This is, without a doubt, the prettiest backpack I've ever seen. The green fabric is lightly patterned and most of the structure and trim is in brown. Along with the colors, the Sherpani logo- the little white flower- makes this backpack MUCH cooler than all the rest.
This is the only backpack I found that can support a baby that is only capable of supporting her own head (read: cannot sit up, yet). My little girl (in this back pack for one month now and just barely 4 months old) is happiest in this backpack. (She is a somewhat contented baby by-and-large, but get her in this backpack and she's SUPERHAPPY BABY.)
The chest plate supports her completely and I can cinch her up so she's quite close to my body and she's tight within the opening.
The backpack itself is generally comfortable for me. My torso is exactly the longest maximum and it still fits fine. If I wanted the hip belt to be more firmly on my hips, I wouldn't be able to do it but for short duration outings, it works.
Now, for the negatives.
Like the "better than the Kelty" people, I find the sunshade useless. My baby hits it no matter what and after a 1 hour walk, during which she fell asleep, she had marks all over her face from the hood. Also, this cover only provides shade when the sun is directly overhead. Otherwise, the baby is completely exposed. The cover needed to be made to extend beyond the "cockpit" to actually be an effective shade.
After using this backpack for only a few outings over one week, the strap stitching came undone. Yes, I could fix this with a strong needle and some upholstery thread but, having a baby and no extra time for such enterprises, I used a diaper pin. Thus, I cannot adjust the strap and it doesn't make sense to me that so much energy could be put into designing and manufacturing something that comes apart and has important parts that don't work.
Without a doubt, the coup de grace for the Rumba, is the support stand. In plain English, it sucks. I nearly took out the eyes of 2 little girls on 2 separate occasions, I have dented and taken the paint off of all of my doors and door trim and I bruised my 7-year-old's cheek all because the back leg does not fold in. It sticks out. WAY out.
After three weeks of futzing with straps and trying to be aware of my new size with pack, I still hit everything I came anywhere near. I contacted the company about it and the response was that I just needed to get used to it.
All I have to say is, if you intend to only use this pack on wide, lonely trails or open spaces with only other adults as company, and you don't need to protect your child from sun, rain or wind with anything other than coats and hats- then this is the pack for you.
On the other hand, if you want the flexibility of using this pack in crowds or around children or going in and out of the house, then this is most definitely NOT the pack for you.
Unfortunately for me, I am having a war with my own vanity. While there probably is another pack out there that would do the job, I don't see any that are anywhere near as attractive as the Sherpani. I've been playing with the idea of tracking down hinges that would fit the tubing of the pack. I would then, conceivably, be able to re-engineer it to have a retractable stand.
Even as I dream of it, I realize that it is ridiculous. I just need to get over the pretty-factor and go with something that actually works.
