Appalachian Mountain Club: Gear Watch 2012

GEAR WATCH

Appalachian Mountain Club’s Equipped: Gear Watch: The Piggyback Rider

My one-year old just discovered the fun of riding piggyback on Daddy–and has since been demanding rides like I’m a pony at the fair. Which is why the Piggyback Rider has captured my attention of late.

The Piggyback Rider ($79) consists of a pair of shoulder straps worn by the parental pony of choice, which are then attached to a stiff foot bar that hangs down the back. The child stands on the bar and grabs a pair of small handholds sewn into the shoulder straps, thus keeping the parent’s hands free. The riders wear a safety harness that clips into the small D rings and safely tethers the kid.

The Piggyback Rider is designed to support a child up to 60 pounds and the foot bar can be adjusted up or down to accommodate various heights (though I wonder how comfortable it is to carry 60 pounds on your back without any sort of waistbelt support). It’s recommended for children age 2 1/2 and up, which means I’ll have to wait a bit before my personal pony show can accessorize with it.

The whole system weighs less than three pounds and rolls up to compact, easily toted size when not in use. It is produced by Full Sail International, a small family-owned business based in Bethesda, Maryland.

“Equipped” is an AMC Outdoors blog, written by Matt Heid