Kifaru in the classifieds

[Idaho Brad]

In 2016 when I joined RS, Kifaru items were gone almost as fast as they were listed. Fast forward to current times and almost every reply on a Kifaru item is a bump or TTT. What’s folks’ thoughts on why this is? I have my theories, but curious as to what everyone else thinks.


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[Wprinkle]

Kifaru sleeping bags and shelters have been surpassed in weight with the same durability.. Except in my opinion the Sawtooth is the best 1-2 man hot tent available and absolutely bomb proof.. Take the Supertarp.. Its smaller and heavier and requires like 24 stakes to be a hot tent, compared to the Argarli 2 man.. Kifaru just got left behind...

As for packs I never found a better pack than my hoodlum and duplex light frame until the K4 and teratorn... The K4 system is lighter fits me great and carries weight like the duplex light... Haven't tried the carbon frame and after using the K4 have no intention to...

 

[wnelson14]

Agree with the above everyone sold their Kifarus and bought K4s.

 

[grfox92]

Agree with the above everyone sold their Kifarus and bought K4s.

This. Before the K4, Kifaru was the best game in town for Packs. Now that we have the K4 and Kifaru timing with their new stuff was a day late and dollar short to stop the momentum of the K4. Now everyone has a K4 that will last them possibly a lifetime.

I joined in 2017 I think and Kifaru was talked about as much as 77 TMKs are talked about now. I currently don't see much talk about Kifaru at all.

Combine all that with Aron Snyder leaving the company. So many guys on here used to have man crushes on Snyder and that has seemed to fade away. He WAS Kifaru, literally. Now he's gone.

Never had one of their packs but really loved the Gun Bearer I had before I lost it chasing Antelope.

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[tak]

bump, TTT


Thanks for the reminder, I have a 44 mag I need to post up. Kifarus are still great packs.

 

[doc holiday13]

Kifaru makes a good product but the market has grown and adjusted so the consumer has options

 

[wnelson14]

Here is one of the things that I think has set up the decline in hunting popularity, getting their lunch eaten by SG, Initial Accent and EXO dominating new packs over the last 5ish years. They have been focused on trinkets and edc since they moved.
I would imagine since SG and EXO started back in the mid to late teens their hunting packs have slowly took a hit, and now the focus is on other items or maybe even military. This is all just a guess.

 

[BRTreedogs]

Kifaru talked a big game but any issue you mite have, they would always say that’s normal wear.
They would not stand behind anything.

And the foam in my hip belt and straps was completely compressed in 1.5 seasons.

They want to advertise they are the most rooten tooten toughest mama jamma out there then not warranty anything.

 

[Idaho Brad]

bump, TTT


Thanks for the reminder, I have a 44 mag I need to post up. Kifarus are still great packs.

I have a duplex with Absaroka bag and a lost park parka that were low low priced and not even a sniff. To the point now I’m just gonna get a small waist belt and give the pack and puffy to my son. 5 or six years ago they would have sold at almost new prices. I’m not complaining about it by any means, just an observation.


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[MuleyFever]

More competition now than 10 years ago. Kifaru was ahead of the pack and now others have caught up and/or passed them. Happens in every industry.

 

[ReddingArcher]

I really like my Reckoning pack, but I'm getting close to being due for a new one and will be buying an EXO. Nothing against Kifaru, but it looks like they are falling off quality wise and I just like what EXO is putting out.

 

[grfox92]

Kifaru talked a big game but any issue you mite have, they would always say that’s normal wear.
They would not stand behind anything.

And the foam in my hip belt and straps was completely compressed in 1.5 seasons.

They want to advertise they are the most rooten tooten toughest mama jamma out there then not warranty anything.

Ive heard this over and over and with real life friends. Not just people typing on the internet.

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[Jbehredt]

The kifaru waist belt used to be head and shoulders above everybody else. The K4 put them neck and neck with better bag designs. I’m still rocking a duplex tactical w/aluminum stays and exo bags but when these straps and belt wear down (3rd set) I’ll probably jump back to an exo frame/bag.

 

[roosiebull]

I feel like the company has changed too, for a long time it was the type of company you wanted to support and they make great stuff, now they are more commercialized and disconnected from the customer base.

I still have a lot of kifaru stuff, and love some stuff (LPP is an awesome coast puffy) from them, but I doubt I’ll ever own another pack from them with exo around. Nothing recently designed has interested me, but I still check once in awhile

 

[nphunter]

Kifaru talked a big game but any issue you mite have, they would always say that’s normal wear.
They would not stand behind anything.

