Manufacturer: Soul Slings of India
Pattern and Colorway: Imperial
Fiber: 100% cotton
G/m²: 280
Release date: September 2016
Size tested: 5.85 meters
Stats of (willing) wrappee at time of test: 13 months, ~23 pounds, ~30 inches

Big thanks to Soul for offering to send Imperial over for a run! This was ny first experience with a Soul wrap; our local babywearing group is lucky enough to have one of their mei tais, and they're fanastic and quite popular of course, but now I get to learn just a little bit more about this line with some wrap play time!

The next thing I noticed was the thickness and texture. In hand, Imperial feels somewhat thin and maybe a little flat. There's some texture in the pattern here and there but overall it's pretty smooth and soft. I feel like it deserves the "thin" rating because even though its gsm is relatively high at 280 (high for a thin wrap!), it doesn't wrap that heavy. Bunched passes don't take up a ton of bulk. Even for the length (5.8 meters!) it didn't seem overwhelming, likely due to it being on the thin side.

The only reason I didn't rate the care on this one as super easy (because the cotton is super easy care) is that there are some floats in the weave on the red side that are a bit long. I never had a pull (whew!) but I could see where these might get pulled easily due to their length.

Wrap Qualities (definitions here)
Grip (glide to stick): medium
Support (light to heavy): medium
Stretch (none to lots): medium
Cush (none to marshmallow): medium
Moldability: conforms well to curves
Flop (none to silky): floppy

I feel bad for all the mediums there - they make a giant understatement of this wrap's lovely qualities. The subtle texture from the pattern lends to a decent bit of grip - not too much as again, everything is pretty medium here, but enough that a knot would hold in place while I finished fiddling with shoulder flips or something. Knotless finishes held nicely in this wrap, like with the knotless tucks in Rainbow's Back Carry.

I preferred using this wrap in a base+ because I enjoyed it most for multi-pass carries. When wraps are on the thinner side I tend to like them in longer sizes anyway, but I think the slightly airy weave makes a wrap that does well with more passes. Front carries like Front Double Hammock and Reinforced Kangaroo were favorites, but I still really liked the classic Front Wrap Cross Carry with bunched passes, so this wrap can totally hold up to single-layer carries just fine. It's a matter of personal preference, not what the wrap can or can't handle which is great. 

Imperial has a nice bit of stretch - not too much but just enough to make it moldable, comfortable, and not sacrifice support. Again, another "medium" on the list that translates in practice to a nice balance. Imperial was nice and floppy when I received it. I don't think it has traveled long - it feels like one of those cotton wraps that breaks in quickly.

Soul has this to say about their practices, "Soul jacquards are woven in an ethical and environment-friendly mill from Southern India, which uses only wind and solar energy to run their entire factory. They are a completely green manufacturing unit and after using the energy they need they have surplus to send back into the grid. Only the best quality baby-safe dyes are used and no child labour is involved at any stage. Our jacquards are finished and converted into carriers and accessories in-house at Soul factory based in Bangalore, India."

Find more information about Soul Slings on their website, http://www.soulslings.com/, on Instagram as @soulslings, on their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/soulslings/, and their Facebook chatter groups for the Global Soul Family, https://www.facebook.com/groups/GlobalSoulFamily/, and the Soul Family US Edition, https://www.facebook.com/groups/soul.family.US/. Thank you again to Soul for having me host Imperial!

​I have not been compensated for this review.

Special rainbow sleepy dust in this handwoven ring sling from Anmol Baby Carriers [Image of me wearing my sleeping baby on my hip in a rainbow striped ring sling Anmol Saptrangi. I'm holding the tail of the sling out to the side to show the colorful stripes.]

by Amy Wraps Babies

Manufacturer: Anmol Baby Carriers of India
Pattern and Colorway: Saptrangi
Fiber: 100% organic cotton
G/m²: 250
Release date: Spring 2016
Size tested: Ring sling
Shoulder style: Hybrid
Stats of (willing) wrappee at time of test: 13 months, ~23 pounds, ~29 inches

How fun is this rainbow ring sling? The colors are so great and the turquoise rings were a perfect choice, a wonderfully unexpected divergent from standard metal colors. I'm so glad I got to host this lovely sling so I can tell you all about it!

[Image of the shoulder and corsage position of a ring sling as worn in a hip carry. The tail of the sling has been twisted around in a circle in front of the rings, showing the colorful stripes of Anmol Saptrangi. My baby's fist rests on my chest.]

Weave and Fiber Stats
Thickness (thin to thick): medium-thin
Softness (soft to scratch): medium soft/soft
Density (airy to tight): medium
Texture (raised or flat, coarse to smooth): subtle micro texture
Soap (dry to soapy): leans to dry
Care: (easy to difficult): easy

This ring sling has been a delight to use. It is what I like to think of as a "well balanced" ring sling: It's not too thick that it takes effort to get through the rings but it isn't too thin that it looses support. It's a nice cozy softness - it arrived to me pretty broken in but I doubt it took long to get there. It has a simple weave characteristic of a handwoven with that subtle texture. ​

[Image of the of Anmol Saptrangi rainbow striped ring sling as worn in a hip carry. The baby boy being worn is looking off into the distance. There is a green bush in the background.]

