I believe this is new. Please correct me if I'm mistaken. I've been to the site many times and never noticed the Ultralights tab.

http://www.kifaru.net/KU.html

I don't work for them. I've never carried a Kifaru pack (never cared for how the Mountainsmiths fit me). Price notwithstanding. Just thought it was interesting* that this company was offering ultralight packs. Another option for us is all.

*interesting is not code for anything.

Look at the KU3700. I like the beefy belt. Obviously with the hunter in mind when mentioning 100LB loads are possible.

Interesting; new to me too. Seems to be in the general weight range of a ULA pack (for example).

One way that they might be bringing the weight down, however, is to offer various add-on pockets and pouches separately (cost difference too of course), so one would want to think in terms of total cost and weight of the desired end product. The ULA that I use has built-in belt pouches and side & back mesh, none of which these KIFARU models include.

Still, a good sign to see more options, thanks for pointing this out.

They look like nice packs. Though I have an extremely hard time justifying spending 518 bucks on a pack.

The next pack I buy I think I want something like the Mountain Laurel Design Exodus 3600. Only 15oz, and 185 bucks. Not too shabby.

$518 - wow!

Kind of reminds me of the kid running a lemonade stand who priced lemonade at $100 a glass. Someone told him he wouldn't sell many glasses of lemonade at that price. He replied, "I only have to sell one."

Mystery Ranch and Kifaru make a lot of money as government contractors. You can overprice your goods when selling to the Pentagon. Private sales are likely to be bonus sales. Also, both are made entirely in the USA and are strongly tied to local economies. Whether that is of value to anyone is another matter, but it does play into the high prices.

Kifaru is by-order, so no retail or distributors. Buy direct. Mystery Ranch might be the same. Considering that, you'd think they could be more competitive in the overall pack market, but maybe they don't need to be since they cater to government contracts and hunters who have never been known to be spendthrifts.

Again, I do not work for either company, and I do not own a pack from either company. I find this area of the pack market to be a bit strange and definitely intriguing.

I've never had a problem spending money on any kind of gear, whether it be hiking, bicycling, or audio equipment. They're high priorities in my life, so value comes from many angles. $600 on a backpack? Sure. $15K on a car? Not a chance.

What is the connection to Mountainsmith?

Patrick Smith was the founder of MountainSmith. He sold the business and founded Kifaru.

Kifaru is about a mile from my office. It is a good place to kill some time at lunch. They do have samples in their reception area, but not a showroom. The facility is mostly warehouse, but they also have a production room with about six sewing machines.

Nice people with high quality gear, but the niches they service are the military and hunters. When you carry a $3,000 rifle a $500 pack seems reasonable. Hunting is an expensive sport.

It's only expensive if you make it so.

and the critters don't know the difference between a $3000 rifle and a $400 one - at least if you can shoot. Most people I see with a $3000 rifle should have bought the $400 rifle and spent some money on ammunition to practice with

Just trying to rationalize my Excessive Gear Acquistion Disorder (EGAD).

Just do what I do.. Stop trying to rationalize it and just accept it as is and enjoy it..

Also, there are a large number of people who will pay almost any price for gear that is labeled as "Tactical" or "Operator Grade". Kifaru has the added bonus for people impressed by that stuff as actually being used by "real life operators" and being of high quality. Having the "Tactical" label and the real credentials to back it up means big money.

LOL, ain't that the truth... seen it too often.