Stay-at-home dad here, looking for something a little more macho than the typical diaper bag. I arrived at the Baby Sherpa 4-in-1 Diaper Backpack a little late, as I have two toddlers rather than say, a single infant. However, given the company boasts how much that this bag can hold and how well it is designed to allow it to hold more just because of better design, I thought I would do well with this for toddlers because the bulky diapers are gone, so that leaves more room for a change of cloths, larger food items and juice cups, some of my things, etc., right? Wrong.
First of all, this backpack is WAY too compartmentalized. I was doing better using the large beach style bag that I bought from Target. The main compartment is a useless size, mostly because it's divided up into three separate compartments that are each too small to be useful. The write-up boasts that this backpack has a medical kit compartment, compartments for glasses, palm pilots, cell phones, wallets, etc. Can someone tell me where all these pockets are, because I just couldn't find them. The main compartment could hold my wallet, Palm device, and cellphone, but that's about all it could hold then. The two separate zipper compartments on the side that seem to be where they think you're putting your cellphone, wallet, Palm Pilot, and glasses are very strange shapes that could maybe hold a single pair of sunglasses or a very small cellphone, but they could not hold my wallet, and definitely could not hold a woman's wallet. They surely cannot hold all of the items they mentioned. These pockets are also not padded at all, so putting your personal electronics in this pockets (which stick out like ears on either side of the backpack) would be very risky for damage. I use a small sandwich sized tupperware container for a simple medical kit. If you put that in the main compartment, you're just about done when it come to room. This is the first time I've encountered the situation where a bag actually is SMALLER on the inside than it looks like it would be looking at the outside! Usually, you're telling the opposite story about a backpack or other piece of luggage.
The much touted built-in cooler looks like it could do a pretty good job, but expect to get a wet posterior, as there is a drain hole on the bottom of the diaper bag right over your rear end. Even just sweat from a few chilled juice cups are going to leave a nice wet spot in a very improper place. Actually, that drain hole has a metal grommet around it. My backpack arrived with the material around that grommet torn away and frayed. I'm pretty handy, but about the only way that could be repaired is to install a new, larger grommet. Not something I care to have to do for a brand new $90 backpack before I ever use it for the first time! I'd be more tempted to seal that hole to avoid a wet butt.
Also, don't expect your $90 backpack to arrive with much fanfare. Mine was shipped to me in a simple clear plastic bag, loosely "sealed" by folding the bag over and sticking on one piece of clear tape. A small tag was attached to one of the carabiners, and a very crumpled "tips sheet" was stuck in the outside compartment. No warranty card, no documentation, not even a 1/2 box or anything close to retail packaging. The "shipping container" was nothing more than yet another plastic bag with a UPS label on it. For the better part of $100, I'd have to say that, yes, I expected it to be shipped in a box.
I have to say that for all the hype, this was an extreme disappointment. All the professional reviews and advertisements basically state that this diaper backpack is the end-all, be-all solution. In my opinion, it is far from a solution for anyone. I don't think it would've been useful even when I only had one infant. I also have two older teenagers, and I have to say that they have purchased better backpacks for school each year for $25 than this $90 Baby Sherpa. One year the older kids ended up with $25 backpacks that were not only better designed, but weren't damaged, had more real room in them, and came with a free, insulated lunchbox that attached to the bottom of the backpack, giving it a really nice, one-piece look. I wish I could find one of those, as I would just use it, be happier, and at almost 1/4 of the total price of a Baby Sherpa.
Save your money, and shop around in the normal backpack area of Wal-Mart, Target, etc. I think this has to be the most overated product that I've been suckered into buying in a very, very long time. Even if it was $25, I don't think I could recommend it to anyone because of how compartmentalized it is. the rest of the bag seemed to be a nice quality build, but the torn grommet is cause for concern, and another review here reports of a torn seam. So, if your $90 isn't getting you neither a better design nor better quality, what is it getting you? Correct answer: A smaller wallet that will fit in the tiny side pocket of a Baby Sherpa that you regret buying!
This back pack is overrated. The design is not what it is cracked up to be. The pockets are annoying, particularly the big bottom pocket that should have dual zipper system but doesn't. You always have to reach the bottom to get to the zipper and it is hard to close it all the way so items are always falling out. In addition, the clips on the straps for toys are in a horrible spot. If you are carrying your child at the same time you have the back pack on, it can poke your child in the eye.
Besides having a bad design, the quality of the Baby Sherpa is poor. The inner seam on ours came apart after only using it over a 9 month timeframe on an infrequent basis. When we contacted the company they sent an email implying that we had misused the bag in some way to cause the seam to come apart. To get it fixed, we would have to pay for shipping. We will not bother repairing this bag before we throw it in the trash. We have many other back packs that have been used for years that never had a problem like this. We recommend that you buy something for $25 rather than waste $100 on a piece of crap like this.
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I bought this because I made my own baby food, and needed something to it keep cool. It worked great for about the first month, then seemed to fall apart. The stitching came apart on one of the buckles on the shoulder straps; that ended up coming apart. And the seem came apart on the back of the back pack. I wasn't rough with it, and used it as a 'normal' baby bag. It seemed like it was made cheap, and not what I expected for a $75 product. The idea and the function of the back pack is great, but the quality is poor. I ended up returning it.
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I was excited about ordering this bag, but after reading the reviews I was a little hesitant. My brother had this bag for 8 years. Well I should have listened to the reviews. The quality of the materials used have noticeably gone down hill since my brother bought his. On the one I ordered, less then a months use, the inner divider seam completely unraveled. It was big enough to carry everything I needed and then some. So, it wasn't stuffed or over packed. I am extremely disappointed, because the style of the bag was perfect for my needs. I returned it with no problem.
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I had purchased a Baby Sherpa Short Haul six years ago when my first child was born and we used the life out of that bag. It was perfect for us, but after so many years of heavy use (and baby #4 arriving), I decided to order the bigger Baby Sherpa. WOW, what a difference in the two bags. The materials on the new bag are absolute garbage! It feels like a cheap knock-off that you'd buy at a flea market. The diaper changing mat is also made of a cheaper material and I don't envision it holding up well with two kids in diapers. I really wanted to love this bag, since our other one served us so well...what a shame that this manufacturer has chosen to source cheaper materials. I'll most likely be contacting them directly to see about a refund. What a disappointment!
This is VERY well made. It's sturdy and metal and very nice to look at. But unless this is living out on your countertops it's total overkill. I much prefer the cheaper Munchkin option that holds more pouches.