One of the rails is hemmed and the other is left to show the selvedge. This is a nice subtle but tactile way to distinguish between rails. When the bottom rail is the selvedge one it must feel a little more comfortable for baby since they aren't sitting on a hem. Again, a subtle difference yet a nice detailed that wasn't overlooked.

This sling is 100% organic cotton and quite easy to care for - just wash and wear. This medium density weave should also be fairly safe from easy pulls.

The shoulder style on this is nice if you find a gathered shoulder just a bit too wide. There are two side-by-side stacked pleats on the edges making the total width of the shoulder a little more narrow, then there are two very small pleats near the center of the shoulder hem. For me this was a great shoulder - wide enough that I could spread it far and even flip up the bottom rail to give me more range of motion - yet not too wide that I felt overwhelmed by it, which can happen for me with a floating gathered shoulder. Trying different shoulder styles has really helped me narrow down which ones I like.

​Anmol also makes this sling with a pleated shoulder if you need it to be more narrow.

[Gallery of images showing the shoulder style details of the Anmol Saptrangi rainbow striped ring sling.]

Wrap Qualities (definitions here)
Grip (glide to stick): medium low, glides through rings well
Support (light to heavy): passed the toddler test
Stretch (none to lots): medium
Cush (none to marshmallow): low
Moldability: conforms well to curves
Flop (none to silky): floppy

The biggest test of a ring sling to me is how well it glides through the rings, and the Anmol sling passes with flying colors (ha!). It was easy to tighten and there was no "slippy" feeling when I was done. The fabric was easy to work with, didn't seem to "over twist" on itself as I fuddled around with threading it while holding my baby - that was a lot easier just a couple months ago when I did it on a Facebook Live video (captions are in the comments of the original post):

There's definitely some stretch and moldability happening here - the photos I took of my shoulder were always visual proof that. It really does conform quite nicely to curves. The pressure is spread nicely throughout the shoulder and the wrap is cushy enough to not feel like it's digging. It's soft and floppy and really a great tool for helping get this little guy to sleep. On several occasions I wore this ring sling to ease the transition to bedtime for well over an hour. I wouldn't normally plan to wear a ring sling that long but this one did the job well!

[Image is a collage of two mirror images of me wearing my sleeping baby on my hip in a rainbow striped ring sling Anmol Saptrangi. I'm holding the tail of the sling out to the side to show the colorful stripes.]

Anmol is a company based out of India. They are working to improve the quality of life for women there through conscientious labor practices: "Anmol is proud to have teamed up with a women’s collective, comprising of under-privileged women beneficiaries of Mumbai based non-profit – Aadhar Skill Development Trust (ASDT). The word ‘Aadhar’ means support in Hindi. ASDT has been established with a mission to enable the lesser privileged women of the society to enhance their quality of life by becoming self - reliant and gaining greater economic stability. ASDT trains these women in the fields of tailoring, Montessori education, beauty services and manufacturing food product. More information on ASDT can be found here – www.aadharskilldevelopment.org"

Find more information about Anmol Baby Carriers on Anmol's website, http://www.anmolbabycarriers.com/, on Instagram @anmol_baby_carriers, and on their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/anmolbabycarriers/. Thank you again to Anmol and to the Rucking Awesome testing group for letting me host!

This ring sling is currently available for purchase from Anmol in either the hybrid or pleated shoulder styles.

Weave and Fiber Stats
Thickness (thin to thick): medium-thick
Softness (soft to scratch): medium low
Density (airy to tight): dense
Texture (raised or flat, coarse to smooth): subtle micro texture
Soap (dry to soapy): leans to soapy
Care: (easy to difficult): easy

Latte Dawn Patrol is a 100% cotton colorway of the Latte pattern, designed to resemble the abstract leaf design often made by baristas with latte foam. The teal color of Dawn Patrol is stunning, one of the best teals I've seen in a wrap, and it simply shines in the sunlight. ​

Latte Dawn is sturdy and strong, more than is needed for a "squish-worthy" wrap - a category in which I would not place this wrap. It is not especially soft, stretchy, or moldable, but that's not what this wrap is about. This wrap is meant to carry our sweet big kids; to keep them close, cared for, and loved. Latte Dawn is a special wrap for all the right reasons.

Find more information about Zee Zen on their website, http://www.zeezen.ca/, on Instagram @zeezenwovenwraps, on their official Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/Zeezenca/, and the fan chatter group The Zee Zen Zone, https://www.facebook.com/groups/zeezencachatter/. Thank you again to Zee Zen and to the Rucking Awesome testing group for letting me host!

Latte Dawn Patrol is currently available for purchase at http://www.zeezen.ca/product-page/feedd087-c646-6699-7ffa-5cb7d94e525e.

I have not received compensation in exchange for this review.