Review: Deuter Kid Comfort Series Carrier

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The Deuter Kid Comfort series was actually the second backpack carrier we tried in our toddler-hiking days. To be honest, it’s a strong contender for “favorite” — Matt preferred this Deuter while Cristen preferred the Osprey Poco (read about that one here) — but we were equally happy to carry either.

There are five versions within the series.

Kid Comfort Venture. This is their most basic pack, scaled to only the must-have features and at a lower price point. It gets the job done well, no complaints. It has the same hip belt and shoulder strap system as the other backpacks, but not the extra storage pockets and space you might want for longer or solo-with-the-kid treks. The sunshade can be added as an accessory.

Kid Comfort Active. This pack is actually a little lighter than the Venture, which is interesting. They start applying some better tech to the back with ventilation and adjustment abilities, and there’s a bit more storage. It’s a great option for not much more money over the Venture. The sunshade can be added as an accessory.

Kid Comfort Active SL. This is the Active pack, but sized for women. Not having tried this one directly, I’m not sure how I feel about it. Normally I’m all about women-specific gear, because we’re just built a little differently — but unless I knew I’d be the main person carrying the pack, I’d opt for the Active version that adjusts to fit a variety of people comfortably. For much shorter torsos, though, this could be a great option.

Kid Comfort. This pack has all the features of the Active version, but starts to beef up the comfort and add more pockets and storage. The biggest difference is that your little passenger gets a much cushier ride with the squishy pad in front. That can make a real difference for your child: as we hiked with The Dude in a backpack, he’d almost always fall asleep, and having this pad gave him support and a comfortable position no matter what the trail was like under mom or dad’s feet. The sunshade comes standard.

Kid Comfort Pro. This is the big dog of the fleet. It’s slightly heavier, but it adds the most storage for longer hikes, including a detachable daypack. That might not seem like much, but if you’re base-camping and making short, toddler-friendly “feature” hikes, the daypack is a nice bonus when you don’t want to carry the whole rig. It’s the coziest ride for the kiddo with a taller back and headrest, and it has space for a water bladder. Of course, the sunshade comes standard.

Each of these has the standard aluminum kickstand, so you can reach back, pop it into position, and set the backpack down safely on the ground without it toppling or having to keep a hand on it.

Our experience with the Deuter Kid Comfort Pro was that it somehow felt more heavy-duty than the Osprey Poco Plus. Heavy-duty wasn’t essential for his youngest years in a carrier, but this was the pack we reached for when our son was bigger and heavier and we needed a really beefy hip belt and load system. It did the job — we were able to carry him (plus gear) up to the pack’s max load of 48.5 lbs / 22 kg.

As for warranty, Deuter warrants its products against defects in materials and workmanship for the lifetime of the product (this doesn’t cover damage from extreme use, improper care, or the natural breakdown of material over time). If a product is deemed defective, Deuter will repair or replace it, and for damage not covered under warranty, they offer repair services calculated at the time of evaluation. As with any warranty, there’s some gray area around what counts as “extreme” or “natural,” so I’ll let you decide on that — but we’re very glad they offer repair services. Check Deuter’s site for the current, exact terms.

Deuter has been around since 1898, proudly making adventure gear for all manner of pursuits. They’re also quite committed to the planet and have been a bluesign system partner since 2008.

Finally, when your child has outgrown the carriers, Deuter offers comfortable, adventure-ready backpacks for them to get excited about carrying all by themselves.