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razorsdescent

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Jan 16, 2005
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Im about to buy a few packs, im in afghanistan right now and im getting ready to buy a nicer pack for patrols and also buy some packs for when i return home (im gonna back pack in washington state and go down the colorado river with my father)

ive been thinking about going with kifaru brand packs, does anyone here have one? also are there any suggestions for other high-end military packs? i currently use a tactical tailor and i have owned camel back and eagle industries etc im looking for top of the line gear.

Im mostly looking at the zulu because it doesnt have a zipper or anything i could break at worst case i could tie it closed seems like a solid design.
 
I have heard nothing but good things about Kifaru...but no personal experience (yet).
 
look in to mystery ranch packs also. they are what many consider to be the standard. i carried one the whole time i was in afghanistan and loved it so much more than my other stuff. though my tactical taylor ruck was amazing. kifaru is good stuff too. your best bet is to find a local store that carries alot of packs and try them on. as what fits my big ass might not fit you right and you won't like it.
 
razorsdescent said:
Im about to buy a few packs, im in afghanistan right now and im getting ready to buy a nicer pack for patrols and also buy some packs for when i return home (im gonna back pack in washington state and go down the colorado river with my father)

ive been thinking about going with kifaru brand packs, does anyone here have one? also are there any suggestions for other high-end military packs? i currently use a tactical tailor and i have owned camel back and eagle industries etc im looking for top of the line gear.

Im mostly looking at the zulu because it doesnt have a zipper or anything i could break at worst case i could tie it closed seems like a solid design.
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First things first. Thank you for your service and come home safe brother.


I just picked up a Generation 1 Zulu from Kifaru and man, I love this thing. I wanted something made in the USA to start with, and I wanted something that was going to fill the void that other packs have left. The Zulu can snug down to a overnight pack or you can extend it out, add a couple pouches and it can easily become a extended length pack. The fact that it has no zippers is a plus to for when you start stuffing it full of stuff. I ended up selling 2 packs once I got this one. It's kind of hard to argue with a lifetime warranty also. There are a lot of pictures of the Kifaru stuff over on zombie squad. Right now they have all of their Generation 1 stuff on sale.
 
I have a Kifaru Navigator, E&E, and an Express on the way. I can't say enough good stuff about their packs. Their materials and construction are great. Their suspensions are extremely comfortable and well designed. Their customer service is excellent.

I recommend giving them a call. Now is a great time to be looking at Kifaru since they are closing out their old style packs are GREAT prices. If you call they can help you determine what need/want in a pack and let you know what is still available from the older styles. I also think that because you are military, your order basically goes to the front of the line (but don't quote me on this).
 
Hey Razor, I just got back from Afghanistan in November...stay safe bro!

I have a few Kifaru packs (EMR, Pointman, Zulu, Scouts and an E&E); they are great packs. I really like the Zulu, but don't let the zippers scare you away from other designs. My Zulu was with me in Iraq and this last tour in A-stan. It's a great design and perfect as a patrol pack, 72-hour pack or even a great weekend (you could stretch to 5-6 days easy) pack. If I were you I'd jump on a first generation zulu. Get the upgraded top lid and when you get home get one of their pods for carrying your tent/hammock/sleeping bag when you do the Colorado river.

Take care and watch your six!

ROCK6
 
I've done 2x deployments with a Kifaru Zulu and EMR.

Both are outstanding.

However, I recently switched out the EMR for a Mystery Ranch NICE frame and a Tactical Tailor MALICE pack -- I like the fixed pockets and frame a bit better.

Either Kifaru or Mystery Ranch will do nicely.

-Stan
 
Razor -- I have both the ZXR and the Zulu (1st gens) and love them. My Zulu was my constant companion eight months last year in Afghanistan. It holds up to both the planned and unplanned abuses traveling in-country. Here in the Rockies I use them as well. The Zulu is plenty for myself for extended trips, but I have the ZXR to lighten the load a bit for friends who don't get out enough. Drop Mel a line at Kifaru and tell him what you're thinking, he won't steer you wrong. Take care over there. --Schlots
 
i've got the scout and tailgunner 1 and sold and old generation e&e. bet suspension system i've ever tried.

i've heard people loading up a tailgunner with plate weights and go do trail running with just the omni belt. sounds ridicoulous but i believe it. i can load up my scout and slide the shoulder straps off and it is still stable just with the belt on the hips.

biggest selling point is Mel posts his cell phone # for any questions you might have and he says call day or night. Now thats customer service:thumbup:
 
Thanks for all the replies. last night i talked to my buddy and hes going to be buying a kifaru and selling his eberlestock at quite the discounted rate. im gonna buy his eberlestock for the deployment here and wait until i get back into the states to buy a kifaru. I.m sure my buddy will let me try ou his kifaru and if i like it and the eberlestock doesnt quite cut it then ill give kifaru a call and see whats good :D (its so weird to be 8 miles from the pakistani border on a miniscule base and be on blade forums) Truth be told I'll probably end up with both a kifaru or 2 and a mystery ranch pack because i love packs almost as much as knives :) started out on no name brand stuff and worked my way up to maxpedition and tactical tailor i think this is kind of the next step.
 
