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Baby Trekker

post #1 of 12
3/30/04 at 12:37pm
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post #2 of 12
4/7/04 at 3:22pm
Product name: Baby Trekker

Brief description of product: padded, structured carrier

Store/Site of purchase: Purchased slightly used from MDC Trading Post

Price: $50-55

How long have you used this product? 6+months

Fit/Sizing: Very generous.

Performance: A+

Workmomship: n/a

Customer Service/Communication: While I purchased this used from another mama, I contacted the manufacturer to ask about possible issues with buying their product secondhand. They were incredibly helpful. I'd gladly do business with them again.

Would you purchase this product again? Yes.

Additional Comments:
This carrier is good for extended periods of baby wearing. I like it for walks/hikes and for shopping when I know I won't have to take baby on and off. I also prefer this carrier over my ring sling for a back carry position. This is the perfect carrier for washing dishes, cooking and other household chores you want to keep baby's hands and face out of. The wide, padded straps are very comfortable. I have zero pain and pressure while wearing this carrier. The pocket is great, too! It can hold a diaper and cover, keys, checkbook and a small toy for baby.

It can be kind of tricky to get baby in and out, especially in the back carry. It takes some practice or a helping hand. The carrier is also rather long and I roll both the waistband and shoulder straps to shorten it so my baby can see out.

I give it (How many thumbs up out of five?):
post #3 of 12
4/13/04 at 2:17pm
I got it new for about $85 in 2000.

It is the only carrier that didn't kill my back!

Pros:
  • Easy on my back
  • Soft
  • Simple to use for front carry forward or rear
  • Padded shoulders
  • Pocket in front

Cons:
  • Front too high for front forward facing, so fabric always in babies face unless I hold it or sew it down - edited to add: I just realized I needed to twist the strap twice instead of once to eliminate that problem!
  • this style of carrier would cut the circulation on my baby in her infant stages so her little feet would turn blue quickly. This happened with all the pack styles I tried in the early days. Problem went away when she was older and less chubby (she was very fat early on)
  • hard if not impossible to do the back carry by myself with baby

Overall, I did like this because although it has a couple of cons, I also tried Baby Bjorn, Snuggli, Maya style sling, New NAtive Pouch, and OTSBH style sling and this was the ONLY One that didn't hurt my neck/back.
If you have neck problems like me and big children, you'll enjoy the comfort.
post #4 of 12
6/21/04 at 4:22pm
Purchased new 2yrs ago for $80.

To date, this is my favorite carrier, esp for longer carrying times. I like the way the weight is better distributed over both shoulders and waist and the various carrying positions that you can use it in. The padding on the shoulder and waist straps make it more comfortable and it truly is one-size, both DH and I use the same one. When it's off, it can fold quite compactly into its own little pouch and is light weight by itself (this is good, in comparison to the hard-frame back carriers that we have tried). This is the only carrier that DH likes, because it is not so "feminine" and he can use it on long hikes with 30lb DD on his back with no problems. I always recommend this to my friends who are expecting, esp since I live in a fairly mainstream area, this is usually better accepted than a sling. The product is well made and even though the material does not have the crisp new look, I see this lasting well until I'm done carrying my babies and plan to pass it on.

Things that make this not the perfect carrier is that it does take some time to get familiar with its use. I can get DD in and out in the front carry position easily, but the back carry position is difficult for me to manage by myself. If I was just going in and out of the store for a quick errand, I usually go for my sling and just carry DD in the hip-carry position instead of the using it.

I would give this a 5 out of 5
post #5 of 12
8/24/04 at 9:33pm
I love this carrier!

Got mine used and absolutely love it.

The trekker has more padding than the sutemi I have been using and is less bulky at the same time.

It took a bit of time reading the instructions to figure out how to use it and I still don't know what some of the velcro is for exactly.

The pocket is roomy and easy to access, at least from the front. I had a hard time getting anything into my sutemi pocket because it is exactly where the bum goes.

Very easy on my body, actually makes 20lb. 5 month old feel light. 3 year old DD liked it too.

The only thing I wonder about is if the polystyrene foam inside the super soft cotton is treated with stuff that is toxic. Mine is used and has been washed a lot but I do wonder, most foam stuff has some chemicals.

