TBG Men’s Tactical Baby Carrier Review

TBG Men's Tactical

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The TBG Men’s Tactical Baby Carrier is a backpack style baby carrier designed specifically for men. It is a fun concept and theme with some execution issues that we will dive further into.

How it Compares:

Testing and Research

The TBG Men’s Tactical Baby Carrier is one of fourteen top-rated baby carriers we purchased to test and compare. We tested each of the carriers on their usability, versatility, design quality, and comfort to determine which was the best baby carrier. Unfortunately, the TBG was the lowest scoring product that we tested. Though we felt the concept was great, the execution needed some improvements.

Common Complaints

When we began the testing process for the TBG Men’s Tactical Baby Carrier, we read through the critical reviews of the product to determine the most common complaints. We then compared those complaints to our experience while testing the carrier.

Criticism	Our Experience
Rough material	We did feel that the product was more for fun than practical
Difficult to use	We thought that the product itself was pretty easy to use
No padding	There is not much padding on the carrier or straps
Gimmicky	We do agree that the carrier is not very comfortable for adults or baby
Uncomfortable	We do agree that the carrier is not very comfortable for adult or baby
Too expensive	We felt the price is a little high considering the limitations of the product

Related Reading: Best Classic Baby Carriers

Usability

Usability was the highest scoring category for the TBG. The instruction manual is a handy booklet with photo and text directions for set up and use. 

It took us about seven minutes to get the carrier set up the first time as we were trying to get used to the shoulder straps and buckles. Once we had it set up, though, it was pretty easy to use and adjust.

Here’s where the TBG carrier ranked in our usability category:

It took us a little bit of time during the setup process to figure out the strap system of the carrier. The seat portion of the carrier folds up towards the adult wearer’s chest and snaps into place with buckles on the shoulder straps. There are several buckles in that area, though, making it a little confusing about which one goes where.

The TBG is not the most user friendly of all the carriers we tested, but with some usage, we were able to get used to the style pretty quickly to make the set up process easier.

Versatility

The TBG did not score very high in the versatility category, largely because it only has two different styles of carry position it will accommodate – inward facing and outward facing. 

Here’s how the TBG scored in the versatility category:

The TBG carrier only offers an inward facing hold and an outward facing hold. There is a removable, machine washable insert that Velcros into the seat. Aside from the seat insert, the seat is not adjustable. Starting at 6 months, a child is allowed to face outward. However, we feel that, since each little one grows at different rates, it would make more sense to begin outward facing carries at a specified weight than at 6 months old.

The carrier advertises that it can hold babies from 8lbs to 33lbs, which is not as wide a range of sizes as some of the other carriers we have tested. When we tested the TBG with a 26lb one-year-old, she was almost too tall to comfortably fit in the carrier. It is rather small, which we think may work better for a smaller baby, but likely not for a child very close to the 33lb weight limit.

The carrier itself is very short, which we will go into more detail on later, but we did not feel that it had a very good size range for a growing child. We feel that the carrier is best for infants under one year of age.

The waistband is worn higher on the TBG than on many other carriers, fitting more around the chest than the actual waist. TBG does not offer a maximum size recommendation for adult wearers, but did advise they have had larger wearers compliment them on how comfortable they felt wearing the carrier. We do wish they offered more specifics on the size range of the waist and shoulder straps for adult wearers to provide clarity while deciding whether or not to purchase this piece of baby gear.

Design Quality

The TBG also did not score very well in the design quality category. We felt that there are some technical flaws in the design that deterred from the overall quality of the product.

A common complaint for the TBG is that the material is not very soft. We do agree that the majority of the carrier is a rather rough polyester material. The inside of the carrier where your little one sits is definitely softer than the outer portion. However, the straps are not padded and the head support that baby’s face or head (depending on which way they’re facing) would be touching is not very soft.

We do like that the straps are secured in a crossed position at the back, providing a little more support for the adult wearer. 

The carrier is not very bulky compared to many others that we tested. In fact, we noticed the opposite issue and felt that it was fairly small. Though it was nice not having too much bulk to deal with, we felt that the entire carrier was very short. The adult strap is more of a chest strap than a waist belt, and the seat area is very short. 

Here’s how the TBG ranked in the design quality category:

The stiff material does provide decent support, but because of how short the carrier itself is, we did not feel that it provided very good security, particularly for taller children. If the carrier was longer, we feel that many of the technical issues would be solved.

The carrier does include a sunshade and removable, washable bib to protect the carrier from spit up or drool from your little one.

Comfort

The TBG carrier was not as comfortable as some of the other carriers we tested. The parent straps are not padded and we didn’t really like the band that wrapped so high around the waist/chest. There is no lumbar support piece like many other carriers provide.

The weight distribution of the carrier is not very good. We think that if it was a bit longer and more of the pressure could have extended to the hips, it would have helped. But because baby’s weight is in such a condensed area, it adds some extra pressure up higher. We noticed a lot of pulling in the shoulders.

Our one-year-old test subject did not love the TBG. She is almost too tall for the carrier though she is well within the weight limit. When we tried to tuck her arms under the shoulder restraints, she was uncomfortable and immediately got upset.

Though the TBG is not very adjustable, it does have a stretchy cotton fabric in the seat that stretches as baby grows to help keep their hips in the ergonomic “M” position. We did feel that baby’s legs did stay in the “M” position pretty well. 

Is the TBG Worth It?

The TBG Men’s Tactical Baby Carrier is a fun concept and a cute idea for a gift for dads. The TBG company has a wide variety of tactical baby gear products and accessories they offer for the dude in your life, like a backpack, diaper bag, and diaper changing pads, all of which are fun ways to help dads feel even more included in their baby’s care.

The carrier is not cheap, pricing out around $150. With the limited size capabilities, lack of comfort, and low design quality, we are not convinced that it is worth the cost, just to get a cute gift for dad.

With a few adjustments and accessories, we think that the carrier could have a higher quality. Adding padded shoulder straps, extending the length of the carrier, providing more lumbar support, and even an extra storage pocket or two would give some benefits that the TBG is unfortunately lacking. 

If you are looking at a fun baby gift idea specifically for a dad, you may want to check out the other baby gear that TBG offers and invest in a more versatile and comfortable carrier of another brand and style for your little one.