Osprey Poco Vs Osprey Poco Premium Child Hiking Carrier: Differences on Osprey's Poco Hard-Frame Child Carriers
- Adrianna Skori
- Mar 16
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 20
I am Adrianna, an avid hiking mom in the Canadian Rockies and Founder of Kids Who Explore. You can find me hiking with my babies and community all over the Canadian Rockies. I am very passionate about sharing the best baby and toddler gear to make getting outdoors with kids easier. I am a big Osprey fan because of the quality, durability, and safety. Many versions of Osprey has been launched and in 2025, you can choose between two colours with the Osprey Poco or Osprey Poco Premium. I always have leaned towards the black carriers but really loving the earth and nature vibes with the koseret green in this new launch. Speaking of a new green, Osprey just launched their beautiful soft shell carrier for babies. Incase you're wondering when baby can ride in a hard frame carrier, be sure to check out my when to transfer baby to a hard frame hiking carrier blog.
There is some confusion on the many models of Poco in the Osprey line and I want to help you compare the two latest launches. If you have narrowed it down to Osprey because you love their brand as much as I do, then you are in the right spot. I have both poco regular and poco plus carriers and have put on many kilometers with each pack and I love them both. I am new to the premium model that launched in early 2025 and am familiar with the new poco as I have been teaching my baby hiking classes with it. I am going to highlight the differences. You can always watch my Youtube channel for a deeper diver on outdoor gear to help get kids outdoors. You will see me compare the original Osprey Poco vs Poco Plus model in my older blogs so this new premium and poco model replace those two packs.
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The main breakdown of differences is in the storage capacity, features, weight, and pricing. I created this chart to make it easier for you to read and see.
Dimensions: 71 cm (L) x 40 cm (W) x 45 cm (D) | Dimensions: 75 cm (L) x 39 cm (W) x 45 cm (D) |
24 L Capacity | 36 L Capacity |
7.69 lbs or 3.49 kg | 8.34 lbs or 3.79 kg |
23.8-48.5 load range | 23.8-48.5 load range |
Same durable material | Same durable material |
Open mesh pocket on hip belt | Zippered pockets on hip belt for snacks |
Mesh breathability | Mesh breathability |
Bar covered by material, closes partially | Bar covered by material, closes partially |
Fit-on-the-fly hip belt | Fit-on-the-fly hip belt |
Same sun protection | Same sun protection |
Same child comfort & buckle system | Same child comfort & buckle system |
Same child safety | Same child safety |
Less expensive | More expensive |
Same rain shell (bought separately) | Same rain shell (bought separately) |
Same travel case for flying (bought separately) | Same travel case for flying (bought separately) |
Grab handle on top isn't as sturdy | Grab handle with more padding |
No additional mesh pockets | Additional mesh pockets for water bottle |
Really these packs are quite similar in what they can do! I chose the pack I am going to use based on these main questions:
How far am I hiking?
What is the weather doing?
Where am I hiking?
Am I bringing more than 1 child on the hike?
Beyond these questions, you can read my, how to choose a hiking carrier ultimate guide that gives you even more questions to consider.
Great for shorter half day hikes | Great for longer day hikes/ multi-day trips |
Great for hiking days where you don't need a ton of layers for rain or winter as storage is limited. | Ideal for needing to pack along extra layers, summit jackets, kids clothing, rain gear, etc. |
Great for weather neutral areas where you don't need to pack a lot of stuff around. | Ideal for hiking in places like Alberta's back country as weather can change rapidly and being prepared with additional supplies is a must. |
Great for baby and parent items but not a lot of space if bringing multiple kids. | Great for kids and parent items. My toddler goes through so many snacks and our lunch bins fit in the plus better. |
The accessories are the same for both the Osprey Poco and the Osprey Poco Premium carriers and are worth purchasing. I have created a visual here so you can see them below:
I almost always choose the Osprey Poco Premium for day hikes. I often lean to towards more storage on my hikes because the weather is wild in Alberta and can be winter in seconds even if its August. I always have both kids with me and my toddlers items takes up a lot of space. I usually choose this pack for travel too as additional space really helps with diapers and all the baby essential items. You can see how I pack for a typical hike with a lot of my survival items here.
I choose the Osprey Poco when I am in a warm climate and don't have to pack a lot of items along with me. The weight really doesn't make much difference for me. It is a little less bulky so if I am going downtown Banff or Canmore or to a farmers market then I will bring this pack. There is an amazing travel carrier by Osprey too, the Osprey Poco LT.
I hope this helped you in learning a little more about the new Osprey carrier drop. Please ask me anything in the comments and please subscribe to my Youtube channel for more gear review videos. Check out my carrier guide to compare other hiking carriers for babies too. Please add a comment on which carrier you're leaning towards or ask me any questions that I can help you answer.
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