a unique way to remove the child from the backpack all contribute to the top rating.
An additional feature that we really love about this pack is the removable day pack. Think of this as a mini day pack that your child or another hiker can wear. This will allow you to distribute some weight to someone else if desired, or leave at home if not needed. Aside from the extra storage this provides, we love the extra versatility it provides. You can leave the day pack at home for a more slimmed down backpack profile if you are heading to the store or around town. You can also also carry the day pack to reduce the weight if your partner or someone else wants to wear the backpack with child for a while, without worrying about it being overly heavy. Due to the adjustability, the Sapling Elite also fits women well.
Similar to the Osprey Poco Plus, the primary downside to the Sapling Elite is the high end price tag, around $350. This is a well built product that will last for years. Not only will you get countless adventures out of it, but re-sale value will be good. For our full, in-depth review of the Thule Sapling Elite, check out this article.
If you are struggling to pick between the Osprey Poco Plus and Thule Sapling Elite, have a look at our comparison review.
3. Kelty Journey PerfectFIT Elite
Pack Weight: 7 lbs. 5 oz.
Pack Weight Limit: 48 lbs.
Gear Capacity: ~26 L
Hipbelt Extenders: No
Best for: Hiking, Travel
Price: ~$299
What we love:
- Kelty brand, top quality product
- Loads of gear storage
- Great grab handles for taking on and off
- Top-notch child safety scores
What’s not great:
- No hipbelt extenders
- No option to purchase a rain cover
- Limited spots for a water bottle
Kelty has been making quality outdoor products for over 70 years, and the Kelty Journey PerfectFIT Elite is no exception. With great storage, durability, and a built in sunshade, the Kelty Elite is our number three on the list of top baby backpack carriers for men.
First off, we love all the storage on this backpack. The Osprey and Thule models above offer plenty of storage, but the Kelty Journey PerfectFIT Elite offers more organized gear space. Zippered pockets on the hipbelt, a large lower gear compartment, and then two separate upper zippered gear compartments. We really like this set up as multiple compartments helps keep track of things versus fumbling around in a large compartment trying to find things. A hydration bladder compartment is also built in just below the child and accessed via zipper.
We also love the grab handles Kelty built into this backpack, six total, the most of any top rated carrier backpack. These are handy for putting the pack on and taking it off, specifically when its fully loaded and as your child gets heavier.
Kelty is missing a few things on their top end model including hipbelt extenders. This Kelty model does fit waist/hips up to 51.5 inches which is larger than most. Although not a must have, our other two top rated baby backpacks for dads do have extenders and can more comfortably accommodate larger waistlines. Seems like this would be something Kelty would want to build in on their top-end model. Another feature that we would like to see is a water bottle pocket. There just isn’t a convenient spot to put a Nalgene or other full sized water bottle. The water bottle holder provided is a but small and hangs low. However, we can let this slide as there is a spot for a hydration bladder.
Overall, this a solid choice for a top baby backpack carrier for men that don’t necessarily need the hip belt extenders. For a full, in-depth review of the Kelty Journey PerfectFIT Elite from The Kid Packer, have at look at this article.
4. ClevrPlus Urban Explorer
Pack Weight: 7.2 lbs.
Pack Weight Limit: 48 lbs.
Gear Capacity: ~28 L
Hipbelt Extenders: No
Best for: Hiking, Travel, Around Town
Price: ~$155
What we love:
- Full featured child carrier backpack
- Detachable day pack
- Sunshade comes included
- Top value baby backpack on the market
What’s not great:
- Quality is noticeably lower vs. top brands
- Not as comfortable as other backpacks
ClevrPlus is a little known brand that makes an assortment of child products. We love their child carrier backpack, the Urban Explorer. It made it onto our list of best baby backpacks for men because it is an excellent value and great option in regards to fit. Coming in at $155, it is well less than half the price of the high end, name brands!
So, at $155, what do you get? Well, you get pretty much all the features that our top rated Osprey Poco Plus has, except the hipbelt extenders. Storage is great, and even has a detachable day pack. A sunshade is included, along with foot stirrups, zippered hip belt pockets, rear lower storage, and a fully adjustable torso and shoulder straps. Despite not having hip belt extenders, men will find the Urban Explorer should fit most frames.
