Showcase: Kelty Carriers

Kelty's foundation is backpacking. Kelty is probably the biggest and oldest name in the outdoor gear business. - and for good reason. 50 years ago, Dick Kelty invented a lightweight pack for his buddies.

In 1952, Dick Kelty, a carpenter, builder, and avid outdoorsman, started making backpacks for his friends in the Sierra Club for 24 bucks a pop. His friends were grateful. These 24-dollar packs revolutionized backpacking, implementing for the first time Kelty's ideas of a hip belt and lighter aluminum frames. Soon, Kelty and his friends were exploring the Sierra Nevadas with heavy loads, no shoulder pain, going farther, longer, and happier into the wilderness than ever before.
Five years later, Dick Kelty quit his carpentry business to start an outdoor gear company. Staked out in an old garage, he welded aluminum tubes into frames while his wife, Nena, cut, sewed, and fitted the pack bags. Today, Kelty gear promises the same dedication to innovation and getting outdoors that Dick Kelty had forty-eight years ago.

Kelty introduced their redesigned K.I.D.S. line in 2002 and has been innovating and adding innovative features ever since.

Compare Kelty Specs

Sherpani - Its in the Bag

Sherpani packs get to go on some of the coolest adventures. Here, Sherpani customers share how they're using their favorite Sherpani backpacks, child carriers and urban bags. Send us your photo or story about your Sherpani bag or pack and we'll put it up!

Lori and her 8-month old son, Sam, (riding in the Rumba baby carrier) hike their way up Sanaitas Trail in Boulder, Colorado on a sunny February morning.

Showcase: Sherpani

Sherpani Alpina, based in Boulder, Co., offers a full line of urban, backcountry, professional and baby packs designed exclusively for women who want to bring some style to their outdoor and urban adventures. Our Urban packs are designed to take active women from a day on the slopes to a lunchtime workout or dinner downtown. They combine interior floral prints with durable Ballistic outdoor fabric to create stylish bags for everyday use, and include practical features such as key fobs, water bottle holders and multiple stash pockets for easy organization.


Our backcountry packs are designed by a talented team of outdoor industry design leaders and are as tough and technical as any guy's pack, but offer specially contoured backs and harnesses; smaller, narrower bodies; softer fabrics on shoulder straps and waist belts; and a patent-pending self-adjusting swivel harness which adjusts to any women's shape.


Sherpani’s laptop bags boast a host of technical features you won’t find in other laptop bags, including rugged ballistic fabric, waterproof zippers and a woman-friendly ergonomic design including Sherpani’s exclusive swivel harness which adjusts to a particular woman’s shape. Organizational features include extra storage pockets, key fobs, business card holders and office supply pockets.


For moms on the go, the Rumba and Wahoo child and baby carriers are built complete with comfortable, expedition-style suspension systems with aluminum stays, adjustability, load lifters, and beefy waist belts. They offer tons of storage space and include extras for kids’ safety and comfort, such as foot stirrups and a five point chest plate. They’re ideal for hiking, overnight backcountry pursuits or around town.


Rumba Child Carrier
Unisex Backcountry Baby Carrier




Superlight Baby Carrier"
Rumba Superlight: Child Carrier
Superlight Baby Carrier

How to measure your torso length

Everyones' torso measurement is different. Just as we all have different feet and shoulders and noses, the length of our spine and the relation between or shoulders and hips is different and not always related to our height. Just because you are a tall mom or dad, it does not necessarily mean your torso measurement is particularly long. You may actually have a relatively short torso and just very long legs. That's why you'll need a good torso measurement to identify a child carrier that might be a good fit for you.

To determine your torso length, you’ll need a friend and some kind of soft measuring tape. Ready? This is pretty simple.

1. Stand straight with your legs shoulder length apart. Do not stand at attention. Do not strike a pose. Just relax.

2. First we'll locate the 7th vertebra at the base of your neck. This is the upper most spot where a child carrier or backpack will rest on your back so we'll use it as our starting point for this measurement. Just tilt your head forward so your chin is on your chest and your C7 vertebrae will become readily apparent to you measuring buddy. If they run their hand from the base of your skull down it will be the vertebrae that stands out the most. You see? I told you this would be easy.

3. Now, place your hands on the top of your hips. This should be about where your jeans rest at your waist unless of course you wear those saucy low riders. Just feel for the pointy upper part of your hips and rest your hands upon them so your forefingers are pointing forward and your thumbs are pointing backwards. The spot at the base of your spine where your thumbs point will be the end of our measurement.

4. The moment of truth: have your measuring buddy run the measuring tape from the C7 vertebra on the back of your neck down to the spot on your lower back. Keep the tape in contact with your back from top to bottom, following the curve of your spine.

5. Record your measurement, high five your measuring buddy and go find yourself a child carrier! You've earned it!