Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Ultralight Kifaru

Good job Aron!!!!!!!!!!
Can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ELK REAPER, thank's can't wait....

It's awesome is all I'm going to say for now!!

Ozark

Some of the pictures I have a to large to download, so I am starting the review on the "other" site.

I will add as many pictures as I can to Ed T's review when he gets it started.

LINK:

http://forums.bowsite.com/TF/bgforums/thread.cfm?threadid=390644&messages=1&forum=5

Elk Reaper could haul an elk out with my kids back pack ! I look forward to your report!

Aron what material is the bag made from? Almost looks like sil nylon?????

The material is similar to the material that Patrick makes his Tipi's and Tarp's out of, except this material is a dual layer.

Interesting. How do you think it will hold up after several seasons? Is the frame a standard G2?

I think it will hold up for several seasons, mostly because of the abuse I put this thing through this season and it still looks like new.... Except for all the blood!

The frame is nothing like the G2 Longhunter and is actually 2 internal stays.

Very cool! I will be looking forward to the full review.

Well, there goes this year's tax return......

How much noise dose the material make. Siltarp material? Seriouisly how easy is it gonna tear? BlacksCreeks B Featherweight is one loud sumbitch!!

Thats not much of a positive reveiw.. Just sayin..

Well, I do think it will hold up to several seasons!

I'm not sure how else I should phrase my answer.... I'll try again

It will hold up to several seasons and you will be able to hand it down to your kids kids. How did I do?......Just sayin

Just joking by the way

Anyway, the material is like the stuff he uses on the Tipi's, and is going to make the same noise as the Tipi does. It is not as loud as the Siltarp material, but is louder then the stuff that Badlands of EB uses.

The material will not tear, but can be cut if you have enough pressure with a sharp enough edge.

Mel at Kifaru just announced the Ultra Light Packs so I feel OK to post a few thoughts.

I have been using a Kifaru UL 5200 for 2 1/2 months. I have carried heavy loads, I have crawled through timber and brush, I have used it as I would any pack and it looks the same as when I got it.

I carried an entire boned out ewe sheep and camp with it. Total weight 87 lbs. It carried as good as a pack possibly can. Aron has carried considerably more weight.

As far as noise, I feel it is less noisy than any cordura pack.

Mine came with no accessories so this is what I added:

On the left side of the hip belt I put on a Granite Gear Hip Belt Pocket.

On the right side, my Zeiss Rangefinder Case

On the shoulder strap, an MLD Water bottle pocket

On the back outside of the pack I added a homemade Grab-It

The pack is really amazing, but has a few limitations.
It is 5200 cubic inches, so if you are used to carrying a LH Guide or Rondy, you will have to slim down your gear. When accessories like pods and pocket become available, expansion will be more possible.

Like all ultralight gear a bit more care will be needed for longterm durability. No one complains about the fabric in tipis or Mont-Bell Thermawarps. You just use some common sense in using them. They certainly don't need to be babied though.

Some of the features:
White fabric interior for ease of finding gear
Load Lifters
Lumbar Pad
Simple Compression, 2 strapes each side
Laminated Stays from Carbon Fiber and Hardwood
Attachment points for an entire selection of ultra light accessories, from pods and pockets to grab-it's

Thes are pretty amazing packs. I expect my 5200 to be my main backpacking and hunting pack for many years. In short this is a pack that has exactly what it needs but nothing more.

Here are a few photos of the UL 5200 in use:

87 lbs on the way out:

Sounds almost too good to be true. Hopefully Kifaru is really on to something here that will change the market. To this point, it has been my experience that lightweight packs lack durability, comfort, or function. Being familiar with the Kifaru fabric used in their shelters, I would be somewhat reticent to have a pack with it, even double layered.

I look forward to you 24hourcampfire guys doing some additional "research". :-) If it turns out to be the real deal and lasts as long as a normal pack, it will be tough to pass up.

Yes indeed.

I have used/owned somewhere in excess of 100 packs over the years. Some heavy bulletproof packs, some whisper light packs and I will agree that few of the light packs have really offered anything other than being light. Not the case with the Kifaru UL. It carries up to the 87 pounds that I have had in it with more comfort than anything I have used. I say 87 pounds because to date that is as much as I have had in it. I fully expect it to easilly handle 125 pounds which is about my personal maximum.

I have also cursed some of the well built bomb proof packs I have used because they were God awfull uncomfortable.

When looking for gear, most important qualification is function. If it doesn't do what it is supposed to do well, if not excellent then it is a failure and of no use to me. For me a pack that is simple, is a product of function. I have owned packs that had so many straps, pockets and usless do-dads that they were a total cluster to try to use. I have been doing this for close to 40 years now so I am pretty well set in my ways as to what and how I want a pack set up. The Kifaru 5200 is for me, close to ideal as it is and spot on with a couple accessories.

After function my next two top qualities durability and weight. To balance these two there is always some degree of compromise. I will hunt in light trail running shoes, knowing full well they won't have the durability of a stiff leather boot, but the weight difference makes this an easy choice for me. Same thing with a sleeping bag, I use light weight down bags knowing that I need to be certain of my ability to keep my bag dry. (Although in nearly all cases a down bag will actually have a much longer life span than a synthetic)

Same thing with my Mont-Bell Thermawrap clothing. It's not as bulletproof as some, but for me the weight/compressability is well worth the trade.

How long will the UL's last. My quess is a long time. As long as a Long Hunter, maybe not but my understanding is that Kifaru's warantee will be more than fair. Especially considering that many ultralight gear companies like BPL have no warantee svae for defective products because it is UL gear.

Also, the bottom on the UL 5200 I have is triple layer fabric.

To add a little to Ed's post, I actually took a pretty good fall when packing out the mountain goat (rolled 30' or so), and I was expecting the pack to be torn in several places.... but it wasn't and the amount of force the it took to stop me (I rolled into a log) was unbelievable. The pack is tough, and I have no doubt that it will last me several seasons.