But is it durable?!?

"Are your carriers durable?" I've gotten this question several times, especially about the linen carriers. After all, linen is so genteel. It's so drapey and pliable, and makes you think of a garden party dress, or a fancy tablecloth. Your grandmother's tablecloth. And therein lies the clue - your grandmother's tablecloth is still in nearly pristine condition after being handed down for two generations!

In various social media and in the shop, I've mentioned the updated testing required under the Consumer Protection Safety Improvement Act. This testing reviews the written instructions for how to put the carrier on, tests fall hazard for the stated lower weight limit, and checks content and size of font used on the newly required "Warning - Fall and Suffocation Hazard" labels. It also checks safety and durability of the carrier through a unique combination of testing.

Very grumpy Tester Dummy wearing Gracie
and Sam Linen Luxe Half Buckle Mei Tai

After tying the carrier on to a test dummy using the enclosed instructions, the stated upper weight limit of the carrier is checked (35 lbs for these). The lab then uses a weight that is 2x that upper limit (ie, 70 lbs) and rigs it 1"above the seat of the carrier. It is then dropped 1,000 times. Seams are checked, fabric examined, and the knots and buckles looked at (must have less than 1" of slippage over the course of those 1k drops). Then the lab technician prepares a weight that is 3x the stated upper limit (ie, 105 lbs) and sets it in the carrier for 1 minute. The seams, fabric, and knots/buckles are then checked again.  If all is well, you pass the safety and durability test. If there was more than 1" movement or if a seam or spot of fabric is looking worn, you're in trouble.

No matter how confident you are that you make safe carriers, that kind of wear and tear will set you on edge awaiting the outcome. I opted to pay the return shipping for my "carrier carcass" so I could see just how much wear and tear it would exhibit. I'd always answered that my carriers were durable to the point they'd outlasted the children for whom they were used, but this would provide a true and measurable response!

I was expecting a somewhat stretched seat - you know how the knees on your jeans get after spending the day squatting down.
I was expecting a show of strain on the box stitching at the shoulders - not pulled stitches, but at least a show of wear on the fabric around it.
I was expecting ...something I didn't get.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present the fully tested carrier, received back from the lab, and it's twin, brand new and ready to be sent to the mama who ordered it. These are part of the Gracie and Sam (LLC) Linen deLuxe line, in the half buckle version, made from 5.3 oz, double layered, Loden Green 100% linen.

Can you tell which is which?
No baggy seat. No shredded seams. None of those curved edges pull out of whack.
Here - let me help:

A few closeups?
Shoulder seams and box stitching:

Waist buckle stitching:

Inside waist belt:

 

The carrier passed the safety and durability testing without issue, I'm happy to report.

Unfortunately, I do need to redo those Warning labels before this carrier is signed off as fully compliant. See the problem?  No? Here's a close up:

Yes, folks - I used a serif font for the first two lines where regulations say it should've been sans serif. And there's not enough white space between the hazard categories.

Rest assured, I've had the labels redesigned and printed in their much larger and sans serif incarnation. So I fully expect to have a full compliance approval with my next test. But the important part is already cleared. You can wear with confidence. And know that your carrier will look as beautiful 1,000 uses down the road as it does the day you received it!