Kifaru in the classifieds

[Chucklehead]

Its just not the "cool" thing anymore. Influencers exist because the marketing method works.
Few years ago Kifaru was in. (and sprinkle in a little Mystery Ranch)
Few years later it was Stone Glacier
After that was EXO
Now this year it seems like Initial Ascent is the "in" thing.
I'm sure in a couple years when EXO comes out with a K5 it will be all the rage.
It will go on and on and on.

I'm sure there are tons of people on here who have bought all these packs. (And in that order.) You don't have to wonder why:
Its all who has the best marketing/perception on social media, forums, podcasts, YouTube and of course rokslide.

They will buy a new pack and say "boy this XYZ is way better than my ABC I've been using for years".
Never mind that they are comparing something that is brand new to something that has probably hundreds of miles on it.
That'd be like trading in a chevy that has 200k on it, go and buy a brand new ford and say "boy, this ford drives way better than my chevy" Well it better, Its brand freaking new. But in their mind, it justified the purchase they made.

You are always being marketed to.

 

[Coopsdaddy]

I think it’s mainly snyder.
Like him or not he kills shit and has a personality.And most of us like killing shit.
Who the hell are the new owners?some rich dudes or corporation.
If exo sells out to some company or rich guys than the same will happen to them.
I like Snyder and his content.
I have a exo now mainly because there’s no better acting guys in the bussiness.
That’s who I like to give my money.At the end of the day there’s multiple packs that can get the job done.

 

[rcb2000]

I think it’s mainly snyder.
Like him or not he kills shit and has a personality.And most of us like killing shit.
Who the hell are the new owners?some rich dudes or corporation.
If exo sells out to some company or rich guys than the same will happen to them.
I like Snyder and his content.
I have a exo now mainly because there’s no better acting guys in the bussiness.
That’s who I like to give my money.At the end of the day there’s multiple packs that can get the job done.

The years of Kifaru when Kifarucast was with Snyder and Frank were the peak years, while Patrick owned the company.

 

[guitarpreston]

Market saturation.

 

[danwattsmessick]

Aron leaving is the biggest contributor to the decrease in sales and I don’t think anything can convince me otherwise.

 

[pirogue]

I ‘ve still got a couple Kifaru packs from the Patrick Smith days. Great packs, but guess what; neither are still available, and haven’t been for years. It’s like when Snyder became influential, one would think the design department had a mandate to introduce so many new packs, (with poor designs) or get fired, and get rid of packs that worked.

 

[woods89]

I think Patrick Smith was what made Kifaru great, and as his influence waned it was a long slow slide from where it had been. Just my opinion.

I'd also add, I can't think of an example in the hunting industry where a founder has sold the business and things have got better. I'm a happy Exo owner, and should be set up packwise for a long time, but I'd expect the same if they change hands. So far they seem committed to staying the course, but I think every business owner gets to a point where a really good offer sounds pretty attractive.

So to recap, I'd say Kifaru was best when Patrick Smith was running the ship, Stone Glacier was best when Kurt Racicot was doing the same, and Exo is currently in that moment.

 

[huntsman22]

and Dana Gleason.....

 

[tony]

Mel Terkla was the real Kifaru.

 

[woods89]

and Dana Gleason.....

Yeah, he needs to be on that list as well!

 

[ChrisA]

Its just not the "cool" thing anymore. Influencers exist because the marketing method works.
Few years ago Kifaru was in. (and sprinkle in a little Mystery Ranch)
Few years later it was Stone Glacier
After that was EXO
Now this year it seems like Initial Ascent is the "in" thing.
I'm sure in a couple years when EXO comes out with a K5 it will be all the rage.
It will go on and on and on.

I'm sure there are tons of people on here who have bought all these packs. (And in that order.) You don't have to wonder why:
Its all who has the best marketing/perception on social media, forums, podcasts, YouTube and of course rokslide.

They will buy a new pack and say "boy this XYZ is way better than my ABC I've been using for years".
Never mind that they are comparing something that is brand new to something that has probably hundreds of miles on it.
That'd be like trading in a chevy that has 200k on it, go and buy a brand new ford and say "boy, this ford drives way better than my chevy" Well it better, Its brand freaking new. But in their mind, it justified the purchase they made.

You are always being marketed to.

I guess I'm an outlier. When buying my very first pack I researched a ton and Aron offered up his number and invited me to call him. I really enjoyed his podcasts and felt like I knew him personally. However, I never did and ended up ordering a gen 1 exo because of the introductory price and I liked the key talking points of the pack. It worked very well so I bought a K3 a few years later. I've packed 7 elk, a whitetail, and 4 mule deer with the exo packs and couldn't be happier.

I despise being marked to and am owly enough to never do business with a company that has a frickn annoying radio commercial and the like. I about lost my shit at Casey's when I couldn't mute the frickn advertising on the fuel pump earlier this week.

Disclosure: I'm a latch key Gen X'er that grew up 5 miles from town and haven't turned a TV on in 6 years.

 

[BAKPAKR]

I think Patrick Smith was what made Kifaru great, and as his influence waned it was a long slow slide from where it had been. Just my opinion.

I still have two Kifaru packs from back in the day when you could pick any color you wanted, as long as it was black.

 

[kuhn4]

Patrick Smith customer service was excellent.

 

[bozeman]

Its an evolution of a company and industry. Product quality and Customer Service still go A LONG ways with people. I value fit/comfort......therefore still use and will continue to use Kifaru products. I do shake my head when you see continued posts like this taking an indirect 'dig' at a company. I have tried them all and still use the ARK 25" frame, but that is me and my usage/comfort (SG and Exo just weren't as comfy under load). I have a friend who enjoys MR packs and has one that is prob 5 years old. He won't try another pack. I believe some people just have to have what they consider 'in', but that is not me. To each their own, that is why I like the plethora of offerings we have to choose from.

 

[pirogue]

Patrick Smith customer service was excellent.

I think Patrick Smith was what made Kifaru great, and as his influence waned it was a long slow slide from where it had been. Just my opinion.

I also own a backpack that I still use for travel, and used everyday for work and travel, for years, before I retired over 10 years ago. The brand on the pack, Mountainsmith, which Patrick Smith founded and later sold, before Kifaru.

 

[FrankieP1988]

The years of Kifaru when Kifarucast was with Snyder and Frank were the peak years, while Patrick owned the company.

I agree that this was definitely the peak era for Kifaru. Patrick's focus really was to build bomb proof innovative gear and to stand behind it. When the company sold, focus and priorities changed which is to be expected. Some changes for the better and some for the worse. The Patrick Smith aura is something that slowly slipped away though.

As mentioned, the industry eventually catches up and surpasses. There are a ton of really great options on the market these days. Add in poor customer service and there is no reason for someone to grab a Kif pack over one of the many competitors.

Also as mentioned, love him or hate him, Aron was a really good marketer and influencer for the brand. Now that competitors are dumping some serious money on marketing and influencers, I think it will be an uphill battle for Kifaru to get back on top, but not impossible. There are some really capable people working there, so maybe they have something up their sleeve for the future!

 

[ozyclint]

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.

As has been said, Patrick WAS Kifaru. Aron simply bought in.

Patrick's era was still a time where you could run a business off the back of making things that lasted a lifetime.

Now we are in an age of planned obsolescence. Where selling something once isn't enough. You need constant exposure with the latest and greatest new must have product.

It's analogous to social media content creators like youtubers. It trends to having constant mediocre content rather than solid quality product less often