This stroller is amazing. We purchased it used when our daughter was 4 months old, and we've been using it ever since. The couple that we purchased it from used it everywhere, including Costa Rica. I can wear this for hours, and so can my wife. It is important the user understands how packs work (weight is on the hips, not shoulders), or it will be get very tiring. In stroller mode, it's obviously not as sturdy and smooth feeling as our Graco we own, but it has never been an issue (Although I bet it is more sturdy considering it's from a company that specializes in outdoor equipment). We prefer it because it is small, light, and can easily maneuver around tight areas. We also use it as a high chair when on the road. I would recommend the sun shade, as this proves very useful. The bug net I would pass on, as it only works in backpack mode and is difficult to put on. There are a few things I would improve on. For example, some sort of headrest or support, because she falls asleep and her head has nothing to rest against. This should be detachable, as not to increase the weight. We currently use a small camp pillow. Another thing would be a small folding tray that could be folded out in stroller mode so we could put Cheerios on it; again, removable for weight reasons. Bottom line though, our Graco is now collecting dust.

Amazing is all I can say. This stroller has gone through my 3 children and is still in great condition. Kelty has a lifetime warranty on all their products for the original purchaser. We even had ours repaired with no problem (ripstop fabric ripped), just call their number and they will give you a return number. All products being returned require a Return Authorization number. Service under their warranty is available to the original purchaser by returning the product to any authorized Kelty dealer or by contacting their customer service department at 1-866-349-7225 (1-866-FIX-PACK) for a Return Authorization number.
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br /We used this constantly and replaced our other strollers. It is light and convienient, the bar folds down and the body area stays open so you can use the backpack part. I can't tell you how many people stopped me and asked me all kinds of questions on this stroller. They asked who makes it, how much does it cost and said it was the neatest stroller they have ever seen. It's smaller than other strollers out there and great for shopping in small places.
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br /It is also very easy to wash. Because of the polyester ripstop fabric it dries very quickly. It's like very strong tent material. I put it in the tub and hosed it down one night. So nice! By the next morning, it was dry.
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br /My only reserve would be the fact that when your child gets too tall, their feet touch the bottom part of the stroller and the fabric obstructs the wheels from their free movement. When my babies kept pressing down on the fabric (usually around 18 months of age), I would tilt the stroller up on the back wheels and pull it backwards like a cart. At a certain point, it gets harder to use because of this as the child gets heavier. However, if you have more than one child it is well worth it. The weight limit for a child is 45 lbs.

We purchased the Convertible just prior to visiting New York City, based upon a friend's positive comments on their Kelty Pathfinder. The following documents how handy the Convertible was during our trip.
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br /The Convertible was the perfect choice for us. It served as a stroller, a carrier, a highchair, a desk, and a walking toy. We used it in stroller mode at the airports, and used both stroller mode and carrier mode when touring the city.
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br /Stroller Mode:
br /When in stroller mode, we were able to carry our daughter in the Convertible, as well as tote our jackets and small packages on the handle and in the storage space at the base of the stroller. Life at restaraunts was simpler as the stroller sits high enough to be used as a highchair. At the airport, the stroller served as an ad-hoc laptop stand, so our Angel could watch Baby Beethoven. With supervision, it served as an exercise toy as our daughter would push it around (which kept mom and dad happy as our daughter was not crawling around the airport and hotel floors).
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br /Carrier Mode:
br /Carrier mode was great when the streets became particularly crowded, and for navigating tourist attractions and stores with multiple steps or tight quarters. Our daughter seemed to like being at face-level so she could do some serious "people watching" and wave to everybody.
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br /Overall:
br /I was literally stopped at least four times per day and asked about the Convertible. Many people commented on how "smart" it was to allow the child (11-months old) to stand. (The child can stand on the bottom platform or sit in the seat, somewhat like a jumper-toy.) Others would watch as we walked by and often comment that they've never seen such a stroller.

