ring sling with overlapping pleat shoulder

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You can estimate your shipping costs by going to this USPS page and entering your zip code and mine (03824). Select "large envelope". Weights for most slings are between 12-17 oz, and the majority of slings will be under 16 oz. Cost is usually between $4.95 and $9.55, depending on the package's weight and how far you are from NH. (Heavier fabrics include the stretch sateen, slingified wraps, brocade, and slings sized L and longer.)

Frequently Asked Questions about Solarveil:

Do I want a single layer or a double layer?

For a long time, I sold only double layer slings. Then I started getting feedback from customers who said that a double layer took too long to dry after getting wet, and they felt it was too thick for their comfort. Plus, all the other vendors were doing just single-layer slings and no one had complained about those, and single-layer slings were easier to sew, so I dropped the double layers and started doing just single layers. Well, of course you can't please everyone :lol: and I started get requests for double-layer slings (just this year, interestingly), so now I'm doing them again, too. I have used both, and found that I could wear a single-layer sling with even a heavy toddler for upwards of 3 hours without discomfort. A couple of summers ago, I even wore my 45-lb five year old for 30 minutes at the beach, and it wasn't any more painful than just carrying him around... and I had my hands free. That sling was made from half of a double layer I'd used with him when he was a toddler, and his little sister, through her early toddlerhood.

So, what would I recommend? If you'd buying a Solarveil sling solely for sun protection, particularly if you live in a high-sun area like Texas or California, and your child is on the larger or heavier side, a double layer might be best for you. If you plan to use it mostly in the water, or in a very humid area, or have a lighter, small baby/child, a single layer is fine. A double layer is slightly more supportive, but not so much more so that I would say it's necessary for a heavier baby, particularly if you'll be using it in the water (wading or showering). As for the sun protection, the same beach trip where I wore my 5-year-old, I wore the single-layer sling with and without my daughter (then 2.5 years) in it. The shoulder I had the sling on didn't tan at all (and I am of Northern European stock -- i.e. white as a sheet), while the other shoulder, on which I had slathered SPF 60, did tan. I was quite impressed with even a single layer's sun protection; but I do live in New Hampshire, where the rays are slightly more oblique than in southerly parts.

Do I want nylon or aluminum rings?

I'd say one of my most frequently asked questions in the summertime is which rings to choose for a Solarveil sling -- nylon or aluminum? Despite what you might read elsewhere, both are fine with Solarveil, provided the correct size is used; I use small aluminum and nylon rings, and have never experienced slippage with either. The aluminum rings are anodized, so they won't rust or tarnish even in chlorinated pool water or salt water. The main difference is that the nylon rings are slightly easier to adjust than the aluminum rings with this fabric, because of the difference in the thickness of the rings. I prefer nylon rings for their ease of adjustment, but like the look of aluminum more.

I'd say as a rule of thumb, if you think you will be adjusting the sling frequently, try nylon; if you will be leaving the sling in one position and prefer the slightly "classier" look of aluminum rings, choose aluminum. The sling will still be adjustable through aluminum rings; it just takes a little bit more work. They definitely won't slip, of course!

Has Solarveil really been discontinued? Why?

You may or may not have heard that Solarveil has been discontinued. The manufacturer stopped making it due to cost concerns -- it was so expensive to weave that they would have had to essentially quadruple their prices to keep it in circulation. All of us in the babywearing community are saddened by this development, since it was such an ideal fabric for hot-weather slings. Most of us went to great lengths to buy as much as we could of the remaining Solarveil through a co-op (where the buyers pool their funds to get wholesale quantities, and all the fabric is shipped to one person, who then cuts and sends it to the individuals). I believe I have enough to make quite a few slings, but once it's gone, it's gone forever. Something to keep in mind if you think you might want a Solarveil sling in the farther future. If you think you'll want a Solarveil sling next year, now is the time to buy!