…

[PMcGee]

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…

I love my kifaru pack but this funny.


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[thinhorn_AK]

My first good backpack was a kifaru, it was good but I moved on from their packs. I still think the LPP is one of my all time favorite pieces of gear, in fact I was just thinking I should order another one.

They make good stuff but this isn't 2016, there are several great pack companies out there right now that you can get into for cheaper. Im getting ready to buy a new pack and its either going to be a k4 or one of the SG terminus packs, I havn't even considered getting a kifaru pack.

 

[prm]

Kifaru can be odd with the pockets. Some people go crazy and it looks ridiculous to me. However, they do offer you a way to make the pack function as you want it to. The K4 on the other hand is designed to work one way. Other than a water bottle holder and small belt pouch, it is what it is. Both can be very good, just different. I previously had a Kifaru frame and a few different bags. While I like my K4 (3600) and have no plans of changing it, I don’t like the stretchy pocket or the fact that I have to undo straps to get into the long side pockets. And speaking of straps, I feel I need to color code the buckles so I can remember where they all go. It’s relatively simple when full, but when day hunting and nearly empty I found it a bit of a mess. That will improve with time and usage, but talk about straps and buckles everywhere! The Kifaru Stryker(s) were much easier to use in my opinion.

 

[rodney482]

Still using a prototype Timberline and still loving it. I never got caught up in the constant upgrade.

 

[fatlander]

The prices on kiffys has gone through the roof. Goodness. I’m sure material has gone up but damn.

One starts to wonder when you’re seeing fly in hunts year over year, new raptors and Shelbie’s every year, hella high dollar toys, podcasts about bass boats, months of hunting. . . I don’t know what the finances look like but that’s just off putting to me as a potential customer. I’ll buy you a steak, just not the whole cow.

An extremely successful businessman just the other day told me about his “signature truck”. He custom orders them to look like an XLT from the outside and a platinum inside. His exact words, “it’s a bad look to pull up a jobsite or a meeting in a high dollar truck.” Another man I know has a company that grossed 1 billion last year. He drives an 02 Mitsubishi.

Not sure what’s going on but that’s just something that struck a chord with me.


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[hoff1ck]

Saw they did 1000 orders today, think Kifaru is doing fine. I like their packs and what they stand for, no different than MKC and Origin. Also understand there’s lots of comparable options. Just have to use what you like and support who you want to support.

 

[Dos Perros]

I know everybody did, but man why did they have to take the COVID money?

 

[Justin Crossley]

Still using a prototype Timberline and still loving it. I never got caught up in the constant upgrade.

Because that's the best bag they ever made. I still have a DT1 as well and have no plans to change it.

 

[pirogue]

Still using a prototype Timberline and still loving it. I never got caught up in the constant upgrade.

Yep, still using my Timberline 3, and in Multicam, imagine that. Use it for a 3 hour hunt or a 3 day bivy.

 

[Farmingdale's Finest]

I know everybody did, but man why did they have to take the COVID money?

Because it was smart business. They are not a public company that is too big to fail.


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[S.Clancy]

Though i know they are the heaviest, The weight never bothered me! Kinda liked that it was a little beefier.
What was going on with the straps? Were they breaking down or what?


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The foam was breaking down/compressing much quicker than I expected, in both the shoulder straps and waist belt. They just use a less dense foam, which is more comfortable, but you pay for that with lack of longevity. For the cost, it wasn't worth it for me cause I pack a bunch of critters. Especially with the cost of the replacements.

 

[ReddingArcher]

I do love the pack I have from them and three other pieces, I think it’s great stuff. I haven’t looked at the site in a while so I have no idea how much a bag is now. The color aspect I couldn’t care less, it’s just a bag to put my stuff in. I do agree that something feels off, that’s a good way to put it. When the time comes for a new pack I’ll look at their stuff and all the other companies also. The new exo does seem like a great pack and I’d definitely have it on my short list.

Losing Frank was a bummer, especially on the podcast side I think. I don’t listen nearly as often as I used to.

 

[justin davis]

I used kifaru bags back when they only had a couple models (3 I think) and they were only
Offered in the color black. I’ve seen their company go from an almost secret club like where only a few had their gear. Hardly anyone knew about them to them being a huge company with all sorts of guys running their packs. I’ve always been a fan of them. I really like Patrick Smith the founder and Aron is awesome. I will be a supporter of kifaru for the rest of my days likely. They have always had great customer
Service and treated me well

 

[Lawnboi]

Still using a prototype Timberline and still loving it. I never got caught up in the constant upgrade.

I would love another timberline. I don’t at all care for a frame, and part of the reason I know that, is that pack.

Problem is it seems they are not repairing stuff any longer. So don’t wear it out.

If I had the funds and a Time Machine I’d go back and buy 3 of them, to hopefully last me another 20 years.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

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.