And the foam in my hip belt and straps was completely compressed in 1.5 seasons.

They want to advertise they are the most rooten tooten toughest mama jamma out there then not warranty anything.

I'm not sure I agree with the foam, I've packed out well over a dozen bulls with my duplex and it's still going strong after like 8 years. I do agree with their crap customer service, I've had 2 issues, one with a broken clip where they told me I must have used the pack wrong and the second I had to pay for a sewing repair on my hip belt after it tore packing salt throughout the summer when the pack was less than a year old.

I think they are out in left field now, IMO their new gear is much worse than 5 years ago, bags are not well thought out, IMO the Ark frame is a very poorly thought-out frame. I posted about mine last fall and have since sold it. I still have a couple of duplex frames one with an Exo bag and one with a newer Absoroka bag and like them. I just bought a K4 so we will see how it compares hopefully I'll be packing a deer in it next week.

I think almost every other pack designer out has better bag designs, the best bag kifaru ever made was the Timberline series. Since then the bags just don't make sense to me, Exo and SG definitely do much better in the bag department.

 

[Str8shooter]

If the gear wears/tears or breaks, you're on your own. Repairs are too much of an inconvenience for them.

 

[R boar]

I actually really like my Kifaru pack, and it usually doesn't do this to me. But I probably won't buy any more Kifaru because every time I've talked to their customer service (before and after purchases) they are super unhelpful and just act like they have no interest in being useful.

For example before buying the pack, I measured my waist and I was on the line between small and medium, so I called them and Bonnie acted like I was dumb and said I should get the medium in case I wanted to wear any clothes under it. The medium was too big and I had to pay shipping both ways to exchange for a small, and that was after they first tried to get me to exchange the whole pack.

Then on the first trip with the pack, a branch snagged the water bottle pocket and tore it, so I emailed asking if I could purchase a small amount of the stretchy fabric to repair it (I didn't even ask to warranty it) and they said they can't sell fabric and directed me to some military supply website where I could buy an entire roll.

I'm young enough I don't mind carrying an 8lb pack everywhere, but I imagine a lot of people are looking into lighter alternatives.

 

[aMurderOfCrows]

This. Before the K4, Kifaru was the best game in town for Packs. Now that we have the K4 and Kifaru timing with their new stuff was a day late and dollar short to stop the momentum of the K4. Now everyone has a K4 that will last them possibly a lifetime.

I joined in 2017 I think and Kifaru was talked about as much as 77 TMKs are talked about now. I currently don't see much talk about Kifaru at all.

Combine all that with Aron Snyder leaving the company. So many guys on here used to have man crushes on Snyder and that has seemed to fade away. He WAS Kifaru, literally. Now he's gone.

Never had one of their packs but really loved the Gun Bearer I had before I lost it chasing Antelope.

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Yea, I think the Aaron Snyder effect is the real reason. I’ve owned Kifaru, awesome stuff. But then I bought the K3 and had the realization people are claiming now with the K4. That said, Snyder leaving really stalled the drive.

 

[BRTreedogs]

I'm not sure I agree with the foam, I've packed out well over a dozen bulls with my duplex and it's still going strong after like 8 years. I do agree with their crap customer service, I've had 2 issues, one with a broken clip where they told me I must have used the pack wrong and the second I had to pay for a sewing repair on my hip belt after it tore packing salt throughout the summer when the pack was less than a year old.

I think they are out in left field now, IMO their new gear is much worse than 5 years ago, bags are not well thought out, IMO the Ark frame is a very poorly thought-out frame. I posted about mine last fall and have since sold it. I still have a couple of duplex frames one with an Exo bag and one with a newer Absoroka bag and like them. I just bought a K4 so we will see how it compares hopefully I'll be packing a deer in it next week.

I think almost every other pack designer out has better bag designs, the best bag kifaru ever made was the Timberline series. Since then the bags just don't make sense to me, Exo and SG definitely do much better in the bag department.

Not saying it wasn’t usable.
But if you compared it back to back with new foam you would probably realize how bad yours has gotten.

There’s some back to back pics in a thread on here.
The new foam was at least twice as thick.

 

[KurtR]

Changed alot from 10 years ago when i got my Kifaru. Had a sowing problem with the belt called Frank answered i sent it in and fixed no questions asked. Another time had a question about set up called Snyders cell phone he answered in the deer stand in Alabama and talked me through it. Wont ever need another pack but if i did I would be looking a different route