Jack Murphy's ZXR ruck
I’m not going to try to pretend that I didn’t already love Kifaru before I linked up with them at SHOT this year. I’d been enjoying my Kifaru ZXR rucksack since I took it on my last deployment to Iraq and got some good use out of it while out on patrol with a LRS unit. These packs will set you back a few dollars but they are like the Rolls Royce of rucksacks and come with a lifetime warranty. When I spoke with Mel from Kifaru he was more than happy to show me some of their latest offerings.
Mel shows off the new Kifaru Koala Lite
Here is the new Koala Lite which I can see being used my Law Enforcement and Rescue Teams who may find it impractical to carry a side arm on their hip or in a drop leg holster. From Kifaru: “After lots of requests for a lighter and simpler Koala without all the PALS webbing, we have come up with a solution to meet those requirements. Our Koala Lite is made with 500d Cordura, and is without any PALS webbing. The foundation is the pistol compartment, which is the same size as on our Koala, but without the slot pocket. We kept the padding and still believe the Velcro backing for a holster is a better solution for keeping the handgun secure.”
Stuff Sack!
These guys know their rucks. When I mentioned to Mel that the problem with stuff sacks for sleeping bags and such is that they form up into a ball and leave a lot of empty space underneath them, he showed me how their compression bags work to fill those voids in the bottom of your ruck.
Kifaru Gen II pack frame
The Armor Grip frame in all Generation II Kifaru packs allows these rucks to be worn with or without body armor. As you can see above, the padding can be rolled out of the way and stowed so that the rear trauma plate is basically “hugged” by the rucksack. With the kind of mountainous terrain that soldiers are negotiating today in Afghanistan, this is the type of ruck I would want to carry to have the added versatility of going light or with body armor, and stay fairly comfortable either way.
Kit Up! contributor Jack Murphy is a former Ranger, Special Forces Soldier and is the author of the military thriller Reflexive Fire. He is also an editor for all things involving Army Special Operations at SOFREP.com
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
While I’ve never owned one, I borrowed one (Kifaru ZXR as well) from one of the PJs I was working with in Hondo for a walk in the woods and, I must say, I seriously considered fighting him for the pack when I got back. If I wasn’t a fat staff officer now, I would put money down for one without a second thought.
Thanks for the article. Good stuff!
Every owner of Kifaru seems to become a spokes person for the company, always banging on about how great it is!
Anyway I have finger-fudged a friends one, I need an one…….
I used a Navigator in ’05. It was drug by a HumV about 3 clicks with a SASR strapped to the sides (dual Gun Bearer). My heart stopped when I found out. But it turns out that the ruck was fine. The SASR on the other hand had to be beat back together by an armorer with a hammer. We couldn’t break it down the rest of the deployment.
Still use the ruck as a kid carrier.
you handled it better than me. i would have had a stroke LOL.
THis is on my things to check out list and possibly purchase…. as soon as the Army tells me what my new camoglauge patter is going to be. Come on Army… Hurry up already geeez.
I get my gear in Coyote brown – goes well with MultiCam and my leadership doesn’t mind when I wear it with ACUs. But yeah, the Army changing camo that often is pretty frustrating.
That’s why I stick with OD. It’s always going to be “tacticool”.
I have to say that the best thing I own from Kifaru is the Woobie. To tell you the truth, my wife keeps stealing it from me. For the pack I own a Mystery Ranch 6500 with removable NICE frame, its been with me since 2010 and survived year and half there. Wouldn’t mind trying out Kifaru pack……
The nice thing a out the Kifaru stuff sacks is that you can compress them across the short axis instead of just pushing them down into a ball like a drybag. This URL takes you to their stuffsack page: http://www.kifaru.net/stuffsack.html.
Larry
Looks like a 2nd Generation ALICE pack LOL cool.
If you’re talking about the Armor Grip Frame and the ALICE frame there is absolutely no comparison. I own a MR BVS, have tried one other company’s pack/armor interface, and have come to the conclusion that Kifaru’s Armor Grip is the best setup on the market. Hands down done deal.
Hey Jack, nice article-near and dear to my heart-I was a bag designer for Adidas here in Germany for a while-then enlisted in the Army. My thinking was to serve for one or two enlistments as a CavScout, and take my hard-won knowledge to design kit for soldiers in the field, and also for any civilians who were sorting their **** out. The plan went to the dogs with my old-man rotator cuff, but I see how very few companies take a similar “hands on” approach to creating their product-but those that do seem to do well; Crye, Magpul, etc. I imagine these guys are doing something similar…soldier designed kit is kind of like “writer/director” movies-they are simply better-no marketing gimmicks…
Not only is their gear top notch, they are always keeping their eyes and ears open for needs or ways to innovate. I spoke with them a bit at SHOT about their upcoming chest pack and there is a lot of serious thinking going into their work.
B-, it’s ok.
One correction: the Generation II packs all have an upgraded suspension but only the Armor Grip models (which I own and are awesome) have the pads that roll away for use with a SAPI. Armor Grip is advertised as offering stability, but if you have the right body type and are wearing the right type of armor you can get most of the weight of the pack comfortably on your hips.
Yup, sadly a “properly fitted” IOTV and MTV come down too close to the hips to allow proper wear of the Armor Grip pack–or allow any agility in combat ***.
BALCS, RAV, Concealment Cut or Plate Carrier? Game on, give Armor Grip a look.
Another rarely-discussed advantage of the Armor Grip is use in mission-specific “packframe” (no pack–just mission-specific gear lashed to the frame) mode, which is WWII doctrine rarely done on the “Conventional” side.
Hah, I thought you had a war belt wrapped around your pack, then I realized that there’s MOLLE on the outside.
WoW thanks for the info on the Koala was just what I have been looking for.
I hate posts like this. Completely subjective and non-fact based. All of it is just your opinion, but it comes from a position of authority because you’re the author. Totally lame. It’s just an ad for Kifaru; you and this blog can do better.
Yes, it is subjective. All my reviews are based on my personal opinion. I don’t have the skill set or equipment to do scientific statistical modelling and I don’t think our readers would care for that information anyway, especially in regards to a rucksack. What kind of hard data were you looking for?
Point of fact Kifaru gear is proven.
It’s known to be a bit heavy (and pretty much indestructible), a bit pricey (and made by people with a true stake in American ideals) and take a while to get (they maintain a healthy working environment, unit orders get priority and they will make your gear out of your materials (for a fee–they’re running a business) if you want Ranger Green fabric, printed webbing or even a certain type of buckle).
And part and parcel of the legitimacy of this blog (and the other 3 or 4 blogs that the posters to this thread are seen commenting on from time to time) is that yes, commercial entities are mentioned but no, purveyors of useless or dangerous junk don’t get free advertising.
…and if you want exhaustive scientific analysis of individual equipment, visit the PEO-Soldier outlets.
Jack,
This is a great write-up. Now, as a follow-up piece, I would really appreciate it if you went through all of your attached kit and broke down your reasoning for why you pack certain things, and why you place them where you do. That would be awesome. I’m guessing I’m not the only one that would love to hear more.
Thanks, I will see what I can do. I’d like to write a extensive review on the ZXR as well.
hey guys id like to get a durable backpack and was wandering if you could be of assitance!