Last July I was still on a hunt for a carrier, any carrier, that my baby would tolerate. I finally found one in the Chimparoo Trek 2.0.
Cost: $225 + tax
My cost: $202.51 + tax
Date Ordered: July 5, 2024
Date Shipped: July 11, 2024
Date Received: ?
Highlights:
- Canadian Company
- Sewn in Canada
- Recyclable Packaging
- Fabric: Organic Cotton
Manufactured in: Québec
Company Base: saint-jean-sur-richelieu, QC
Established in: 2007
Overall Impression
I must first clarify that I am not a baby wearing expert and these are my personal opinions based on my experiences. Despite a year of research, I feel I’ve barely scratched the surface of wearing babies.
Type: Waterfall Buckle
Designs: The colours are very… French hippie? Although they do have a few more plain and muted options now. The boréale edition is a more muted blue, and I find it particularly handsome. I almost bought it while writing this post. Last July I purchased the graffiti colour, thinking there would be more red/purple on it, but the way the cutting and sewing worked out, mine came out quite grey, which was a huge disappointment. I would not have bought it in a store.
Straps: They work as both parallel and cross straps. I default to the cross straps when carrying on the front as I find it much more comfortable. I change to parallel for back carrying, which is also very comfortable. I find the padding thick enough, but also quite soft and not too bulky.
Waistband: The waistband is sturdy and comfortable. The velcro is moderately thick and placed near the top of the waistband, which helps to keep it from collapsing. I have used this carrier a lot, and the velcro has never shifted during wear. When the velcro is attached in the correct spot, the fabric also stays in place and doesn’t twist around the waistband.
The waistband also has two plastic loops on the front/sides to clip on the baby carrier bag. I did this once and hated it as the bag was sitting on my upper thighs. It also wasn’t really convenient to access while baby wearing.
One of my favourite features is the guide. Not only does it let you know what the approximate position should be based on your baby’s size, it also helps keep both sides even when adjusting, as you have multiple reference spots.
Buckle: The buckle is simple, and easily undone with one hand. It tightens on both sides, so you can choose to keep it in the centre, or off to one side if you really want to. As with almost all the straps on this carrier, there are elastic loops on the ends that can be used to tuck in the extra material.
Modes: Baby can technically use this in 6 different positions:
- Front carry forward facing legs in
- Front carry forward facing legs out
- Front carry world facing legs in
- Front carry world facing legs out
- Hip carry
- Back carry
Price: For Canadian buckle carriers, this seems to sit in the mid-range.
Fabric: The fabric is soft, and gets softer over time. You can feel the roughness of the weave, so it is soft, but not smooth.
Hood: The hood is sewn into the carrier, and tucks into a pouch behind baby’s head, which closes using velcro. I have had issues with the hood not staying tucked inside, which kind of ruins photos. I’m not sure if this is a design flaw or user error.
Size: Supports babies 8-65lbs
Adjustability:
- Waistband adjusts from each side of the buckle.
- Waistband fabric is adjustable to support baby’s legs via velcro
- Shoulder straps adjust two ways at the underarm
- Shoulder straps adjust one way in front
- H-Clip has plenty of room to adjust up and down
- Front panel adjusts all the way down to the side buckle
- Two snaps on each shoulder for different hood attachment options
- The hood itself has three snaps for different attachment options
The Goods:
- Sewn in Canada
- Canadian Company
- Comfortable
- Versatile and adjustable
The Not-So-Goods:
- Particular aesthetic
- Limited colour and pattern options
- Not cheap (but you often get what you pay for)
Good for people who:
- Want to support a Canadian company
- Want to support Canadian manufacturing
- Want a comfortable and versatile carrier
- Have a medium to large budget
Honestly, I love this carrier, and I was having a hard time thinking of negative things about it. I would not call it beautiful, but it has served my baby and me very well since I purchased it when he was 4 months old. They’ve recently upgraded to a new version, so the version I have in lime is currently on sale for $180.
wanderingfawn 
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