I give it 5 out of 5.
post #6 of 12
10/26/04 at 12:22pm
I also bought a used Baby Trekker and love it so much! It is the only carrier my husband likes, he will use a sling but for any distance the Trekker is what both of us reach for first. I love my unpadded slings for short stuff and for how easy they are to get in/out of, but otherwise I love absolutely everything about the Trekker - it's comfortable, easy to use once you have practiced a few times, folds up compactly into its own pouch, and very easy on the back!
post #7 of 12
10/28/04 at 7:34am
I bought a BT used fairly inexpensively from eBay and, truthfully, I did not keep it long. IMO, one of the primary benefits of babywearing is its ease, and I did not see this embodied in the Trekker. It is rather difficult to learn to wear and, once on correctly, I did not find it any more comfortable than my Ergo, or even my homemade Asian baby carrier. The extremely long straps are pretty cumbersome (I've heard this called the "octopus carrier"), making this impractical for quicker, car-based trips---I don't want to fool around with the Trekker in a parking lot again!

I could see the benefits to this carrier for very extended periods with smaller infants (more extended than I ever did, since I changed ds' diapers as needed), but I didn't think it was worth it for shorter periods. For those, an Ergo or ABC is much simpler and quicker, as well as easier to put on by yourself.
post #8 of 12
11/3/04 at 2:03pm

Trekker??

I appreciate all the posts people have put up on the trekker. I am trying to figure out which carrier to try w/ my son who is now 20lb. I've been looking at trekker, ergo & sutemi. I'm now using the bbjorn and my lower back is killing me. : I may try looking for a used ergo & trekker. (i hadnt thought of that until seeing all the posts). I hava a Maya and have never gotten the hang of using it, and my son tries to do back flips out of the over the shoulder baby holder wrap.
He loves being worn, & we love wearing him so on we go!
post #9 of 12
1/3/05 at 3:45pm
Product name: Baby Trekker

Brief description of product:

Store/Site of purchase: used off Ebay

Price: don't remember

How long have you used this product? 3wks

Fit/Sizing:

Performance: It was well used by the previous person but looked like very good condition to me, so it looks like it holds up well over time.

Workmomship:

Customer Service/Communication:

Would you purchase this product again? No


Additional Comments: It was too padded and very hard to do the latching rings together. I couldn't do back carrier without help. My baby hated the front positions (both facing in and out) because he couldn't see well out. The velcro is loud and hard to adjust in the older version I had.

I give it (How many thumbs up out of five?):
__________________________
post #10 of 12
12/2/05 at 5:03pm
Now $100.00 in 2005, this is still my favorite carrier with all three of my heavyweight children, starting out life at 10 plus pounds and increasing from there. Worked great in the toddler years, too...

Absolute heaven for my strained back muscles.
post #11 of 12
10/30/06 at 1:53pm
Purchased one new last March for about $114 CDN.

I love this carrier! IT is very similar to the style of my Mei Tai carrier, but with buckles instead of needing to be tied. I had a very hard time getting the hang of the ring sling with my newborns and this carrier is fool proof. Unlike the snugli, there are only 3 buckles. All adjustments can be made while the baby is in the carrier.

My youngest ds practically lived in the trekker until he was 3 months old. He was a refluxy baby and preferred to be held tummy to tummy and upright. The trekker was a life saver. It does not strain my back like the sling and the padding is wonderful.

The stitching started coming out of the side of the original one I'd purchased and I called the company. I was called back within the day and was told that they'd express me out a brand new carrier. She told me to keep my carrier until the new one arrived, send the old one back and they would reimburse me the shipping. I was very impressed .

I would purchase this carrier again in a heart beat and have purchased it for friends and family as well.

I give it 5+
post #12 of 12
10/13/10 at 8:17pm
Product name: Baby Trekker

Brief description of product: padded, structured carrier

Store/Site of purchase: Purchased new from ebay

Price: $75

How long have you used this product? 3 years

Fit/Sizing: Very generous.

Performance: A+

Workmomship: n/a

Customer Service/Communication:

Would you purchase this product again? Maybe. It's good but if I actually needed to buy another carrier I would compare it with the new ones that are out. I don't think I will ever need to though. Mine is holding up as if it were new and I'm having my third child next year, possibly last child.

Additional Comments:
I was able to use this product from birth to 2 years old easily. I'm not a huge fan of a carrier with the kiddos after they are over the age of 2 though. They are fully capable of walking and HEAVY by then.

I have a bad back and I've tried a couple other carriers. This is my favorite of the ones I've tried.

I figured out the back carry and find it quite easy to use now. All I had to do was study the video and we got it right away.

I give it (How many thumbs up out of five?):