Kifaru Belt Sizing Question

[LeftOverChicken]

I am very close to in between sizes. Wondering if it’s better to go up or down? Medium is 34-38 and Large is 39-46. I wear a size 38 in jeans but generally wear the belt on my pack a bit higher up. Are the straps on the large bottomed right out at 39? Are the straps on the medium maxed out at 38?


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[TheBootBowhunting]

Can you measure where youll actually wear it? I have a medium and a large, I might be able to help if you give me that number.

 

[LeftOverChicken]

I don’t have a tape measure available right now but I do get fatter where it sits with my other packs. Probably around 40.


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[TheBootBowhunting]

I think youd be ok with Medium. I wear 34-36 pants, and measure 38 where I wear the pack belt and Im right in the middle of adjustment on the medium when its cinched down. Id easily bottom out on the large right now. The medium belt isnt just smaller in circumference, its also less wide as well. Just feels better overall with the medium.

 

[LeftOverChicken]

Perfect. Thanks for the help.


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[Spoony]

I would go with a medium. I am a 34-36 and the medium is perfect, with room to go both ways. I tend to lose weight throughout a hunt, or the hunt season, and become more like a 34-33. But talk to Kifaru to get their thoughts. If you are not pressed for time, I am sure they would swap it for a large as long as it is not soiled.

 

[strongarm]

@LeftOverChicken In the same boat as you…and I suspect a ton of people out there built our way. Unfortunately it’s a no-mans-land scenario because the answer lies in the total load in your pack.

For comfort I personally prefer the Large. It wraps around the iliac crest and a bit further fully around the front points of my hips. Super comfortable and less slippage. This is my preference and the additional rows of webbing for pouches and accessories a bonus.

Larges can work well with lighter loads and in cold weather hunting with bulkier clothing. But, when carrying heavy weights, you’re likely to bottom out the Large and it will slip under load (full camp, full optics, and/or quarters).

That suggests a Medium…however Medium belts (again, for me) only take padding just to the front points of your hips but no wrap around those points. It’s doable at lighter weight/ with day gear, but when cinching down—especially under load—the webbing can turn into a tourniquet across the front of your midsection and is quite uncomfortable, especially when hiking and on rough terrain.

Kifaru used to make a Marge, a belt between the two sizes, that’s perfect for builds like ours. I called within the last year when trying to replace a worn out belt and was told the Marge wasn’t an option. With that, they said the new Larges were adjusted and *should* work, but I haven’t ordered one to try. I’m too nervous about it being the same since the published size breakdowns are still 38 and under (Medium) or 39 and up (Large)

I would love if the in-between Marge came back into production as an option. I’d buy one for every pack for longevity across my kit since I have multiple Duplex suspension packs. 38” waist is a super common size so it’s hard to think many others wouldn’t benefit from this ‘tweener size if available.

These belts do stretch and wear out over time, but for me the Medium—even broken in ones—are just too small and the Large too big with heavy loads. Maybe the teased new Kifaru belt will have a solution for guys with our measurements. Or, bring back the Marge (?please?).

 

[gelton]

The last pack I ordered from them was probably 2 years ago. I asked for a Marge in the comments when the pack was ordered but was shipped a Medium. I called into the office and was told that it was a Marge when I knew for sure it wasn't, texted Aron and had a call back within 15 minutes while he was on a hunt and had a Marge overnighted to me.

This was back when he was a bit more involved in front-line customer service and we had talked several times previously, but long story short - you could probably get a Marge if you call their support and ask nicely.

 

[Jpsmith1]

I'm close to that size. I'm a little "paunchy" little beer belly.

Medium works during warmer weather. Sometimes, it's hard to get ahold of the tabs to pull on them, so I threaded some cord through and added pull loops.

Winter, with heavy gear on? Swap on the large belt.