…

[*zap*]

gram counters.....

 

[rclouse79]

It seemed like they were king of the hill a decade or so ago. I think they are still good, but it seems several other brands have closed the gap recently.

 

[Szwampdonkey]

.... in my opinion Kifaru believes their reputation has gained enough market share to operate like Yeti, "no matter what we put our name on it will sell, no matter the cost or the competition".

..... a little too ambitious in my opinion.

Yeti sells a $130 bucket! Imagine paying $130 for a plastic bucket with a little insert and a lid!!!! Unreal

 

[butcherboy]

I have an older Timberline 2 internal frame that I have used for many years. It’s been a great pack but I have a few complaints about it. I don’t like having so many freakin straps everywhere! I don’t like that’s it’s top loading only, no meat shelf so everything has to go inside the pack. They didn’t make a separate frame and bag back when I bought this pack. I’m also going to be downsizing my pack size since I rarely do any deep backcountry pack ins. I may be selling it after Christmas.

 

[wind gypsy]

I bet if Aron was posting on here like he used to Kifaru would be way more popular.

Guarantee it. That was a big part of why it became so popular. I bought a kifaru pack sometime around 2017 even though i had a perfectly good EXO pack just because rokslide hyped it as the best so I wanted to buy whatever i could to make packouts suck less. Turned out that pack carried weight the worst for me of any of the frame packs i've owned (EXO, SO, SG, kifaru).

Sure, they make some nice stuff but there isn't anything they make (at least wasn't when i paid attention) that I haven't found a comparable product made from someone else that I felt was a better fit for what I wanted. But people still bought the shit out of the brand.

 

[cuerro viejo]

Im Exo guy since inception, but EXO product line and options are micro compared to kifaru. Kifaru probably has the largest pack skew next to MR none hunting line.

So I guess I dont get how they have lost their way. Think Kifaru is on right track. the move did kill there shelter market share though.

 

[3forks]

You could easily insert ________ or ________ for Kifaru, and RS membership this exact minute. People following blindly without thinking for themselves.RS 101

I agree with your point, but I still think some Kifaru addicts take it to an extreme.

Brand loyalty is something all manufacturers aspire for, and if i find a product I like - I’m loyal to it - but some Kifaru guys on this site are absolutely combative and defensive over the brand.

 

[3forks]

I agree. And while this post probably came off that way. The reality of it is i know colors don’t matter, and colors don’t make you a better hunter. It was just one of the little things i enjoyed having some options as it’s pretty rare in the pack world now that i think about it, marsupial and t&k are probably the last two offerings with allot of color options.
And i agree there is lots of kifaru loyalist out there! It seems i grew into one myself over time haha. I guess what prompted me to make this post is that i never meant to be a loyalist, I bought one back and was so satisfied i never had the need to look elsewhere. Now ten years later im looking at other sites because nothing they have appeals to me. Just a shocking 180 i guess. What pack do you like to currently run?


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I’m sorry if you thought because I mentioned colors in your original post, that my post was somehow related to you specifically. That wasn’t my intent at all.

My opinion on how people spend their money is irrelevant, but I do think there are some people out there who buy Kifaru that have no experience with other brands even though some of those other brands may work better for them. Those guys are buying Kifaru because they like the idea of the brand more than the functionality of the brand itself.

 

[TheBootBowhunting]

I dont normally get into these things, but Ill chime in, hopefully in a contructive way.

Losing Frank hurt them. No 2 ways around that. They vastly underestimated his importance and shouldve done what it took to keep him. Probably hindsight is 20/20 for them on that front.

I use, and like, a boatload of Kifaru. The Bedlam I might as well have designed it myself, absolutely perfect bag. I am not an ounce counter, and I have tried packs from a few different companies and still preferred the Kifaru. Coming from the USMC, their packs have always felt familiar. I like the modularity to add and subtract pockets and lids. I still they they make the toughest packs out there. I cant see using any other pack, they just work for me.

I do think they need to start incorporating different materials and designs. It looks like they are starting to use squadron fabric with laser cut molle on some things next year (duplex belts and the whitetail pack Aron teased today). Thats a step in the right direction.

But the pre release and free gear was a bit of a turn off to a lot of people with the bino harness, people paid for it, then a couple months passed then the people on their free and reduced gear list got "test" bino packs after people paid. Not sure how testing can be done after you had a presale. Then of course, all of them talked up the bino harness - and it just isnt very good. I havent come across any other Kifaru item that just wasnt good, until that bino harness. But they had to get the good reviews on the gram and on forums by using the people who want to continue getting pre release and free gear.

Suffice to say, they are still making quality stuff. Just seems they need to clean up the non product things going on and just get back to making quality, American backpacks, and maybe no so many wallets and koozies and soccer mom bags.

 

[CorbLand]

Full disclosure, I never really followed Kifaru closely. For those saying losing Frank hurt them. Why is that?

The one time I dealt with him I was less than impressed but it was one interaction.

 

[3forks]

Spot on, obsession with brand loyalty is silly. Buy what works for you or what you can afford. In this modern age of social media and ultra polarization of everything it’s weird, but not surprising how people get so attached to one thing or another. A lot of the gear I own was bought because the company offered deep discounts and it works well. Some of the brands stopped offering me discounts so I bought other products that work just as well. Also I have 2 hunting packs, a “day/overnight pack” and a backpacking/multi day trip pack. How many packs does a guy need or go through? I think some of these companies run into issues when it’s hard to keep selling packs to guys that have them already and that already work well.

I don’t want to speak for you, but I think you could take your point further and contend that due to the hype a brand like Kifaru has on sites like this, guys with zero experience buy it because they don’t have to educate themselves or think critically.

