Out n About Nipper Trek review: a lightweight baby carrier backpack for family adventures

Our verdict

The Out About Nipper Trek is a baby carrier backpack that gets a lot right. It's lightweight, folds down remarkably small for a framed backpack carrier and comes with thoughtful extras, including a sunshade, rain cover and plenty of storage pockets. During testing, mum of two, Holly found it particularly useful for days out and travel, while the compact folded size made it easy to transport and store between adventures.

The carrier also performed well when it came to safety and ease of use. Holly's nine-month-old son appeared comfortable throughout testing, happily taking in the scenery and even falling asleep during walks, while the five-point harness kept him secure and well positioned.

However, comfort for the wearer was the area where the Nipper Trek scored less highly. Despite its ventilated mesh back panel, adjustable torso length and padded hip belt, Holly found the weight distribution didn't work particularly well for her family, with both parents experiencing discomfort in their shoulders, hips and back on longer walks. Families planning regular all-day hikes may prefer a more supportive hiking-focused carrier, particularly if carrying an older or heavier child.

That said, if you're looking for a compact backpack carrier that folds flat for travel, offers excellent storage and keeps your child comfortable on outdoor adventures, the Nipper Trek remains a practical option. The lower comfort and ergonomic support scores prevented it from achieving a full five-star rating, but its strong performance across safety, practicality and ease of use still earned it a solid four-star rating overall.

How we tested the Out n About Nipper Trek

Holly tested the Nipper Trek for six weeks with her son, from when he was nine months old until he reached 10.5 months. During that time, she used the carrier on around six country walks, as well as on a longer outing around a National Trust property, giving both her and her partner the opportunity to wear it for extended periods.

As well as assessing how comfortable the carrier was for both parent and child, Holly paid close attention to the practical features that matter on family walks. This included how easy it was to get her son in and out of the carrier, how straightforward it was to adjust between wearers, how useful the storage pockets were and whether the compact fold made it genuinely convenient to transport and store.

Once testing was complete, Holly scored the Nipper Trek across eight key criteria: performance, quality and durability, ease of use, value for money, safety features, ergonomic support, comfort and adjustability. These scores were then combined to give an overall rating out of 100.

Despite its lightweight design, the Nipper Trek offers generous storage, with enough pockets to keep drinks, snacks and baby essentials within easy reach.

What’s in the box?

The Nipper Trek comes with the following:

• The main backpack carrier

• A removable UV shade cover

• Rain cover

• Rope handle for older siblings.

The UV shade cover provides UPF protection, and the rain cover adds protection in wet weather, while the rope handle is a fun extra that gives older siblings something to hold onto when walking alongside.

How easy is the Out n About Nipper Trek to assemble and set up?

The Nipper Trek came ready to wear, so Holly only needed to adjust the straps and torso length to get it fitted to her. She explains that there is “Velcro placed vertically along the torso” which allows you to attach the top of the straps wherever best suits your frame. This took her “about two minutes” to do, although she found it was “definitely easier to adjust the straps without my son in there than with”.

Holly also hooked on the sunshade before using the carrier, which she found “pretty simple” and “totally intuitive”, without needing to read the instructions. She didn’t use the rain cover during testing, but says it “basically just goes on top of the sunshade and clips on to little fastenings on the carrier”, which she also found “very simple”.

Overall, the Nipper Trek requires minimal setup before you can use it, with the main job being getting the straps and torso length adjusted to fit the wearer.

The Nipper Trek comes with a UV shade cover as standard, providing extra protection on sunny walks without the need for additional accessories.

How does the Out n About Nipper Trek look?

Holly described the Nipper Trek as having “a simple, sleek look”. The baby carrier backpack is black with a shiny hexagon print, with coral detailing on the handle, some of the fastenings and the logo. “Most fastenings/buckles/zips, etc. are black though,” while the metal frame is also black and visible. The sunshade is white, as is most of the logo and product name.

Both the shoulder and hip straps are padded, although Holly says, “The material most on display doesn’t scream premium to me”. She did, however, appreciate the breathable mesh on the inside of the carrier, saying she liked that it could help “keep us and my son as cool as possible”.

In terms of size, Holly felt the carrier “has quite a big frame so does look a little bulky on”. However, she says, “The fact you can collapse it is a huge plus though as we travel a lot”, making the compact fold a useful counterpoint to its larger appearance when worn.

Does the Out n About Nipper Trek have storage pockets?

Yes! One of the Nipper Trek’s practical strengths is the amount of storage space it offers. Holly found it had “lots of pockets”, including two sizeable pockets at the front of the carrier that could accommodate larger essentials such as books, toys or food.

There are also three mesh pockets around the sides, which Holly found useful for drinks as well as smaller items such as sunglasses and keys. Because these are within easy reach, she could grab things she needed without having to take the carrier off.

There’s also a pocket on the hip strap, which can be used for smaller essentials that you want to keep close at hand. With all these storage options, Holly felt the Nipper Trek could work particularly well for parents heading out alone, as there’s enough space for the essentials without necessarily needing to take a separate bag.

How sturdy and supportive is the Out n About Nipper Trek?

One of the Nipper Trek’s strongest features is its sturdy frame. Despite being relatively lightweight at 2.5kg, it has a structured design that provides a secure seat for your child, while the padded hip belt and adjustable shoulder straps are designed to help distribute the weight across the wearer.

For Holly, the carrier felt secure when her son was in it. She says, “We always felt my son was really secure and safe and in the right M position and never had to reposition him.” The Trek has a five-point child safety harness to keep your child securely in place, as well as a soft, removable drool pad for added comfort.

