Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Padded Shoulder Strap Length

Fluffy moms tend to have an problem finding a SSC (soft-structured carrier) that doesn't rub them the wrong way under the arms.  That pesky webbing can get in the way and make wearing uncomfortable.  ( On the inverse, if a mom or dad is petite, the padding can get in the way of cinching the straps enough for the fit to be comfortable as well (ie having too much slack in the straps).)

So, while there are some great SSC comparison charts out there, none seem to have a column for the length of padding on shoulder straps.  So far here are my findings (in inches):

KP Std/Plus - 25" ~ I know her website says 24", but to the very end it is 25"
DC Neo 18" Original Plus - 20" ~ but the straps are curved and I feel that makes a difference
Ergo Original - 20" + 3.5" at the end of the strap that is just fabric and not padding
Boba 3G - 15" to the first strap adjuster + 5" of fabric before the webbing
Boba 2G - 15.5" + 1.5" of fabric at the end
Beco Butterfly 2 - 22" ~ Having tried a BB2 I am not sure I would say that it would really be that much because I found that the strap bunched because of all the connections/clips
BabyHawk OhShap! - 20"

Photos:
SSC Strap Padding

Links to SSC Comparison Charts:
http://onyababy.com/blog/2012/01/baby-carrier-comparison-chart/

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Akntk-4PE54rcDFJaUZiekYyUmlmMXRtUFJuNGo0WEE&hl=en#gid=0

http://www.theportablebaby.com/carrierfeatures.html