I have no idea why this is listed as a 'toy'....
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br /Anyhow, we just returned from a trip with friends around a European country, where we have lived for two years. We had the Kelty Adventurer and a Snugli Cross-Terrain (2 kids) and our friends had the Convertible Stroller Backpack. We bought the Snugli originally because we weren't sure how much we would use it but have purchased the Kelty for our second child because we love the benefits of a backpack carrier versus a stroller.
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br /Mind you, we have lived in Europe for many years and do a lot of sightseeing in ancient cities, where streets are not exactly designed for 'wheels'. I love using a backpack to speed up our explorations and was impressed with how well the Stroller worked for our friends. It was a tad heavier when empty, but because it does not have the large zippered storage compartment at the bottom like our Adventurer, you can't pack it full so I think with a child and the Adventurer being full the weight was about the same.
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br /Excellent quality and a great buy - definitely something that will keep on through several children. We are about to travel again and were so impressed with the Stroller we are going to sell/donate our Snugli and get it for ourselves. I think the Stroller would be more practical in an American lifestyle, where you have more places that will accept a stroller (wide enough hallways, handicap access such as ramps or elevators, etc.). Even for extremely long travel, such as between the States and Europe, it's nice to be able to give your back a rest and use the stroller without having to carry yet one more thing or wait for your stroller to be brought up from gate check.
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br /I think it depends on your lifestyle, but I have loved our backpacks and am excited to order the Stroller. Great job, Kelty!

We took our then 18-month old son with us on a trip to Portland and Seattle. We didn't rent a car in both cities and decided to make use of their efficient public transport system. The Kelty made this trip a breeze! The Kelty serves 3 purposes in my eyes: backpack, stroller, highchair.
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br /How I wish we had this when we travelled to New York a few months earlier. That trip was not fun at all since we needed to take my son in and out of his regular stroller every single time we went up or down stairs and on the subway.
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br /I doubt that this would work to replace an everyday stroller, bu I highly recommend the Kelty for anyone going on a trip with a little one.

We purchased this prior to a month-long trip around Italy and Greece with our 2 year old. It proved to be one of the best things we could have brought. It's large enough to comfortably hold a 27 pound toddler and he was very happy riding around in it. We've been using it as our main stroller ever since. We also purchased the sunshade and I'd definitely recommend adding that. It stows away nicely and kept our son much happier and cooler as we walked around. He loves putting the shade on and riding around in his "house." Converting between backpack and stroller was a snap but it usually required a second person to safely take on or off.
br /As a backpack:
br /When adjusted properly it's pretty comfortable but after carrying all 40lbs of backpack + kid for more than 2-3 hours it would start to bother me and I'd have to take a break. With a younger/lighter child I would imagine you could carry it all day without issue. It's very well made. The only real downside was that it makes a pretty large backpack so it was inadvisable to wear it inside stores, museums, or anywhere with smaller spaces.
br /As a stroller:
br /This was built as a backpack first and a stroller second so it's not as good as some purpose-built strollers we've owned but it gets the job done. The front wheels have the annoying habit of sticking and not turning/rolling properly when on smooth surfaces. The stroller's height is wonderful for accomodating older/taller kids and even using as a makeshift high chair as other reviewers have noted but its high center of gravity also makes it easier to tip over. Our little escape artist managed to wriggle out of it and tip himself over twice when we got distracted (fortunately he did little more than scare himself). Anyway, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it but it needs more supervision than the average stroller. Now for the good stuff: It's so small and light for a stroller than you can manuever it and carry it all over the place. We gave it a severe beating with a month of bouncing over European cobblestones (especially Rome's) and it took it well. As long as you're not on a really smooth surface, it would roll very easily. It's comfortable enough that my son even managed to take his nap in it most days. We clipped a stuffed animal and some of his other toys to the many little loops and he'd use the stuffed toy as a pillow.
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br /All in all, this is a very well designed, sturdy product and I'd highly recommend it to anyone as a travel stroller.

We bought this for our recent trip to Colorado. My husband wore it for the hikes and said it did fine, but because it is also a stroller, the wheels would get in the way, even when they were locked. I think that for light hiking, this does the trick, but we would want something more stable for hikes of over 5 - 6 miles.
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br /As a stroller, it works about as well as a regular umbrella stroller does. I would not want to use it as my full time stroller. I don't think it could handle it abuse. The front wheels do stick, as another reviewer mentioned, which made getting through the airport in a hurry a bit tricky.
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br /All in all, this did what we needed it to do. We needed both a backpack and a stroller and didn't want to carry both, so this worked. If I had it to do over again, I would purchase a regular backpack, like the pathfinder, and check or gate check an umbrella stroller.