Why I Love The Freeloader Child Carrier

We love the outdoors and we love taking our kids with us hiking and camping and all sorts of adventurous. We have limited ourselves to the amount of hiking that we can do because we’ve always had little ones. It’s kind of easy to take a baby hiking because you can just hold them in a pack, but as they get older they don’t fit in packs anymore and their little legs get tired and they don’t want to walk the whole time. They whine and cry and you carry them and your back and arms hurt and you just want to call it quits until they are older!  Well, let me introduce you to the Freeloader, and how my husband and I are going to be able to go hiking a lot more this fall WITH our kids!

A few months ago I remember seeing a YouTube video of a shark tank episode where somebody showed this backpack for children 2 and older and between 30 and 80 pounds. I was excited that one of the Sharks picked it up and now fast-forward a few months later I got an email asking if I would review it! I was beyond excited!

We love going hiking but I get so tired of hearing my toddler’s whine after only hiking 1 mile. We have a four and a six-year-old and they both love hiking but their little legs get so tired trying to keep up with all of us. The freeloader is an awesome backpack that is perfect for this age.

A few weeks ago we went hiking up at Pine Valley Mountain. My little guy was slowing us all down, so we threw him in the backpack for a little bit. Freeloader doesn’t encourage your kids to always hitch a ride, but it is perfect for when they get tired. Give him a ride for a little bit and then have them jump back down.

There are great pockets in it, and places on the hip pack to put your phone and keys. The backpack doesn’t hold a lot of things, but you could probably fit a bladder for water in it. We also we’re up in the high uintas a couple weeks ago and my sister was able to try it out with her kids who are 6 and 9. We even tried it out with my 11 year old son. While it was a little too heavy for me to carry him, my husband was able to carry him just fine. It takes the pressure off your back and puts it on your hips and legs.

So here are some more deatials about the Freeloader from the website-

• It’s the first child carrier built specifically for Toddlers! 
• The Freeloader is a perfect fit for parents that want a lighter, more versatile carrier.
• It’s compact, lightweight and portable.
• The Freeloader child carrier uses advanced materials and design to create a better experience for parents who love spending time with their kids.
• When not in use, the Freeloader’s integrated aluminum seat folds up neatly to the size of a daypack.
• The Freeloader features an easy-to-use, 5-point safety harness. The safety harness is specially designed to fasten securely and safely out-of-reach of your child.
• The Freeloader provides wide, ergonomic shoulder and waist straps to evenly distribute your child’s weight to your hips and core. The contoured shoulder straps are adjustable and provide extra padding for comfort and support.
• Padding in the back panel and seat offers extended comfort for your child.
• The Freeloader is small enough to carry-on and stows away neatly, making it perfect for air travel, road trips and more
• The Freeloader has Stirrups for foot support on every carrier!
• Open back design helps maximize airflow to keep your back cool and dry
• Meets or exceeds all CPSC standards