Why I bought a Kifaru Reckoning

[Vistamatt]

There were many hours of internet surfing before this purchase.

I am 43.

I have been hunting for 4 years and this year will be my 5th. The first 2 years i used an old aluminum framed pack from the 80's. Mostly day hunts, but I used to be a kitchen sink type of guy. I thought those packs were pretty comfortable (ignorance is bliss). Then my wife found an Osprey internal frame pack at a swap meet, man that was quite an upgrade! I thought that pack would do it all and I hunted 4-6 miles each day with about 25-30 lbs in it. I could load that sucker up too and it felt pretty good! I didn't think i would buy a new pack with that one.

Well, last year a friend and I were fortunate enough to harvest 2 good 4x5 mule deer back to back in the same weekend (YEAH!) The first one we did not bone out and hoofed it about 2 miles to camp. The packs had to weigh 80 lbs each. My shoulders were KILLING me by the time we got back to camp. Did I mention that I have a chronic bad back situation? The second deer we boned out and it was still a challenge to pack it out after the other deer on the first day.

There had to be a better way! I do understand how much being in shape helps, and I am trying to raise that level of my game. But I needed something that was able to pack the weight for future backcountry trips and help me stay safe with my back issues. My theory is that if my pack is stable enough to pack the weight, I would be less likely to become injured. I have a good sense of my limitations with my back now and I have done extensive research into lightening my load (but not stupid light).

So i researched many packs. I did this for about 3 months. I finally came to the decision that the Kifaru was the pack for me after trying one on and seeing all of the features of the Reckoning. I am 6'4 and about 210 (hoping to get back to 190, damn desk job), and the 26" duplex felt right. I am the "buy once cry once" type of guy so the cost wasn't really much of an issue for me. After I did the math I figured it would be about $90/year over the next 10 years and I could even pass it on to my son for him to use. I plan on packing between 35-50 lbs depending on what type of hunting and the Reckoning makes it easy to add or subtract pouches and such to make this possible.

My pack should arrive this week and I will be excited to start on my new journey with this pack.

Here is to many years of pictures with me and my Kifaru pack!

 

[oldgoat]

Your going to love it!

 

[HankBC]

Congrats on your bag!! I bought my reckoning this year as well and love it.


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[Hall256]

It's a great pack, I have been super pleased with mine. If you haven't already find the thread started by Jordan Budd about her Reckoning bag. The review is great and the conversation has some good tips by her and others that have already picked up the bag.

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[Fishforfun]

There were many hours of internet surfing before this purchase.

I am 43.

I have been hunting for 4 years and this year will be my 5th. The first 2 years i used an old aluminum framed pack from the 80's. Mostly day hunts, but I used to be a kitchen sink type of guy. I thought those packs were pretty comfortable (ignorance is bliss). Then my wife found an Osprey internal frame pack at a swap meet, man that was quite an upgrade! I thought that pack would do it all and I hunted 4-6 miles each day with about 25-30 lbs in it. I could load that sucker up too and it felt pretty good! I didn't think i would buy a new pack with that one.

Well, last year a friend and I were fortunate enough to harvest 2 good 4x5 mule deer back to back in the same weekend (YEAH!) The first one we did not bone out and hoofed it about 2 miles to camp. The packs had to weigh 80 lbs each. My shoulders were KILLING me by the time we got back to camp. Did I mention that I have a chronic bad back situation? The second deer we boned out and it was still a challenge to pack it out after the other deer on the first day.

There had to be a better way! I do understand how much being in shape helps, and I am trying to raise that level of my game. But I needed something that was able to pack the weight for future backcountry trips and help me stay safe with my back issues. My theory is that if my pack is stable enough to pack the weight, I would be less likely to become injured. I have a good sense of my limitations with my back now and I have done extensive research into lightening my load (but not stupid light).

So i researched many packs. I did this for about 3 months. I finally came to the decision that the Kifaru was the pack for me after trying one on and seeing all of the features of the Reckoning. I am 6'4 and about 210 (hoping to get back to 190, damn desk job), and the 26" duplex felt right. I am the "buy once cry once" type of guy so the cost wasn't really much of an issue for me. After I did the math I figured it would be about $90/year over the next 10 years and I could even pass it on to my son for him to use. I plan on packing between 35-50 lbs depending on what type of hunting and the Reckoning makes it easy to add or subtract pouches and such to make this possible.

My pack should arrive this week and I will be excited to start on my new journey with this pack.

Here is to many years of pictures with me and my Kifaru pack!

Did you try any other high end packs as a comparison?

 

[fishslap]

I also bought the reckoning. I've only had it out shed hunting and light training with 30lbs. So far it's been great. I did try one other high end pack first and although my knowledge of high end pack adjustment was weak to say the least, the reckoning fit me best. Good luck with your purchase. I added a water bottle holder, medium belt pouch, grabit, and guide lid.

 

[Vistamatt]

Did you try any other high end packs as a comparison?

Unfortunately there are so many places to go and read reviews and comparisons that i didn't find every bit of info that i needed. For instance I just ran across a thread here that talked about how you could order a couple different packs and pay the Return Shipping on them to return one if you didn't like it (which is highly recommended if you have the means). I'm kind of new to this sort of purchase and in hindsight that is something i could have done, but my pack was already ordered before I saw that post. The person that had the pack i tried on was almost exactly my height, weight and build, so that made my decision a bit easier. Also it seems that if one is not satisfied for some reason the resale market is high for the high end packs.

 

[Vistamatt]

I also bought the reckoning. I've only had it out shed hunting and light training with 30lbs. So far it's been great. I did try one other high end pack first and although my knowledge of high end pack adjustment was weak to say the least, the reckoning fit me best. Good luck with your purchase. I added a water bottle holder, medium belt pouch, grabit, and guide lid.

Good to hear! I ended up getting a couple of small and medium pockets and a gun bearer to help with the different configurations i might run across. I have always wanted to shed hunt, but I have no idea how to get started on that, good training though!