An Easy Way to Keep the Kids On Your Back

When we were planning our trip to Disney World we were in a quandary about which child traps to bring. The double stroller was an obvious choice, as was the easy to pack sling. Beyond that we weren’t too sure. In the end the answer was to bring everything we could pack, including purchasing a new Evenflo Cross Country Framed Baby Carrier for our then 9 month old son.

The Basics
This Evenflo carrier is a framed backpack style carrier that can be used for children from the time the can sit on their own up to 40 lbs. For parents it is adjustable to comfortably fit adults from 5 – 6-2 feet tall. The back pack has a well padded 5-point harness to keep your child safe and secure. The material around the child is a lightweight mesh to help keep them cool. For parents the shoulder straps are adjustable, there is a small chest clip to help keep the shoulder straps in place and a large padded waist belt to help distribute the load. Under the child’s seat is a large pouch for storage. A kick stand makes it easier to put this pack on and take it off by your self.

Why The Evenflo Cross Country Framed Baby Carrier?
It came down to the all might dollar. I had no idea how much use, if any, a back pack would really see either on our vacation or after. Baby Depot had a couple of different models of backpacks, but the Evenflo Cross Country was on clearance for $35. I figured at half off it was probably the best value I would find for an entry level back pack. If we liked the concept, if not the actual carrier we could up grade later if necessary.

Let’s Get it On
It took a little adjustment before I had the carrier set right for The Little Guy. The instructions are very clear and simple to follow to ensure you get a proper fit for your child. Then I proceeded to adjust it for me. This takes a little more time than preparing the seat for your child. There are three height settings to snap the waist belt onto, since my husband and I are both tall using the longest setting would allow us to change the back pack quickly and easily between us. The waist and shoulder straps are both easy to adjust in a matter of seconds by pulling on the adjustment straps. The chest clip strap, due to its small size was a little more difficult to adjust, but not difficult.

Once the seat is adjusted you are ready to go. Pull out the kickstand to stabilize the carrier and place your child in the back facing forward and buckle them in. Next you put the backpack on snap all of the buckles, pull on the kickstand release and you are ready to go. Now, I wish it really was that simple. It is much easier to actually get this backpack on with the help of someone else to aid in the lifting. Otherwise putting your child on a stable surface above the ground makes it easier to lift on your own. The floor of our minivan is a great place to put this pack on. Once The Little Guy is secured in I can sit at the edge of the door, slip on the backpack and pick him up smoothly. When it comes to taking the pack off, again, assistance or a high safe surface makes it much easier. However, with some practice I can now get him up and place him back down on the ground by myself, but you really do need to trust that you child is in securely since it makes for a rather wild few seconds of moving the pack around.

Time to Do it
The first time I plopped The Little Guy in, he howled. In fact he cried the first few times I tried out the carrier before vacation. Eventually he got used to it and even seemed to like riding up high. I have always felt that he is very secure in this carrier. The pack is designed so your child is up close to you, helping to make sure you both feel secure. With this closeness comes, at least for my son, the seemingly uncontrollable urge to play with my hair. This is of course the nature of any back pack and something I have just learned to accept.

Surprisingly enough he does manage to snooze in the carrier at times as he bounces along on my back. I think this speaks well to the comfort of the Evenflo Cross Country. I personally can’t imagine sleeping it such an upright position but he manages. The high sides give him a place to rest his head while he visits dreamland and gives my poor hair a break.

Of course all of his comfort doesn’t mean a thing if it isn’t comfortable for us. I’m happy to say that this is a reasonably comfortable backpack style carrier. I can easily carry him for 2 or more hours as can my husband. The large pouch under the child’s seat is great for holding extra diapers, wipes and snacks, but you can’t access it yourself while wearing the pack. To stop, take the pack down, get at the zippered opening that is now on the ground, give out two sips of water and then put the carrier back on is more trouble than it is worth. Anything you want quick access to is better carried in something else.

