Why so many Kifaru packs for sale??

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Weren't they on sale on Campfire awhile back? A person could buy several while on sale and then resell them below MSRP and may a quick buck.

 

[Gapmaster]

Also, I think people buy them because they think they want a "cool" kifaru pack and then realize they don't need a $$$$ backpack to hunt out of a tree stand or use it as much as they thought they would. Then they get put up in the classifieds.

Disclaimer: I have more Kifaru packs than brains.

Yeah I’ve seen guys asking what pack they should use for whitetail hunting...I’m thoroughly confused with that question. I hunt whitetail 50+ days a year for 30+ years and haven’t ever needed a Kifaru style bag for anything deer related. More $ than sense.

 

[Trogon]

Never saw the appeal. They are heavy AF and expensive AF. Maybe others think the same...

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Also, I think people buy them because they think they want a "cool" kifaru pack and then realize they don't need a $$$$ backpack to hunt out of a tree stand or use it as much as they thought they would. Then they get put up in the classifieds.

Disclaimer: I have more Kifaru packs than brains.

Id bet that there is a large segment of the hunting crowd/kifaru crowd that dosen't even backpack hunt, they probably want to, they like cool gear etc so they buy a kifaru....but they live in iowa or something and like you said, just tree stand hunt.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Never saw the appeal. They are heavy AF and expensive AF. Maybe others think the same...

I tend to agree which is why my kifaru pack has turned into a training pack. Id much rather carry my stone glacier.

 

[Gapmaster]

Never saw the appeal. They are heavy AF and expensive AF. Maybe others think the same...

This is only reason I haven’t purchased one, I like the looks of several of their bags but there must be 2 pounds of Molle webbing on everything. Of course durability goes along ways also.

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

Never saw the appeal. They are heavy AF and expensive AF. Maybe others think the same...

I don't understand how people think Kifaru is so much heavier than other packs. If I put together a stone glacier kit with curved stays, and the same bag size as a Kifaru Reckoning on an ultralight frame, it's a 4 oz difference...

The biggest weight savings in any pack system (given identical sized bags) is always the frame. And a comfortable (curved stays) frame that can handle heavy loads will always require a certain amount of weight to maintain its durability. There's always a tradeoff.

 

[MattB]

I don't understand how people think Kifaru is so much heavier than other packs. If I put together a stone glacier kit with curved stays, and the same bag size as a Kifaru Reckoning on an ultralight frame, it's a 4 oz difference...

The biggest weight savings in any pack system (given identical sized bags) is always the frame. And a comfortable (curved stays) frame that can handle heavy loads will always require a certain amount of weight to maintain its durability. There's always a tradeoff.

Oooh, the reverse fan-boy. Bold move. ;-)

Kifaru comes out with new bags much more frequently than the competitors, so you tend to see a lot of people selling old to buy new.

There are lots of guys who prefer their waist belt design/comfort to others in the industry which is why many guys use them, which - along with the bag options/modularity - account for the brand's popularity.

 

[EmperorMA]

Buying a Kifaru is a commitment. You really can't go any higher ... there are no "upgrades" over Kifaru as they are the biggest, heaviest, most bomb-proof, most durable, most modular bags you can get. Once you have made the commitment to carry the size and the weight, it opens up all possibilities. Once all those possibilities that you used to be afraid of are open to you, a whole new world of exploration, tinkering, striving for perfection follows.

There may be other packs out there that work better for people, but once you have the biggest and the heaviest and the burliest, there is nowhere else to go in terms of 'up." The possibilities that the commitment opens up keeps people trying new things. Perfect storm, really, for the robust aftermarket.

 

[bridgermgmt]

I agree with others on the weight issue. If you spec out a kifaru to a like competitor, you end up either the same or a small lighter/heavier difference in most cases. But when you start going based on use cases, then you see a large discrepancy. However I feel that's a terrible way to compare something. Like saying a tank gets bad gas mileage compared to a Prius. Sure, both will carry 4 granola eating savages.... but only 1 of them will survive when the plants take back the world lol.

Kifaru bags hold value, are constantly being refreshed for newer and better designs and features, and not to be forgotten, have a heck of a customer base. I appreciate that they are always trying to improve. And much like phones, I jump back in the pool every few generations to try it out. Sometimes I re-sell, sometimes I keep.

