How do I find my woven wrap base size?
Woven wraps come in different sizes. Each size corresponds to a specific wrap length. When buying your first woven wrap you might want to know, which size is your base size.
What is base size?
Technically your base size is the size woven wrap you need to create a specific standard carry called Front Wrap Cross Carry (FWCC). If you are about to buy your first woven wrap, there's a chance this doesn't help you a lot. In that case just think of your base size as the size woven wrap that makes i possible for you to create a lot of different carries without have too big a surplus of wrap length.
Your base size is primarilly determined by your own height and body build and secondary of the size of your child. Also the wrap itself might influence the base size (how thick it is and how the tails are cut), but this is a minor contributor, and we'll not go futher into this aspect.
Many people have base size 6. Most people will have base size between 5 and 7, but some also have base size smaller or bigger than this.
| Size | Meter | Feet | Inches |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2.0 - 2.2 | 6.6 - 7.2 | 79 - 87 |
| 2 | 2.5 - 2.7 | 8.2 - 8.9 | 98 - 106 |
| 3 | 3.1 - 3.3 | 10.2 - 10.8 | 122 - 130 |
| 4 | 3.6 - 3.9 | 11.8 - 12.8 | 142 - 154 |
| 5 | 4.2 - 4.3 | 13.8 - 14.1 | 165 - 169 |
| 6 | 4.6 - 4.9 | 15.1 - 16.1 | 181 - 193 |
| 7 | 5.2 - 5.4 | 17.1 - 17.7 | 205 - 213 |
| 8 | 5.5 - 5.8 | 18.0 - 19.0 | 217 - 228 |
| 9 | 6.2 - 6.4 | 20.3 - 21.0 | 244 - 252 |
Find your base size
You can find your base size in two ways.
Make a Front Wrap Cross Carry
The most accurate way to find your base size is to borrow a woven wrap (e.g. in size 6) and tie a Front Wrap Cross Carry with it. Then see how much wrap length you have left.
If you haven't got enough wrap length to finish the carry with a proper knot, your base size is bigger.
If you have more than enough wrap length to finish the carry, and e.g. has half a meter in surplus, then your base size is smaller.
If you have enough wrap length to finish the carry with a bit of tail, then you've found your base size.
Use this cheat sheet
If you can't borrow or try a wrap to find your base size, another option is to use this cheat sheet to find your base size. Please remember that this sheet is only meant as a guide. We're all wonderfully differently build, and not all will fit this sheet, since also height, build and other factors have something to say.
| Size | |
|---|---|
| 4 | 2XS |
| 5 | XS - S |
| 6 | M - L |
| 7 | XL - 2XL |
| 8 | 3XL - 4XL |
| 9 | 5XL - 6XL |
If you are about to buy your first woven wrap, you're probably now thinking that it's terribly important to find your exact base size. It's not. Woven wrap sizes are not the same as clothing sizes. You'll soon discover that you can use wraps in many different sizes, and that a lot of different people can use the same wrap size. If it's important for you to be able to make the standard-carry Front Wrap Cross Carry, it's better to chose a wrap that's too long than a wrap that's too short. Otherwise the best thing you can do, is just to make a guess at your base size and begin carrying.
Please also remember that the different woven wrap brands vary a bit in how long their wraps are. This is not fully standardized.