Kokoskaa Royal Quill- Grey Tester

Oooh, am I ever glad to be back to write this little review. It was a pleasure to be on the list for this traveling tester from Kokoskaa. This soft, and lovely grey beauty is one of the future colours of the Royal Quill design in the new blend of cotton, soybean viscose, and cashmere.

First off, I have never heard of or wrapped with soybean viscose, so I had no idea what it would be like, or how it might change the feel and quality of the wrap. I have to admit, I would never guess in a million years what the blend on this wrap is, just that it is not 100% cotton, and likely doesn't have wool. Clearly, I am not a textile expert- but I know what I like and I know what I don't like.

And this, well- I like.

I'll compare it first to the Kokoskaa Midnight Royal Quill, which is a blend of cashmere, silk and merino wool. I really loved that wrap and at first touch, glance and wrap, I felt that this one wasn't as amazing. I have changed my tune upon further wrapping and inspection. Greyquills is thinner, lighter, and less spongey. It glides in a sleeker way than Midnight does when wrapping. Both have great stretch and bounce. I actually think these Kokoskaa's have hit the mark dead on for my preferences in that category. The stretch is not sag, and the bounce is not over the top. Where Midnight is super cushy and thicker, Greyquills plays it a little cooler, with less density and a cooler feel in hand.

This tester was a long 6 (maybe a 7?) so it was great for all my favorite carries- which are usually double hammocks with chest belt variations, or semi made up on the spot reinforced rucks tied Tibetan. In general I put ease of wrapping very high on my list when rating a wrap. I don't pride myself on being able to tame the beast of all beasts and I don't have time or patience (neither does my bucking bronco, who is usually crying while being wrapped) to spend tightening every single thread to make sure I have a perfect wrap job. So, I like wraps that can roll with a sloppy wrap job, yet still keep me and the little man comfortable. I need to be able to glide a rebozo pass up and over quickly without feeling like my arms are going to dislocate. Greyquills rocked in this respect.

There have been a lot of comparisons to Pavo's Gotham wraps, and as huge Gotham fan I feel I can make a good judgment call about how they compare. Greyquills is a bit sleeker where Gotham has a bit more texture. The merc Gothams are a touch thinner than this Kokoskaa, but the non-merc are almost exactly the same feel in hand. I find there to be a bit more grit to Gotham, and the quill is a bit more refined (maybe it's the soybean viscose?!?). Both wrap amazingly, both have that tight hug feeling, and both have great stretch and bounce, Gotham eeks ahead in the grip category, it's just so solid. Greyquills is no slouch though, I have been known to tie off in a half knot, and you would never have known. Solid as a rock.

I loved this wrap with a candy cane chest belt. Smooth, not diggy, and the chest passes were just so tight and comfortable. No excess wrap left hanging around that I had to tuck into the passes.

I will admit, the colour is not my favorite. If this blend came in the Midnight colour, well I would be ALL over it. In fact, I keep asking myself why I don't own my own RQ? Something I'll need to fix very soon, I think.

Recommended for: wrappers of any level. It won't intimidate a new wrapper, and it has qualities that a discerning wrapper can appreciate. Soft for a squish, but supportive enough for my 25+ toddler.
For someone who prefers thin, with little texture- try it, but no guarantees.

Kokoskaa Royal Quill Grey tester
56% cotton, 40% soybean viscose, 4% cashmere
Size 6

Pavo Gotham Steel

Hello, Beast. Lovely, amazing, steely grey beast. Oh, how I have fallen for you!

A wonderful friend let me borrow this beauty and I'm pretty sure she will need to pry it from my cold dead hands if she wants it back.

At first glance, from photos online and from quickly giving it a once over when my friend bought this, I wasn't head over heels. There is a lot of hype currently surrounding this wrap and its sister/brother Onyx. I wasn't sure if I wanted to drink the kool-aid, but one try was all it took.

The texture. The first word anyone utters when describing this wrap is texture. It is a wrap you almost want to stare at with a microscope because the weave is just so awesome. The pattern from a few feet away is equally cool. Aesthetically, I'd say this is one of my favorite wraps. It just looks so effortlessly cool when you're wearing it. It's got an art deco thing happening, it's also a little mod with the dots and the angles of the lines. I am loving the right side and the wrong side equally and it's a wrap I don't even bother choosing a side when wrapping because either way it looks great.

It's listed at 280g/m2 which seems confusing when compared to Hearts and Camellia who are both listed at the same weight. When compared in hand to the other two, Gotham is thicker, more textured, but perhaps less dense than Hearts, but much weightier than Camellia. Even though Gotham is more of a Beast, the weave is somehow still airy. It's a wrap I can imagine loving on a cold winter day, but in a shorter size I could imagine would be a great summer wrap as well.

The size 6 I am borrowing is a PERFECT double hammock wrap. It is solid, and supportive. It supports a lousy wrap job, but shines in a perfect one. I wouldn't describe the support as "cush", it's actually a bit diggy if you have the wrap too bunched up on your shoulders. I think that's maybe due to the weave, it can be a little too thick on the shoulders or if you have it bunched up to pass under your wrappee's legs.

I found it easy to make the seat- my wrappee is the kind who makes the execution of a wrap job very difficult. Once I've got the first pass around we're good. But getting him to stay still while I make the seat is pretty much impossible. Other pros of this wrap would be the nice grip. I rocked a knotless ruck with great long tails draping down in the front and it held really well. Once you get everything where you want it to be it's sort of like velcro with this wrap, it's great. Cons: no small knot with this bad boy. Try tying under bum, ha! You really don't want to be tying in the tails with Gotham- I practically had a place to balance a tray when I did.

I'd recommend this wrap to someone looking for a textured, solid, trendy looking wrap. I think it would be best for someone with an older baby, maybe 6 months and up. I definitely wouldn't describe this as the best newborn wrap. I think it might just be a bit "much" for a new baby and a combination of new wrapper/new baby and Gotham doesn't sound like a great mix, in my opinion.

For someone more experienced, or who loves a good beast, this is the wrap for you. I think it would be great in a variety of sizes, whatever you like best. So, if you don't already own one, go get one. But, good luck finding one! ;)

I'm currently waiting on Gotham Marble, so I'll have a nice comparison review to post in the next couple of weeks.

Gotham Steel
Grey/Ecru
100% cotton
Size 6

Tell me how much you love your Gotham Steel!!