From the President...
Welcome to Kifaru Military Gear. We think we can help you better defend this great land.  We are completely dedicated in this effort, and we offer you our thanks for putting yourself in harms way for all of us.  God bless you in this noble effort! Without doubt, American men on foot are literally the spearhead of freedom.  There is no substitute for your skill, dedication,
and courage, in this struggle with utter evil

A Kifaru Military Gear History
The Bloodlines. I've been in the backpack business since 1977, starting with world-class mountaineering packs under the Mountainsmith brand. I have always been a backpack hunter as well as a mountaineer, and adapted my personal Mountainsmith packs to hunting needs: managing a long gun, comfortably carrying very much heavier loads than ordinary backpackers, carrying out hide, horns and meat efficiently, and so forth.

After selling Mountainsmith, I launched Kifaru International in 1997 - focusing on packs to fit the needs of backpack hunters.

Fundamentally, we have created an Integrated Systems Approach. Everything fits everything else, and everything is expected to function superbly at as many tasks as possible - Modular and Multifunctional is a slogan around here. As for packs, specifically, we insist on being the very best at providing these four functions: comfort, stability, versatility and durability. For obvious reasons, soldiers at the point of the spear have a mission accomplishment advantage when these factors are the very best.Kifaru was set up from the beginning as a direct-to-customer firm. No dealers. Therefore, no need to out-glitz the competing packs on a dealers wall. This allowed me to design for what actually does the best job of comfortably carrying very heavy loads in trail-less terrain in the middle of nowhere. I had learned that thickness and rigidity in suspension systems is NOT the most comfortable way to go. Instead, anatomical perfection is the key. That thinner, "drapier" waistbelts and shoulder straps assist anatomicalness to do the job the best. Bulky padding, "plates" on waistbelts, actually inhibit comfort. In fact, plates, hard thermo-molding and such things inevitably crush one's hip bone points when the load is heavy enough and the march is far enough. There is no getting around it. Please click here to see more of our Ergonomic design.Kifaru hunting packs succeeded in the marketplace through word of mouth - they were more comfortable than ANY backpacks, despite going utterly against the conventional doctrine which equates bulk and stiffness with comfort. Thickness seems to be a marketing imperative - a builder's pack must have the most bodacious looking waistbelt and shoulder straps in order to compete with all those other brands who are busily doing the same marketing race. For those caught up in this spiral, there is zero incentive for stepping out of the race and beginning anew with a blank slate - to find out what really works best for ultra-heavy loads in extreme back country situations such as backpack hunting. I had nothing to lose - Kifaru was not being sold on any dealer pack walls - just out of a box delivered via UPS, and with the promise that if it didn't do the best job ever, to just send it back. It turned out that users declared our thinner, but anatomically perfect suspension systems the best in the world - regardless of sport category. Appearances can be deceiving. We built what actually works best in the more demanding world of on-foot hunting. There was a considerable additional benefit reported: our svelte suspensions were more appropriate for being loaded and unloaded in vehicles and aircraft than any of their bulky, stiff competitors.Following the atrocities of 9/11, I received a call from a fellow by the name of Mel Terkla. He had conducted an extensive investigation of all backpack builders to approach one regarding adapting their gear to produce a superior pack system for American soldiers. His first choice was Kifaru, citing our suspension systems, hauling systems, and extensive, versatile modularity as the most promising. Mel had extensive contacts in the soldiering world, and pledged to get our packs - as adapted - into the military market. Mel also has exquisite talent concerning military load-out needs. He introduced me to the fabulous PALS webbing concept, which enabled us to reach back into one of my earlier patents and create Kifaru's Dock & Lock pocket system. I was thoroughly ready to do my part in fighting terrorism, and readily accepted Mel's offer. We dug into converting my proven hunting packs for military duty. Foot hunters and foot soldiers have very similar weight, terrain and versatility needs. Kifaru Military Gear Division was launched in June of 2002.Kifaru has developed three integrated suspension systems for our seven current military packs, depending on size. The most fundamental of pack components is the suspension system - the "interface" between pack bag and its contents and you - the man carrying the load needed for the mission. These systems are:
The Duplex System on our large packs, the WrapTech System on our mid sized, and finally the Omni System on our smaller rucks. Each title is suggestive of its attributes. All three adhere rigorously to our principles of comfort, stability, versatility and durability - even the smallest. There is no weight limit on any of our packs - if you can lift and carry the load (including casualty evacuation), the pack will perform in relative comfort, without fail. Period.Manufacturing. We build our gear right here in Golden, Colorado from American materials - unquestionably the best in the world. Drilex thoroughly trumps Coolmax, as genuine 1000d Cordura trumps all the off-shore imitators. Our staff are Americans. Many have been with me for a couple of decades. Their skill and dedication at building the very best backpacks - or any other gear- provide a continuity unmatched anywhere. They are paid well - they deserve it. Our gear is not cheap - but virtually all our customers testify that it more than repays its initial cost.

One of the reasons our packs are so comfortable is because we build them to fit YOU. We will ask for your dimensions when ordering (unit orders are shipped with simple instructions for custom-fitting individual members). Kifaru's Military Division is the most important work we've ever done. We are completely dedicated to it.