Looking for a baby carrier that’s easy to use, comfortable to wear, and doesn’t skimp on style? In this review, we’re taking a close look at the Colugo Carrier—what works, what doesn’t, and how it stacks up after real-world testing with actual kids (and tired parents). Bonus… this carrier might even just have pockets!
If you just like watching your reviews, here’s our Colugo carrier video review (just keep scrolling if you prefer reading & pictures):
Editor’s note: Fathercraft is reader-supported, meaning, at no cost to you, we may earn a commission if you buy after clicking an affiliate link. Learn more. We also received free product from Colugo for this review.
Updated September 2026: Colugo now sells two soft-structured carriers. The original Carrier we tested still runs $59. Carrier 2 is the newer model—regularly $99, often on sale for $69. This review is still our hands-on take on the original. Below we call out where Carrier 2 differs on paper (capacity, carry modes, buckles, fanny pack, straps/mesh, UPF) so you can choose without waiting for a full re-test.
Carrier 2 vs the original (quick compare):
- Price: original $59 everyday · Carrier 2 regularly $99 (often on sale for $69)
- Weight limit: original 7–33 lb · Carrier 2 newborn–35 lb
- Carry modes: original 3 (in / out / back) · Carrier 2 4 with weight gates
- Buckles: magnetic · Carrier 2 one-touch / one-hand magnetics
- Fanny: original removable pouch · Carrier 2 attached XL front pack
- Comfort kit: Carrier 2 adds padded straps, air-mesh backing, UPF 50 sunshade
Carrier 2 details below are from Colugo’s current product pages until we’ve worn it the way we wore the original.
Our Colugo carrier review
Here at Fathercraft, we consider baby carriers essential. They allow you to do all sorts of stuff with your child strapped to you. Which is great, because as you know or will soon learn, parenting is time-intensive.
Here’s John demoing just a few of the things you can do while your baby is in a carrier:
Back when we first heard about baby carriers (aka back in our day), it seemed like offerings from Ergobaby and Baby Bjorn were the only offerings on the market (and, yes, we’ve been in the game a long time). But since the OG Fathercraft babies were in carriers, a few new reputable brands have entered the market, including Colugo.
- By the way, if you’d like to see how Colugo fared against the big guns in this space, check out our list of the best baby carriers.
We love Colugo’s stroller. So, when they reached out about their carrier, we were eager to test it out.
Colugo is a “direct to consumer” company (think Warby Parker, Casper, & Dollar Shave Club) that sell directly to you via their websites, which allows them to pass on savings. It’s a model that’s worked well for razors, mattresses, and glasses, and we think it’s perfect for the baby gear market. Why? Well, baby gear is something you need to try, with your baby, to really know if you’re going to like it. And, trying it out in the wild (with other kids in tow) is much better than looking at it on a shelf at a big box store.
Colugo offers a 100-day in-home trial—more than enough to decide if their stuff is right for you. So, you can make the grocery store your testing ground.
We’re here to check back in with Colugo and see how it’s held up against some of the new carriers that have come out recently. *Spoiler Alert* It’s still awesome… and we’ve been testing baby carriers ever since—with dads, with moms, with small babies, with big babies…we’ve gone DEEP on baby carriers over the years.
Let’s dive into the awesome, the wish it was different, and our final verdict.
The awesome
When choosing the Colugo as our overall favorite baby carrier, we considered the full package. The Colugo was most similar to the Baby Bjorn One from a structure and mechanisms perspective, but included some extra features, and customizations that made it stand out.
Overall comfort and usability
Half the battle with baby carriers is getting them on—yourself and your baby. The Colugo allows you to separate the process of getting yourself in and comfortable and then situating your baby independently. While this does make for some extra straps, we found the process made for an easier time getting the thing (and baby) on, and a more comfortable ride overall. Your baby might just fall asleep.
Magnetic buckles
A big part of putting on a carrier is the process of buckling the baby in. Colugo features magnetic buckles for the two final buckles you’ll use to put your baby in. They’re located on the front of the carrier near your armpits, have big pull tabs, and magnets to help you quickly align them when putting your baby in. It’s a clever and welcome addition to this final step of the baby carrier, which otherwise can require needing to look around a squirming baby to align buckles.
Carrier 2 keeps the magnetic idea but moves to one-touch / one-hand buckles on Colugo’s spec sheet—same “don’t fiddle at the park” energy, less two-handed wrestling when you’re already holding a kid.
Here’s a closeup of the buckle in the closed position:
Lightweight, breathable material
As we noted in our Ergobaby 360 review, baby carriers can get hot. We liked the material Colugo selected. It was lightweight, breathable, and flexible, improving comfort and ventilation.