The detachable day pack is really a nice extra feature. In fact, the detachable day pack makes the Urban Explorer our best baby carrier backpack for grandparents. Why grandparents? Well, it has all the features you would look for at half the cost. Given that grandparents might not use the pack as frequently as parents, the Urban Explorer will certainly get the job done, making it our best baby backpack carrier for grandparents. Grandparents can utilize the extra storage of the day pack to ensure they have everything they need for an outing with a child, or just leave it at home to make the backpack even lighter.
Now, the downside to this pack. It is not the most comfortable on the market. After a few hours, you notice the difference between this backpack and the Osprey Poco Plus. However, depending on how you plan to use this pack, this may not matter. If you are considering a baby backpack carrier for heavy use, we recommend investing in one of the models discussed above. Whether you are a dad looking for a lower priced option compared to the name brands, or a grandparent looking for something to use from time to time, the ClevrPlus Urban Explorer comes in at #4 on our best baby backpacks for men list.
For a full review of the Urban Explorer, check out this article from The Kid Packer.
5. LuvdBaby Premium
Pack Weight: 6.4 lbs.
Pack Weight Limit: 40 lbs.
Gear Capacity: ~20-25 L
Hipbelt Extenders: No
Best for: Short Hikes, Travel, City
Price: ~$170
What we love:
- Solid alternative to the well known name brands
- Slimmer profile
- Good mix of zippered storage and mesh stuff pockets
- Gets the job done at a much lower price point
What’s not great:
- Sunshade design is a bit flimsy
- Not the most comfortable
- Noticeably lower quality materials vs. name brands
If you are looking for a solid alternative to the high priced, top name brands, and looking for a pack that has most of the features you could ask for, the LuvdBaby Premium is a great option.
This backpack has foot stirrups, a sunshade, plenty of storage, and even a temperature controlled zipper pocket to help keep a bottle warm while you are out and about. This backpack was thoughtfully designed, and comes in at #5 on our best baby backpacks for dads list.
We really appreciate the effort to make a child carrier backpack that comes in 40-50% lower than most name brands, while still offering similar features. The primary difference is the quality. The padding isn’t as soft. The fit isn’t quite as adjustable. The sunshade isn’t as sturdy. This we can live with for such a reasonable price point depending on how you plan to use it. The pack gets the job done but, you may use it differently. You and your little one will have a great time with this backpack and you won’t have to break the bank to do it. However, we will say, if you are a guy who plans to use the baby backpack carrier frequently, it might make sense to invest in something like the Osprey Poco Plus. It will be more comfortable and last longer. If you are just planning to use it on a few vacations and to hit the trails a few times a year, the LuvdBaby Premium could be right for you.
For a full review of the LuvdBaby Premium, have a look here.
Best Baby Backpack Carriers For Men - Summary
There you have it, The Kid Packer’s top baby backpack carriers for men.
If you are looking for the best overall rated child carrier backpack for men, go with the Osprey Poco Plus. From excellent storage, to the top rated sunshade, napability, and high level fit adjustability provided by the hip belt extenders. The Osprey Poco Plus is our top overall pick for the best baby backpack carrier for dads.
The Thule Sapling Elite comes in a close second for its extra features and fit adjustability. The Kelty Journey PerfectFIT Elite is another great option if hip belt extenders are not needed, offering top notch storage and comfort. Lastly, the ClevrPlus Urban Explorer and LuvdBaby Premium are both worth considering as more economic options, offering many of the same features of the big name brands. Before making your decision, consider how you plan to use your baby backpack carrier. If you are planning for heavy use, such as long hikes, we would recommend one of the top three models primarily for comfort.
Osprey Poco Plus
Thule Sapling Elite
Kelty Journey PerfectFIT Elite
ClevrPlus Urban Explorer
LuvdBaby Premium
About The Kid Packer
Here at The Kid Packer, we want to help you live your best life. A great baby backpack child carrier can help you do just that. After having used a child carrier backpack for over 1,500 miles of adventuring and exploring, we have a passion for them and know what makes a great pack that both you and your child will love. We hope our comprehensive research allows you to confidently find the right backpack for your needs!