Kinderpack VS Olives & Applesauce

By request, I am putting together a comparison of the Olives & Applesauce and the Kinderpack. Kinderpacks are a highly recommended carrier, but currently the demand is higher than the supply and that is leaving a lot of people looking for alternatives. The Olives & Applesauce may be the alternative some people are looking for. I have personally used and love BOTH brands. They are different and some carriers work better for some than for others. But both carriers are awesome and both have gotten a lot of use in my family.

Compared to some other carriers on the market, the Kinderpack and Olives & Applesauce have a lot in common. But as with any carrier, they offer unique features and design that make them different. These differences may not matter to you or they could make one work better for you than the other. The only way to know for sure if a carrier will work well for you is to try one. There will always be people that a carrier doesn't work as well for, but in general, most people who buy either of these carriers are happy with them.

The Carriers

For this review, I used a current model of Olives & Applesauce and a standard/standard sized Kinderpack.

=	Olives & Applesauce	Kinderpack (standard)
Price	$149.99	$179.00
Age	newborn-preschool	8mo-3 yrs ¹
Weight	8-50 lbs ²	20-40 lbs ¹
Seat	darts	3 panel contoured
Chest Clip style	removable	attached
Shoulder straps	straight	gradual curve
Adjustable side buckle	yes	yes
Sleeping hood	yes	yes
Leg Padding	yes	yes
Made	Dominican Republic (now also being made in the US)	USA
Special features	Infant insert	Perfect fit adjusters on shoulder straps

¹ Kindercarry has sized carriers and offers their different sizes for different ages. For this reason, the standard is not designed for little babies. See their website for more information on their sizing.

² new weight limit just announced by Olives & Applesauce

How They Measure Up

I took measurements of both the Olives & Applesauce and standard/standard Kinderpack I own to compare the two. Also, the Kinderpack used is a Koolnit carrier and Koolnit may have more flex than a full panel affecting the measurements slightly. There can always be a little difference in the measurements from carrier to carrier, so these are the measurements that I got and not the specs provided by the companies. My measurement skills may not be entirely accurate :)

Side by side
Olives & Applesauce on the left
Kinderpack (standard/standard) on right

O&A has built in infant insert that can be left flat against body if you do not want to use 

Body: 

	Olives & Applesauce	Kinderpack (standard)
Height	16"	16"
Width at base	16"	13"
Width at seat	17.5"	18"
Width at top	14.5"	16"

Shoulder Straps:

	Olives & Applesauce	Kinderpack (standard)
Shoulder padding	19"	20"
Shoulder webbing	22"	12"
Total from body to buckle	41"	32"
Side buckle webbing	7"	12"

Waist belt:

	Olives & Applesauce	Kinderpack (standard)
Waist padding	20"	23"
Waist webbing	18"	16"
Total from buckle to buckle	62"	59"

click for larger view

Side by Side

side by side action photos coming soon!

Kinderpack Sizing Comparison

Looking at getting a Kinderpack and not sure what size would work best for you?  We'll break down the sizes for you and hopefully help you in your decision.

The Sizes

Kinderpacks come in four sizes; infant, standard, toddler, and preschool.  Kindercarry has a sizing guide with the age, weight, and height they feel their sizes work the best with.  For the sake of this post, we will not be doing the Preschool size.  See the Kindercarry website for more information on that size.

Infant
Dimensions:  15" h x 9-15" w
Ages NB-18mos:  starting at 8lbs and up to 30"
The infant sized Kinderpack is comparable in height and width to many carriers on the market.  But unlike other carriers, the infant Kinderpack has and adjustable base with a buckle mechanism that allows the parent to cinch the base of the carrier to different widths to allow very young babies to be legs out, with proper positioning.

Standard
Dimensions:  16" h x 17" w
Ages 8mo-3 yrs:  starting at 20lbs/28" and up to 38"
Standard is the best choice for most people who are not looking for a carrier for a young baby.  Kindercarry says that the standard is designed to fit up to 3 years old/4T.  This is the size to buy if you want a carrier that is more supportive for an older baby without needing to size up at a later point.

Toddler
Dimensions:  18" h x 19" w
Ages 18 mos- 4+ yrs:  starting at 25 lbs/32" tall
This toddler carrier is larger than many other toddler carriers on the market.  There is a huge difference between the standard and the toddler size, but the toddler size is perfect for people who love babywearing and plan to continue wearing well beyond 2 years of age.  Kindercarry says that the minimum recomended size is just that, and it may still be too large for a child who meets those minimums.

the height measurements are without the headrest. add 2" for the overall height

*all Kinderpacks have a 50 lbs weight limit*

Comparison

To give you a clear picture of what the sizes look like in comparison to each other, we've done a series of photos for you so you can see infant, standard, and toddler sizes on the same child.

The child photographed is a 2 year 9 month old (33 months) girl measuring about 37" tall.

You can see that the infant size Kinderpack is very comparable in size to most buckle carriers on the market.  Kindercarry's recommended age and height on the infant carrier is well below the age of the toddler being worn and the fit is pretty standard.  If I could only have one carrier and I needed it from birth through my babywearing years, I would strongly consider this size since it really does allow you to carry both an infant and a toddler.

The standard is a good carrier for someone looking for a slightly taller and wider carrier, though it can not be used with younger babies.  It definitely has more room than the infant, but the toddler pictured is at the high end of Kindercarry's age and height recommendation and I feel this carrier would comfortably fit us for a long time still.

The toddler size is very large with room for my almost 3 year old to grow!  It is a great carrier for people that want to continue wearing well into the toddler years.  That being said, my toddler would not have fit in this carrier at 18 months old.

A Guide

As you can see, the standard size Kinderpack is still a good fit for my toddler, though she is about at the recommended age and height for this size.  In my opinion, though the toddler carrier is wider, I personally preferred the fit of the standard over the toddler in feel.  And there is no way she would have fit in the toddler size over a year ago, so it is important to remember the size and age recommendations on these carriers is a guide and actual fit can vary.  Some babies and toddlers will fit these carriers outside the age and size recommendations.  If your child has a long torso or is very tall, they may fit easier in a larger carrier.  On the same hand, if your child is petite or has a shorter torso, you may find a smaller size more comfortable. 

So don't worry, your child will not suddenly outgrow your carrier at a specific age.  The sizes are offered and designed to give you more options to suit your individual needs, not to make you buy the next size up as soon as your child ages out of the size you own.



Kinderpacks are great carriers with some great features.  For more information on Kinderpacks, visit our website.