For those who are in the Kifaru eco-system, we all know the truth. None of us really OWN a Kifaru, rather, we are share holders who RENT the ones we think are what we need. And we never really know what we need until we buy, try, and realize we were wrong lol.

 

[rclouse79]

I am always shocked how fast they sell when people are asking 90 or 95% of the new price. I will go new every day of the week and twice on Sunday unless I get a significant savings. The risk of getting scammed or someone not disclosing the full condition of the pack may be small but still makes it not worth it in my opinion.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I tend to agree which is why my kifaru pack has turned into a training pack. Id much rather carry my stone glacier.

Are the SG systems cheaper and lighter than a comparable Kifaru system?

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Are the SG systems cheaper and lighter than a comparable Kifaru system?

cheaper, not really. Lighter, yes. My SG 7900 is right about 4lbs lighter than a kifaru fulcrum on a tactical frame with pockets/lid.

 

[TheGDog]

I always grimace and feel the haterade swell up within when I see in vids and shows where bunch other lucky (cough, cough... *lazy*, cough) mofos in other states can like drive right up to within 100yds of their already built stands, lookin' like a professionally made treehouse. Of course such a situation doesn't need a pack like that!

For the rest of us all huntin' in BFE and TimBuk3 (i.e. farther than TimBukTu)... where any and every possible thing you'd need has to be in your pack.. along with a buncha water for the high temps... having these nice large packs is not only awesome but necessary.

RE: lighter - I look at it like in that Antonio Banderas movie "The 13th Warrior" where they hand him a big-@$$ Broadsword that he can't even lift up. When he says "I cannot lift this." those Vikings reply "Grow stronger!"

 

[N2TRKYS]

cheaper, not really. Lighter, yes. My SG 7900 is right about 4lbs lighter than a kifaru fulcrum on a tactical frame with pockets/lid.

Dang, 4lbs is alot. I think my frame/AMR is like 6lbs total. If I could shave 4lbs off of it by going with a SG, I’d take a look.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Dang, 4lbs is alot. I think my frame/AMR is like 6lbs total. If I could shave 4lbs off of it by going with a SG, I’d take a look.

The fulcrum, OGL, tactical frame, pockets etc is right under 10lbs, if you remove the plastic things in the fulcrum pockets its just over 9lbs. My Sg is 6lbs on the nose.

 

[N2TRKYS]

The fulcrum, OGL, tactical frame, pockets etc is right under 10lbs, if you remove the plastic things in the fulcrum pockets its just over 9lbs. My Sg is 6lbs on the nose.

What made you go that route with the Kifaru? Was the actual weight different than the listed weight?

 

[thinhorn_AK]

What made you go that route with the Kifaru? Was the actual weight different than the listed weight?

I got that fulcrum about 2 days after kifaru released it back in 2017, it was my first experience buying a high end pack. The guys at kifaru talked me into the tactical frame since I mentioned using it for moose hunting. Weight of a backpack wasnt something I was really knowledgable at the the time. Prior to the kifaru, I had a camp trails frame pack, a cabelas alaskan frame pack and some sort of eberlestock. I really didnt know what I was doing and the fulcrum was the latest pack, getting all sorts of praise from the emr2 2 crowd.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I got that fulcrum about 2 days after kifaru released it back in 2017, it was my first experience buying a high end pack. The guys at kifaru talked me into the tactical frame since I mentioned using it for moose hunting. Weight of a backpack wasnt something I was really knowledgable at the the time. Prior to the kifaru, I had a camp trails frame pack, a cabelas alaskan frame pack and some sort of eberlestock. I really didnt know what I was doing and the fulcrum was the latest pack, getting all sorts of praise from the emr2 2 crowd.

10-4. Thanks for the info. The AMR was my first high end pack. Apparently I’m the only one who still likes it, cause Kifaru discontinued it recently.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

10-4. Thanks for the info. The AMR was my first high end pack. Apparently I’m the only one who still likes it, cause Kifaru discontinued it recently.

I wonder if they sort of cycle packs out just so they arent making too many different things rather than because nobody likes them. I do think that certain ideas even as simple as they may seem are sort of game changers for some people. I had tried a buddies DT1 and loved it but when I saw the fulcrum had the center zip, thats what sold me. The DT packs are long gone and obody even talks about them anymore but my buddy packed Audads and a desert sheep as well as countless mule deer in his and still loves it.