Loombera Slings Testing

Loombera, a Warsavian woven wrap brand with two cute bears in its logo, is one of the newest players on the Polish high-end babywearing field; it was founded only in 2018. Scandinavia-inspired design, elaborate and luxurious blends (Loombera is not afraid to use even five blends in one wrap or exquisite blends such as

aloe), wraps released in extremely limited editions – all the ingredients that a good HE brand should have so that people are willing to pay for their goods and feel they are getting exactly what their money is worth.

After all, I am one of those people – one gorgeous Loombera resides in our stack, too. It is the beautiful light-blue Skarpur Snjór (do not be overexcited, today is not the time for its review – the reason is quite simply; we have not have the time to take the photos with it, yet). By the way, the names of the wraps are in Icelandic which is not a bad idea at all – in fact, the meaning of the names can be truly trivial but still will sound interesting (you know, IKEA-style, where a lamp is simply called a “lamp” but in Swedish, etc.): “skarpur” means “sharp”, which is clearly a reference to the pattern, and “snjór” means “snow”, just as the light colour of the wrap.

Composition: 100% cotton

Weight: 330 g/m² according to the manufacturer, 348 g/m² counted by us

Size: 5

Front wrap cross carry

This was the first Loombera wrap I have ever seen – as far as I know it was also one of their first wraps ever released. I loved it at the first sight – Dadyr is a wonderful pattern (not only aesthetics-wise, but also “technically” – finally somebody realized that the animal’s snout should be in the upper half of the width of the wrap so that it is visible in the most common carries!) and the bordeaux colour really suits it. However, Loombera was virtually unknown in the Czech Republic that time and honestly, I was not willing to pay over 150 Euro for an “ordinary all-cotton wrap”. But what a lucky coincidence, probably the most enthusiastic Czech Loombera fan lives in the same city as us and she is more than happy to lend her wraps for testing. Hereby, we want to thank her again for the opportunity to test them!

I have tried this particular wrap twice – the first time, it was almost new and, well, a kind of “meh”. I was not excited at all. BUT! It did not take much time to break in this stag and as if it was touched by a magic wand it changed into a wonderfully cushy, cuddly and soft sweetheart. It is one of the most pleasant all-cotton pieces I have ever tried – it is easy to work with (I would compare it to Dekkas – it is pliable but in the sense such a thick wrap can be – skinny wrap lovers would not be happy at all), it holds in the carry without any problems and is supportive enough to endure a little elephant. One of the few cotton wraps that can be compared to Dekkas and not loose to them.

Now you must think that I feel sorry that I did not buy it, right? Well, not really. It is (just as Dekkas) quite prone to pulls which is a prize you have to pay if you want to have such a fluffy wrap – this is something I could forgive to it. But the other thing I must reproach which bothers me quite a lot is that it is narrow (I measured only 61 cm). This is not a “toddler piece width”. To be frank I do not fully understand why so many Polish wraps are cut so narrow…

Composition: 48% cotton, 26% tussah, 26% tsumugi

Weight: 280 g/m²

Size: 6

Double hammock

In this case I knew what to expect – Bleikur (meaning simply “pink”) is a pink twin of my wonderful Snjór. I was literally blown away by this pattern (certainly much more than in Dadyr’s case) – I just loooove geometric patterns and the tussah nubs make these two Skarpur wraps just aaaah… Of course, my own Skarpur is the most beautiful of the all but that is a matter of taste, of course. 😉

I suppose no wrap with more than 50 % of silk in their composition could be a bad wrap – on the contrary, Bleikur (and Snjór, too, of course) feels thin in one’s hand, is easy to work with and tightening is easy peasy – and at the same time it is supportive enough for a heavy toddler. So much supportive that it almost seems surreal. In a few words, a perfect summer wrap, with perfect composition. A big plus is that it does not seem prone to pulls at all. And have I meantioned that it is gorgeous? 😀

Yup, it is narrow, just as Dadyr. But as I have already written several times, in case the wrap is beautiful I am more than willing to forgive it a flaw or two. This one is just right such a case. 😉

Composition: 48% cotton, 26% merino, 26% tsumugi
Weight: 290 g/m²

Front cross carry

There is quite a difference between Bleikur and Blar (meaning “blue”). Blue and white looks very good combined with the pattern and makes it stand out but I kind of missed my beloved nubs – but okay, whatever. 😀 Blar is smoother and softer that its relatives with nubs, but it is not too slippery; one can barely feel it contains merino (you really have to examine it meticulously to find it inside this wrap 😀 ) and its wrapping properties are good. Unfortunately it is quite an unjust comparison with the tsumugi/tussah Loomberas… I had the feeling that its weave is a bit denser and therefore it is a bit less pliable and elastic – but I would have to compare the two wraps right next to each other to be certain if the difference lies in the density of the weave or the different composition (but I would not count of the different composition because merino is generally a blend thanks to which the wraps are usually more elastic). Well, it is beautiful, but I would pass on buying it.

Composition: 62% cotton, 22% viscose, 16% merino

Weight: 330 g/m²

Size: 6

Christina’s ruckless back carry

Back to the superlatives – Lunar Myrkur (or “lunar darkness”, as poetically translated by Google) was a big surprise for me because it is one of the first wraps with more than 20% of viscose I have nothing but praise to say about it. I could not believe the weight; Myrkur feels rather thin in one’s hand (not really thin, but thin compared to such fatties like the above-mentioned Dadyr or Dekkas with the same declared weight) – the only explanation must be the composition. Basically all the types of viscose tend to make the wrap heavier than it seems as to its thickness – meaning you would never tell their weight is so high just by touching it. There are wraps in which this property bothers me, but not in case of Myrkur – is it the merino (which you can hardly feel, just like in Blar) or something special about the weave, I cannot say.

But what I can say with a hundred percent certainty is that this is a wrap I would warmly welcome to our own stack! As I already implied, it feels rather thin in one’s hand, it was very easy to work with, tying and tightening went smooth and held in the carry without any problems (all hail the nubs!!). And 13 kilograms on my back, for 2 hours straight? Felt like a feather. Oh yes, I would be more than happy to have this black dandy as our permanent companion. 😉