For what it’s worth - my folks had backpacking and ski shops when I was growing up and they sold a lot of Mountainsmith. When Patrick launched Kifaru, I was given one of his first packs and still have, and occasionally use it.

I’ve owned quite a few different Kifaru products over the year’s, and I think Kifaru makes an excellent pack. However, other frames and bag designs worked somewhat better for me, I and don‘t base my pack buying decisions on colorways. Other guys might, and I’m not criticising them, but the cult of Kifaru was a little bit of a turn off for me. If Kifaru had a pack that was the best option for me, I’d buy it with no second thoughts.

If that’s the way you feel about fan boys, you’d better sell your exo if you have one.

Packs are packs. Vanity in pack ownership is too. Over the last two years, exo could box up horse crap and quite a few guys here would spend 6 months talking about the release date. Then after getting it for a day, post three thousand times between them how good it was.

I’m not saying you don’t mean what you are saying. But, I am saying is the fanboy barrage is pretty strong right now for the K4.

Steve is a great guy. Exo makes a great pack. But, never in the history of hunting forums has there been such a cult following as exo has right now. Maybe it’s well deserved. But, it’s hard to believe it is after reading the snail trail the fanboys laid down at the idea of the K4

 

[kuhn4]

Lawnboi - This post and picture are primarily for you. My T1, T2 and T3. I took the picture to document the foliage color inconsistency that occurred over time. Thanks again for letting my dad and I try on your T1 before we made the leap and bought our T1s.​

 

[WV Mountaineer]

Ok. I responded a couple times to posters. Then I read the whole thread. I know this is just a discussion. And, I’m bored. So, here goes.

What's off is they now have a new facility. That moved quite a ways from the origin of this company. Frank wasn’t the only one who didn’t transfer with them. And, the way I understood it, that was his decision. Not that it matters.


I don’t know where their cordura comes from in this country. But, I’m guessing the move put them farther away. That’s price increase number one. Shipping increases as delivery destinations get farther away. And, being berry compliant doesn’t lend to a closer option.

I’ve never met many people standing in line to be a seamstress either. Much less to sew back packs. I don’t know if their sewers moved or not. I’m just saying if they didn’t, it likely wasn’t easy finding a compotent labor force that was willing to move to Wyoming. And, it took money to get them there whether they transferred or had to be hired. Price increase number 2.

Tooling, material, work force, new hires, transferring employees are all cost they took on. Profits come after those increases hit home. Somewhere in all this is why things now cost more for them. Which is why consumer prices are increased and further options are limited.

Anyways, no one there is living lavishly. And, at these prices, no one is buying the whole cow now versus the steak pre move. Running a business for profit is different than being a W2 employee. And, that distinction is lost in a lot of these posts.

It’s not a mystery. Their pricing has been adjusted due to having a higher overhead. Everyone there realized the fallout from higher pricing. It’s not due to greed either.

Things for them have changed. You still gotta decide if buying American made is good enough versus berry compliant. I’ll take berry compliant. There frames are the pinnacle. So are their bags. Set aside the bias and everyone is still compared to Kifaru when it comes to back packs. And, You look to the top to find the benchmark. That hasn’t changed.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Tried their packs a couple of years ago and just prefer MR more. Everything else I have from kirafru is rock solid. Love and use my woobie and slick bag. Have a shit ton of their accessories like stuff sacks and what not.

I am still waiting on that shirtless pic of aron riding a horse like Putin that I was promised, but apart from that, they are great.

 

[taskswap]

I can't really speak for their packs. I've rolled with everything from Eberlestock/Mystery Ranch at the high end to no-name Amazon finds on the low and I'm honestly a bit jaded at this point when it comes to packs and construction quality, no matter the price level. But I will say I've really come to enjoy a few Kifaru "accessory" items:

1. Their "ultralight pullouts" are everything I'd want in that type of item - I use the largest size for my kitchen/camp/cook bag and a few smaller one for my first-aid and kill-kit bags.

2. I have two of their "belt pouch" offerings on my Mystery Ranch pack, one Small and one Medium. I really like them better than the 7-8 other brands I've tried (I literally have a storage bin of "accessory bags" - I think I may have tried them all at this point). The zippers open more easily than other bags and they aren't weighed down with fru-fru nonsense like a patchwork of molle I'll never attach anything to.

3. I don't run with it every hunt, but their Gun Bearer is a nice accessory for a pack without a way to carry a rifle. This is for "packing in" more than hunting, when you don't need your rifle quickly accessible e.g. on a sling. But it's nice to shift the weight better to your hip belt if you're spiking in the day before and don't need quick access.

These manufacturers really need to do better in the "What's New" hype department. Le4t's be honest, I'm not buying a new pack or shelter every year. But I absolutely buy new accessories probably every month, just chasing that dopamine rush when it's not hunt season.

 

[BCsteve]

Their podcast hasn't been the same either since Frank left.