The Nipper Trek complies with the EN13209 child carrier safety standard, which covers safety requirements and test methods for framed child carriers. Holly’s experience was reassuring from a practical perspective too, as she never felt that her son needed repositioning during their walks.

The carrier is designed to accommodate different wearers, with an adjustable torso length and shoulder straps alongside the padded hip belt. While Holly found it easy to adjust to fit both herself and her partner, she found the weight distribution less successful when wearing it for longer periods, which is something to bear in mind if you're planning extended hikes.

Getting baby in and out is straightforward - Holly said it felt much like lowering her son into a highchair

What’s the Out n About Nipper Trek like to use day to day?

Holly found the Nipper Trek straightforward to use when getting her son in and out. “I found it really easy to slot my son in, just like I would slot him into a highchair,” she says. She lowered him into the carrier, popped his legs through the holes, then bent down to put the straps on before standing up. She found this was manageable to do on her own, although it did require some leg strength.

Adjusting the carrier once her son was in it was more difficult. Holly found that “shortening the shoulder straps with her son in the carrier felt impossible to do”, so she had to take the carrier off, put it on the ground and adjust the straps from there. She found it much easier to make these adjustments before putting her son in.

Although the Nipper Trek itself weighs just 2.5kg, Holly didn’t feel as though it was particularly lightweight once she was wearing it. This was one of the main limitations she found when using it for longer walks.

On a hot and sunny hilly walk, the Nipper Trek did keep her son comfortable. Holly says he “didn’t get hot or sweaty thanks to the UV shade cover and mesh fabric”. Holly was hot herself, although she felt this was largely unavoidable when carrying a heavier baby uphill in the heat, adding, “I don’t feel like the carrier made me sweatier than I was inevitably going to be.”

For outdoor trips, there are also practical features such as bottle pockets, dual cupholders and a bladder sleeve, while the compact fold makes the Nipper Trek particularly convenient to transport between adventures.

How comfortable is it?

Comfort was one area where the Nipper Trek didn’t perform as strongly for Holly, particularly over longer periods of wear. While the carrier backpack has padded shoulder straps, a cushioned hip belt and a ventilated mesh back panel, Holly found that the fit didn’t provide quite enough support for her when carrying her son for extended periods.

She says, “I didn’t really feel my son’s weight was very well distributed,” which meant she became “sore and tired quickly”. Compared with her BabyBjörn Harmony, she felt able to walk for longer with her son in that carrier.

Her son, however, seemed much more comfortable. Holly says he “seemed to really enjoy being in this carrier”, particularly because he liked looking out, and he “quickly fell asleep too”. She also found that he “seemed really content” while being carried.

Overall, the Nipper Trek provides a comfortable and secure environment for children, but Holly found the level of support less suited to her body when wearing it for longer periods.

How easy is the Out n About Nipper Trek to adjust?

The Nipper Trek offers plenty of adjustability, with the shoulder straps, hip strap and torso length all able to be altered to suit the wearer. Holly felt this made it “pretty inclusive in terms of sizing” and found that it fitted both her and her partner well.

The torso length is adjusted using the Velcro panel on the back, while the shoulder and hip straps can be tightened or loosened to achieve a more secure fit. Holly found that the carrier worked for both her and her partner, although, as noted above, neither found it particularly comfortable over longer periods, so it didn’t ultimately suit their body types as well as she had hoped.

The Nipper Trek is designed as a backpack carrier, so there isn’t the same flexibility of carrying positions offered by some soft baby carriers like the Mamas & Papas Kudo carrier. It is suitable from around six months, when babies have sufficient head and neck control, through to approximately three years.

The Nipper Trek can be put on and used without a second pair of hands, making it a practical option for parents heading out solo.

How easy is the Out n About Nipper Trek to clean?

Holly didn’t need to give the Nipper Trek a full clean during testing, but she felt it would be straightforward to keep clean, saying she thought “you’d just wipe the fabric”.

There are also a couple of removable washable parts, which should make dealing with the inevitable spills and mess that come with carrying a baby a little easier. The drool pad and foot area can be removed and washed separately, rather than having to clean the whole carrier. The breathable mesh used inside the carrier can also be wiped down when needed, although the Nipper Trek itself isn’t machine washable.

Is the Out n About Nipper Trek good value for money?

At £250, the Nipper Trek sits at the premium end of the baby carrier backpack market, so it’s not an impulse purchase. Whether it represents good value will largely depend on what you’re looking for from a carrier.

As Holly found during testing, the Nipper Trek’s standout strengths are its compact fold, generous storage and practical accessories. The included rain cover and sunshade add value, while the numerous pockets mean you can carry most of your essentials without needing a separate bag. Holly also appreciated how travel-friendly it was, particularly compared with bulkier framed carriers.

Among its competitors, the Nipper Trek stands out for its travel-friendly design and compact fold. In comparison, the LittleLife Cross Country S4 also offers plenty of storage and is often available for less, while the Babymoov Moov & Hike carrier places a greater emphasis on long-distance carrying comfort. However, neither offers quite the same combination of portability, included accessories and compact storage that the Nipper Trek brings to the table.

About the author

Tammy Jacks has over 20 years of experience in the publishing industry, holding key roles such as Managing Editor and Health & Beauty Editor for Woman & Home magazine in South Africa, and Assistant Editor for Living and Loving—a parenting title focused on children's health and development.

She has also contributed to various lifestyle publications (including magazines, journals, and newspapers) and edited books for fitness influencers and health professionals. As a researcher and writer, Tammy specialises in children's development, wellbeing, and safety with a particular interest in car seat safety. Over the years, she has reviewed countless toys and developmental aids for children as well as top baby travel options for busy families like baby carriers, child bike seats and lightweight strollers, to name a few.