Composition: 100% cotton
Weight: 280 g/m² according to the manufacturer, 361 g/m² counted by us
Size: 6
Christina’s ruckless back carry
Geek Slings is a brand new Polish woven wrap manufacturer from Poznań founded by Marta Gąsior. It has been only 3 months since they released their first wrap and in those 3 months they managed to release several wraps with patterns that every true fantasy geek would definitely fall in love with – beginning with the Witcher or Cthulhu to the legendary Discworld.
If have no idea what “geek” means – according to Wikipedia there are different meanings of this word, depending also on the context in which you use it. In this case, in connection with the world of fantasy, this definition is probably the most fitting: “A person with deep interest in a particular field or hobby, usually with limited social skills and connections”. Geeks are, simply said, people who live for their hobby, unite in different internet groups and discussion forums, organize thematic meet-ups and are somewhat strange in the rest of the world’s point of view (doesn’t that sound familiar, my fellow “wrap geeks”? 😀 ).
I must admit that I am no true geek when it comes to fantasy books or films (actually I have not even seen all the LOTR movies, not speaking about the books) – it is just not my cup of tea. I encountered the Witcher only in the moment Netflix released their series – so yes, I know who Yenn is (for those who do not – it is the main female character; a sort of a good/bad witch who is extremely sexy a also the “one and only” of the Witcher himself). However, my main motivation to test this wrap was not the motive but I wanted to try this new original brand.
And it did not disappoint! I will not beat around the bush; Yenn is a great toddler wrap. Well, from the first glance at the packet it was obvious that there is no way this wrap’s weight is the declared 280 g/m² – it is veeeery chubby in fact. The weight I counted (361 g/m²) is definitely much closer to reality. The question is why the manufacturers declare such unrealistic weights (Geek Slings are not an only case; I could discuss the over-100 g/m²-differences of some Wild Slings for long hours). If I was a fan of the Witcher and bought the wrap blind, expecting the relatively universal weight of 280 g/m², for a 4-month-old, for example, and received such a thick wrap, I would be very unhappy. With my 13kg daughter this is not something I could not put up with, on the other hand sometimes it can be an advantage if the wrap is actually thicker than “on the paperů. However, I am still waiting for a logical answer to the question “why, oh why the manufacturers are not capable of counting the real weight of their wraps” and I have a feeling that I will not get it any time soon.
Back to Yenn (the wrap, of course). It is thick, but it is also very soft and amazingly pliable, similar to the legendary Dekka Tilias – actually, in hand they feel very similar, which is a great compliment for such a new brand in my opinion. Tying and tightening of the wrap went smoothly, its glide and grip was in perfect balance and it held in the carry without any problems, throughout the hour long walk while Emilka took her afternoon nap. However, I must also mention one quite annoying thing I am used to encounter in quite a lot of Polish wraps of different brands – it is very narrow, I measured only 61 cm. This is not something you would be happy about in a toddler wrap and it is virtually impossible to create a deep seat with such a narrow piece with a bigger wearie. I rarely tie the rucksack carry in which the proper deep seat is necessary; however, you need to create a seat while tying any carry and with 61 cm it is, diplomatically said, uneasy). All in all, I did tie it, I did put my toddler to sleep in it and my shoulders felt very comfortable. Despite its inadequate width, Yenn had everything I wish for in a great toddler wrap – soft, pliable, slightly elastic; everything was just according to my wrap taste. As to the maintenance (not talking about the somewhat impractical light colour) I think it might be quite prone to pulls – not that I managed to pull any threads during our testing, but in my experience wraps with such a fluffy weave are not exactly pull-proof (but on the other hand, it is very easy to repair the pulls in such wraps).
Our thanks for the opportunity to test this interesting wrap goes to the Czech fan group Geek Slings cz/sk!