The Colugo carrier also weighs in at just 1.5lbs and packs down pretty nicely for travel or shoving in a diaper bag.
On Carrier 2, Colugo calls out padded shoulder straps for longer wears and a breathable air-mesh back panel. Same ~1.5 lb class as the original; the comfort story is more explicit on the new model.
Pockets!
If the mention of pockets in a baby carrier doesn’t get you excited, you probably haven’t spent much time with one. A surprisingly small number of carriers include pockets at all, and those that do sometimes include non-functional pockets.
The Colugo’s pockets are thoughtfully designed and pretty functional (though as Calvin, our test baby, got bigger, he started to sag over the waist belt pocket, making it harder to reach).
Pockets in a carrier are really helpful if you’re just heading out for a quick jaunt—there’s no need to wear a backpack and a front pack at the same time, and nobody wants that. The Colugo’s pockets give you room for a diaper or two, wipes, keys, cell phone, and maybe a food pouch or two.
The newest model of the Colugo carrier has a removable pouch that makes life so much easier. Back in 2019, our Colugo carrier made it hard to reach into the waist belt pocket as Calvin got bigger, but with the removable pouch, that wouldn’t be an issue anymore.
One clear split: the newest original still uses a removable fanny-style pouch. Carrier 2 switches to an attached XL front fanny (phone-sized, per Colugo) plus the usual hidden/front stash. If you loved yanking the pouch off as a wristlet, stick with the original; if you’d rather not lose the pack, Carrier 2’s attached design is the point.
Machine washable
The Colugo carrier (along with nearly all Colugo products) is machine washable. And all baby stuff gets dirty, fast. So, this is a welcome feature (though not super uncommon—all 5 of the carriers we tested were.
Back-carry option
When we first tested out the Colugo carrier, back-carrying was not an option. However, they have since updated the carrier and have certified the product to allow for both front and back-carrying.
Back and side carry can be nice as your child gets older and heavier, when the front carry position can start to strain your back.
Carrier 2: four carry modes + UPF 50 shade
Colugo lists four Carrier 2 positions with weight gates: front-in from newborn (~7 lb / 0–5 months), then front-in, front-out, and back-in from ~12 lb up. That’s one more spelled-out front-in stage than the original’s simpler in / out / back story. The included sunshade is marketed as UPF 50 on Carrier 2 (original shade is still useful for rolling the carrier small; Carrier 2 just names the sun protection).
Actually useful accessories
Colugo has been steadily improving the carrier over the years, and accessories are now bountiful. They offer a “The Drool Pack“—sounds gross, is gross, but hey, babies drool A LOT. They also offer “The Cozy“, which is basically like one of those high-tech sleeping bags for your baby that clips on to the outside of the carrier to keep her warm during the winter.
The wish it was different
Carrying capacity
Carrying capacity. On the original we tested, Colugo’s limit is 33 lb (down from an earlier 35 lb marketing line), and we felt that as our kid got bigger—harder to get them seated just right near the top of the range. Carrier 2 brings the ceiling back to 35 lb on the current PDP (newborn through 35). If max toddler runway is your deal-breaker on the original, that’s the cleanest hardware reason to look at Carrier 2—not a vibes upgrade, a number.
That being said, all we are really trying to say is we wish we could use this product forever. It’s that good. I would deliver my son to his college dorm in the Colugo if I could.
The Verdict
When we consider the complete package:
- Price
- Comfort
- Magnetic buckles
- Pockets
- Material
- 100-day in-home trial
The Colugo is our clear choice for best baby carrier. It’s also part of our newborn essentials list, which details the items you’ll want to make parenting a newborn more awesome.
At Fathercraft, there are a few products we’ve been reviewing for years and have remained at the top of the pack through all that time—the Colugo Carrier is one of those.
Pricing, options, & where to buy
Which one? Buy the original at $59 if you want the carrier we actually lived in and the lowest everyday price. Step up to Carrier 2 at regularly $99 (often on sale for $69) when you want the 35 lb limit, the four-position map, one-touch buckles, attached fanny, padded straps / air-mesh, and UPF 50 shade—and you’re fine paying toward list (or waiting for that frequent sale). Don’t treat $69 as the forever Carrier 2 price.
Colugo now sells two carriers. The original Carrier we’ve reviewed here is $59. Carrier 2 regularly runs $99 and is often on sale for $69. Both are available at colugo.com.
Colors rotate—black and Wild Child are regulars on the original, with limited editions that come and go—so check colugo.com for what’s in stock.
