What is the first thing that comes to your mind if a wrap is referred to as a “crazy thick blanket”? A high-weight Luluna? A puffy-weave Yaro? Something hand-woven? The first thing I think of is the brand of Wild Slings and their “towels”, i.e wraps with “fluffy cloud cotton” as their manufacturer lovingly calls it. This fluffy cloud cotton is basically something like the good old chenille. Chenille is soft and hairy yarn that scarfs, sweaters or blankets are usually made of (in case it is still not clear, this is what Wikipedia says about chenille 😉 ).
I was not my first encounter with a WS “towel” – last autumn, I had the opportunity to try La forêt vierge Cumulus, when Iveta (Czech “Mrs. Wild Slings”, the administrator of the Czech and Slovak WS/ROAR/DISO fan group and owner of many wonderful wraps from these sibling brands) stopped by in Ostrava when travelling to the first Czech WS meet-up. So I had a little notion of what I was about to experience.
I must say right at the beginning that even with a toddler my wrap-weight “comfort zone” is still in the first half of the fourth hundred and I do not like taking a step up on this ladder very much. But Wild Slings et al. are experimentators, doing their magic with blends and types of weave, and do not really care about the real weight of their wraps (I already wrote something on this controversial topic here). Moreover, their fan base is very large and loyal, not only in the Czech Republic – btw. Maciej Alexandrowicz, the Wild Slings mastermind, attended one of the Czech fan group meet-ups recently which is something I really appreciate. Communication with the audience is a wonderful thing! Therefore it is understandable that every time I write a review of something so loved and praised by so many people but what I did not particularly like, I always have a bad feeling that I would be trampled under the crowd’s feet. But now I hope that I will be spared because these two wraps are so thick that even the most hardcore WS fan must admit that they might not fit every one.
Les ténèbres Nimbostratus
Composition: 50 % Egyptian combed cotton, 50 % fluffy cloud cotton
Weight: 320 g/m² (declared by the manufacturer), 405 g/m² (counted by us)
Size: 5 (441 cm measured by us)
Half Taiwanese back carry
A long time ago, I already wrote that very few wraps with weight over 400 are really wearable, in my opinion. I am still convinced of that but you know what? I will not beat around the bust, Nimbostratus IS wearable! And moreover, it is wearable quite comfortably! But it is not a “what if” piece you fold in your purse and one would not tie a wearie under 8-9 kilograms or so. This is not a piece for little elephants – this is a blue whale crane!
There is a lot to grab when tying this wrap (like a LOT); it is fluffy, thick and heavy and the consumption of the length of the wrap is almost unbelievable (this was a long size 5 but is seemed more like a long size 4 to me when I tied it). It requires a firm and strong hand but if you manage to tame it, it just holds in its place… and holds and holds… It does not slide (not a bit – the sliding knot was not sliding at all and just stayed in the place I tied it), it feels a tiny bit elastic in the carry; a several hours long hike with sleeping 11 kilograms on my back? No challenge for this super-towel! The only limit as to the supportiveness of this wrap goes is probably only your own physique.
A perfect toddler piece, right? Well, not really… It is only 62 cm “wide” which is too little for a toddler wrap, in my opinion… Otherwise, I must admit that Nimbostratus surprised me a lot and in the end, it proved to be a quite wearable wrap. 🙂
Hereby I want to thank the group Nosíme děti (i.e. We wear our babies) for the opportunity to test it!
Nocturne La potion de la sorcière
Composition: 50 % Egyptian combed cotton, 5 % organic pima cotton, 45 % fluffy cloud cotton
Weight: 330 g/m² (declared by the manufacturer), 464 g/m² (counted by us)
Size: 5 (437 cm measured by us)
Rucksack carry
Sometimes I cannot find words to describe the wrap I want to write a review about. This “witch’s potion” (for those who do not speak French – this is what the name of the wrap means) was released last autumn for Halloween. The date of its release corresponds with its properties – the wrap experience I had with it was truly spooky. 😉
In case you have ever heard of these green owls, you might have also heard some of their nicknames – “green beast”, “carpet”, “tapestry”. Mostly not meant as affectionate nicknames. Just as Nimbostratus surprised me by its cooperativeness with some effort and patience, the owls did not surprised me at all. They are super-thick, heavy, there is too much to hold in one’s hand and well, basically – double everything I wrote about Nimbostratus and you get an idea what this wrap is like. One would probably need to use a pipe wrench to tighten it at least decently – it is basically impossible. There was almost too much fabric to hold on my shoulders; tiny mums with narrow shoulders would not be happy about it at all. A double knot? I did not even dare to try because it would probably be bigger than my own head. Using a sling ring? Try hoola hoop, that would be more adequate in my opinion. On the other hand, it holds in the carry just as if it was glued together and it is able to support not only one, but two or three heavy toddlers without blinking an eye. But again, it is very narrow, only 60 cm. This is not enough to make a proper pocket for a bigger child, I am sorry.
Not to be only negative, there are a few things I want to praise the owls about. They are beautiful – the dark blue combined with the shiny green is marvelous (oh yes, this was a sure thing – I just love green wraps!) and the carpet-hairy green side is wonderfully smooth and pleasant to touch. As to its durability – I am quite sure that this wrap would survive the 3rd world war and several street fights with a gang of scratching cats before it let out a single pull (as well as Nimbostratus and all their “chenille” siblings).
However, this does not change the fact that I consider this Nocturne to be more of a wrap rarity you want to tie “just for the kicks”, not something anyone would voluntarily tie and carry her/his child in. Anyway, I am very thankful for this experience and my thanks go to the Czech WS fan group for the opportunity to try it!