That same kind of thinking is why we have so many posts on here asking what unit to hunt, and why we also have a lot people who get frustrated with their hunts when they think that since they bought all the high end gear, and followed the “recipe” they got online for their western hunt, they expect to kill a bull/buck.

 

[Augie]

I started and still currently use kifaru packs/frames. Last year I ordered a Stone Glacier XCurve frame and sky guide 6900 just to see how I like it compared to my kifaru. I think the materials and construction was really good but was a bit skeptical of the velcro on the frame (just how my brain works not saying it doesn't work well). My issue with the Xcurve frame is that it was not really large enough. The largest size offered is a large yet I had the shoulder pads/straps and waist belt completely maxed out on length just trying to get it on. Granted I'm a 260lb former college wrestler and I have extremely large shoulders from years of wrestling, football and lifting. But I can't use a pack that has no extra strap length in it. Though I have a few complaints with my kifaru it fits way better. Downside of my kifaru is that it squeaks in the stays (can't find the proper spot to wax) and the frame sits in a way to where it touches the top of my butt so I feel like it sits too low even when there's little to no load in it.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Funny, back “in the day,” Kifaru had a reputation (particularly on Rokslide) as the only legit option for serious backcountry hunters (whatever that means).

I still use my old duplex. My pack bag is no longer made, I believe it was called the high Country or something like that. Basically just a large, one compartment bag. Sadly, it got chewed up by one of my hounds as it was soaked with blood. To my surprise, I looked at Kifaru and was shocked to see that a similar bag was now $550 or so. I patched the bag and it will hopefully hold up for a year or two.

I think there stuff is still hell for stout, but I bought a Mystery Ranch for a smaller 2-4 day pack. I love it. I was always told MR didn’t belong in the upper-echelon of pack brands. Now, I see that like most of what you read online, it is nonsense.

The frame feels nowhere near as robust as Kifaru, but in use it is perfectly fine. It’s much more comfortable with lower weights. I can get MR 55% off retail. I don’t need a hundred attachment points, or straps all over the place. The older I get, the more I value simplicity and the more I see consumer demand is basically manufactured.

Found MR back in the day when I a

I don’t want to speak for you, but I think you could take your point further and contend that due to the hype a brand like Kifaru has on sites like this, guys with zero experience buy it because they don’t have to educate themselves or think critically.

That same kind of thinking is why we have so many posts on here asking what unit to hunt, and why we also have a lot people who get frustrated with their hunts when they think that since they bought all the high end gear, and followed the “recipe” they got online for their western hunt, they expect to kill a bull/buck.

yep, lots of just wanting to hit the easy button… I get doing research, but really have to get stuff and figure out what works for you as an individual

 

[Netherman]

Yeah it’s a weird deal man. This post wasn’t supposed to be a bitch fest, Im not against trying other companies, and i still think kifaru shit is tough as nails. There’s just something OFF, it feels like the company is being held hostage by a non hunter lol. Almost everything they do lately leaves me scratching my head. The soccer mom bag is the perfect example lol. Who asked for that?


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I feel the same way. Something feels off and I can't help but wonder if it's related to the sale and new ownership. It feels like there may be a push to increase revenue to recover their initial investment vs "labor of love" model. I like the comment on copying the Yeti model. Step 1 slap a rhino on it step 2 profit...

I still think their gunbearer and a few other products are the best options out there, but it seems they've been focusing on profit over innovation lately.

 

[Farmingdale's Finest]

I don’t mean to be contentious with this post, but I was always turned off by Kifaru due to some of their customer base. I just didn’t want to be associated with the guys who didn’t seem to be able to think for themselves and were/are rabid Kifaru fans who operate with blind loyalty.

This is what all brands hope for! It is the same as the blind loyalty for GM, Ford, Ram and Toyota. Mathews vs. Hoyt vs. Elite etc. It's human nature people want to justify to the world that what ever they laid their hard earned money on is the best that anyone can buy.

 

[307]

Kifaru bags to me check all the boxes and check no boxes at the same time. Way too many options, super confusing. EXO K4 I believe is the perfect bag and has killed their market share imho.

There's a saying in marketing that "if you confuse, you lose" that Kifaru would do well to incorporate in their product offerings.

Kifaru isn't my choice for packs for several reasons but the most significant part is all of the add ons and pockets. I don't want to add a bunch of pockets to a pack. To me, the all of the add ons and extra straps make them look amateur, sloppy, unrefined, and cheap (which is quite ironic considering the price). I expect a much more refined product with cleaner construction and efficient design. Thankfully, those options exist in the current market.

 

[pirogue]

It’s like they have a design group that has to come up with a new design or redesign something that doesn’t need to, or get terminated. Take the original Antero daypack. It had a handle located on top, for picking it up(duh) and hanging it on a tree to maintain minimal silhouetting. They redesigned it/placed the handle down lower to look like it’s there for a person behind you to hang on to, while climbing a hill.

 

[pirogue]

Camo clothing and apparel has never been more popular; and to get rid of Multicam?

 

[Ucsdryder]

I think at one point they started selling supplements and shit, and people were buying that lol


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I don’t think people bought them…which is why they went away. That might have been the low point…but then they came out with a hobo bag and wallet. So maybe not…

 

[Jimmy]

It's not easy for a company to stay on top. You try stuff and when things fail you stop doing that, and try something else. Rising costs, things go in and out of popularity. Trying to maintain profits and not price your customers out. Employees move on, new ones come in. Exciting new companies start competing. Other companies steal customers with false advertising. Sometimes you go through periods of burnout, or periods of just lack of creativity and no new good ideas. The list goes on forever.

I know from personal experience that sometimes it seems like everyone is asking for something new. So you start offering that. Then find out later that everyone DOESN'T want it, just a small group of loud customers.

IDK that's what is going on here, just food for thought.