as i stated earlier mystery ranch is top notch so if kifaru. but here is my pitch for tactical taylor. i had my original tac taylor alice pack all done up in iraq. i was part of 1st armored division 2-6 infantry and we did big things over in iraq in 2003-2004 when we hit najaf and al kut. my pack hanging on the outside of the the bradley where we mech boys kept them and it got shot full of holes in one of our very many contacts down that way. it held up for the next 4 months of our extended deployment. when i got back i told them what happened and they said send it back so i did. and next thing i know i got a brand new tactical taylor ruck with all the upgrades sent to my moms house while i was home on leave. i was like wtf i didn't pay for this. so i called and they upgraded my shot full of holes modded pack to a brand new tactical taylor all set up ruck with all the bells and whistles for free because they had done the initial mods and had their name on it. let me just say that i carried that ruck for the next 4 years and still have it. it survived a year in afghanistan with me and many many more countless miles in the states. can you really beat that. now i don't know if they still get down this way but they made me a happy customer for life.


again i got a mystery ranch and its top notch and i love it but i am not sure any pack maker would get down like the above mentioned. don't sleep on there modded 3 day pack its a beast also and about a quarter of the price. just a thought on buying top of the line shit
 
grunt soldier said:
look in to mystery ranch packs also. they are what many consider to be the standard. i carried one the whole time i was in afghanistan and loved it so much more than my other stuff. though my tactical taylor ruck was amazing. kifaru is good stuff too. your best bet is to find a local store that carries alot of packs and try them on. as what fits my big ass might not fit you right and you won't like it.
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+++ on the Mystery Ranch action. Dumb name, but the owner [Dana Gleason] was the founder/owner of the now defunct legendary pack company Dana Designs. He sold it to K2 and they sold it to Marmot ... Marmot makes garbage these days, just like the North Face et al. MR has a military line and all their packs are made in the USA. I have a 1997 Dana Design Astralplane and it can handle 60+ lbs if required with ease. It's an incredible pack and still going strong after 100s of adventures. His MR packs look almost identical to the old Dana Design packs. Anyway, it's probably the best pack you can buy in the states without going custom [McHale - Seattle] etc. They're not cheap, but you get what you pay for.
 
First...thanks for your service. I pray that all ends well and you come home safe.

Second...I have only handled Kifaru packs, they are out of my range, and they are damn solid. Doesn't look like you could go wrong with any of them...
 
grunt soldier said:
again i got a mystery ranch and its top notch and i love it but i am not sure any pack maker would get down like the above mentioned. don't sleep on there modded 3 day pack its a beast also and about a quarter of the price. just a thought on buying top of the line shit
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Thats a great story, unfortunatley the guy who founded TT died recently in a car crash and i dont know if youd still get that kind of service. that being said i already have their 3-day pack its a nice pakc dont get me wrong but i want to minimize my discomfort and that means i need something with a frame.
 
razorsdescent said:
Thats a great story, unfortunatley the guy who founded TT died recently in a car crash and i dont know if youd still get that kind of service. that being said i already have their 3-day pack its a nice pakc dont get me wrong but i want to minimize my discomfort and that means i need something with a frame.
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That's one of the great things about Kifaru (and what I've heard about Mystery Ranch). I can carried the same load in my EMR as I did my large ALICE ruck (modified by HSGI)...it was close to 80 pounds and I was much less fatigued and much more stable with Kifaru's suspension/frame. A well made frame, suspension and waistbelt really make the difference when hauling moderate to heavy loads and traversing rough terrain.

razorsdescent said:
(its so weird to be 8 miles from the pakistani border on a miniscule base and be on blade forums)
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Not sure where you are located Razor, but if you have attached commo guys from the 57th, that was the unit I was in prior to redeployment and we had teams all over (mostly in the south but one company up north). It is amazing how you can be in extremely remote and austere locations yet get decent internet and VoIP phone calls through. Stay safe bro...
 
I got a Kifaru Marauder through my unit and was initially very happy with it. Very robust well made patrol pack.

There were problems with heavy 80 - 100 lbs loadouts, the bag started to sag regardless of the suspension system adjustments and the qr buckles on the shoulder straps started to slip. The slipping was due to slightly thin and slippery textured webbing they used for those packs. I couldn't use the bag with heavy loads because of these problems but with lighter loads it was fairly comfortable. I was just a little dissapointed in the fact that these very high speed packs were supposed to be the best heavy load carriers.
 
I bought the Kifaru Zulu G1 (yes, I've since put some web dominators on it to contain the straps):
100_0095.jpg


I bought it specifically because it doesn't have zippers, and it's big enough to be a 4-season bag for me, and yet can be compressed down to very small dimensions for less gear-intensive use. I've had it up to 70 pounds or so, and it was very comfortable, the bigger MMR and EMR have even better suspensions (it doesn't show in the pic, but mine has an unpadded PALs hip belt.

The previous poster who said that the packs can stay pretty much upright on your back, even with the shoulder straps not on your shoulders is right, if adjusted right, the hip belt places almost all of the load-bearing and rotational forces on your hips and the shoulder straps just keep it in place.

If I go up north for some winter camping or whatnot, I add additional shelter and cold weather gear by strapping standard GI sustainment pouches from the MOLLE packs onto the sides and back. I really can't stress how much I love this pack.

The G1 gear is on sale right now for 25-30% off, depending on the model. For the Zulu, they only have Foliage and Black left. I don't know if you're allowed to use solid Foliage or not.

Also, from the Kifaru forums, I've seen them treat our guys in action VERY well. Between that, and the fact that they are made in the USA with real Dupont Cordura, with no corners cut on quality, I'll support them all day.
 
I've got a Kifaru Xray and it's great, before that I had a Maxpedition Condor II and the difference between the 2 is like night and day. A lot of us used Kifaru packs for patrols when I was active in the Marine Corps. It was a hell of a lot better than using the junk the military issues. Also look into Mystery Ranch, they make some GREAT packs also. They just designed the new Marine Corps packs, and they did a hell of a job! Stay hard in the yard brother and make it home safe!!!
 
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