I’m not sure that this carrier would really last until a child weighs 40 lbs. Before leaving on vacation we tried to place my then 30 lb 2 ½ year old in the carrier and it was a tight fit. Once she was on I was comfortable carrying her, but she kept saying “too tight.” She is an average sized child but I wouldn’t hold out much hope for using this with a child much past the age of two. The Little Guy is long but skinny and at 14 months and 23 lbs he still fits fine. Since he refuses to walk he is used to being carried and riding everywhere we go. He is quite content in the backpack and I am so used to carrying him around now I hardly notice the weight. The shoulder and waist straps do a good job of distributing his weight and since he is so close to my body I don’t feel like he is just hanging off of me. Of course this closeness does make it warm at times, but no warmer than any other carrier. I think he is cooler than when he is in the sling because the mesh material does allow for some air movement.

How We Use Our Backpack Carrier
We are not taking any rugged hikes using our Evenflo Cross Country Carrier. I use it for the occasional stroll around the neighborhood or going to the park. It works well at our local amusement park as well. For us, having a backpack carrier means we only need to bring one stroller with us. One (if not both) of my girls are content to walk while their little brother rides in our double stroller. However, there are times when they both want to rest at the same time and that means carrying The Little Guy. For short excursions my sling is quick and easy to use and fits in the bottom the stroller when not in use. But, on longer walks the backpack carrier is far more comfortable and my husband wants nothing to do with the sling. Unfortunately it is not exactly easy to store this carrier. We end up having to lay it across the canopy of our stroller and using the straps to attach it to the stroller frame to keep it from sliding off. While the frame gives the carrier strength and stability it can make storage difficult. My husband sometimes just ends up wearing the backpack empty since it is easier than trying to store it somewhere.

I sometimes use the carrier indoors as well. There are just times when I need all three children in “lock-down” mode. My daughters ride in the stroller and I put my son in the backpack and off we go on our errand. This isn’t exactly the most comfortable way to get things done. With 25 lbs extra pounds on my back and pushing 80+ lbs in a stroller it is a work out, but I know my kids are safe when there just aren’t enough hands to hold on to everyone. But this backpack is not really designed for use in a house. Having a huge hump on your back takes some getting used to. It is easy to knock your child’s head on something or back them up into a wall until you get used to your new body shape. In the house, if The Little Guy wants to be carried I reach for my sling and put him on my hip since I still have not mastered the back style carrying position with that.

Would I Buy it Again?
I’m not sure. If we had given it a little more thought I probably would have purchased an Ergo carrier that would have allowed me to carry my son in front or on my back. Since we decided to buy this just 2 days before we left on vacation this seemed like the best option. I’m not sure my husband would have used a soft frameless carrier like the Ergo, and since he did most of the baby wearing on vacation, a framed carrier was probably our best choice. It looks and feels masculine so my husband never felt self-conscious using it. If we never used it again it was $35 well spent for a more enjoyable vacation.

Although I still manage to find ways to use it, for the most part the Evenflo Cross Country is more carrier than I need on a day-to-day basis. If my son could articulate his preference I have no doubt he would pick the sling ever time, and I would too. He likes to ride on my hip so we can see each other and “chat”. When he gets tired he just leans his head on my chest and shoulder and can rest. While he is still close to me when he is in the back pack it is not as conducive to showing him things or talking to him. For longer outings the backpack carrier is far more comfortable but not necessarily enjoyable for either of us.

Final Thoughts
This is a nice inexpensive backpack style carrier. At about 5 lbs it is reasonably lightweight and very comfortable to wear for several hours at a time. I doubt this would be a sufficient for serious hikers but for an occasional trip where a stroller just isn’t convenient the Evenflo Cross Country Framed Baby Carrier was well worth our $35.

Other Baby Carrier Reviews
Over the Shoulder Baby Holder (OTSBH)
Evenflo Snugli Comfort Vent Baby Carrier
Infantino 6 in 1 Rider Baby Carrier