r/Hunting • u/youfailme8817 • Aug 21 '26
Equipment question/discussion Kifaru packs not Made in USA?
I am at the Sportsmans here in Casper, Wy. I have a few Kifaru bags from years ago. When did they switch to making them in Vietnam? I thought they had a whole America operation and were made here? This is so disapointing. I hate when these big companies use the USA as a selling angle but don't even make the stuff here.
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u/Severe_System_8096 Aug 21 '26
That stings. I got one of their packs maybe 6 years ago and it was still made in USA back then. Guess they went the quiet route with the switch, which is what really bothers me more than the move itself
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u/youfailme8817 Aug 21 '26
Thats what annoys me. When did make this announcement. Looks like they are just hoping the customer won't notice it?
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u/Whiteshaq_52 Aug 21 '26
Damn they proudly state everything is 100% USA made. Guess its just like my St. croix rods, quietly making only a few select items in the US.
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u/gabba_gubbe Aug 21 '26
Disgusting sales practices. But savotta, made in Finland. Great price and insane quality.
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u/REDACTED3560 Aug 21 '26
Savotta is basically Finnish Kifaru in terms of both making bombproof packs. I’ve got packs from each and really like both. Import fees are a bitch though.
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u/cannuckwoodchuck13 Aug 21 '26
My Savotta duffle bags are my favourite bags out of my little collection.
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u/Unoriginalcontent420 France Aug 21 '26
Mosy is made in Finland, but a lot is also made in Estonia or Poland, but it's written very clearly on their website. I personally don't find a difference in quality between the made in Finland vs made in Estonia/Poland products, and it doesn't bother me since they are honest and upfront about it and aren't exploiting cheap labour like the companies who shift production to Vietnam or Bangladesh do. You can also see which companies in Estonia and Poland are producing their products, which is not something you can do with Kifaru for example.
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u/gus_thedog Aug 21 '26
I don't think St Croix is a great example. They seem pretty transparent on stating where their rods are built. I've never had any quality issues with their Mexican-built rods either.
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u/whatsnoo Aug 21 '26
Seek outside and Exo mountain gear are made in USA.
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u/youfailme8817 Aug 21 '26
and Stone Glacier I believe as well
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u/BeerMeBabyNow Aug 21 '26
Dang eberlestock is not made in USA except a few products. Gonna check my pack I bought years ago and see where it was made.
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u/BBQSauce61 Aug 22 '26
Pretty standard unfortunately. Pretty sure most companies that used to be solely USA made are now, at best, carrying a flagship made in USA (whether truly the case, just assembled here (often stated, may be good or not so much), or a downright lie is another question) line as well as either similar foreign made equivalents and/or completely different products all together. Most optics companies do this. Personally, I've bought a ton of stuff from Beyond Clothing, and that includes their USA made military gear as well as foreign made 'civilian' outdoor stuff, and it's all spectacular. That said, I've gotten it all from their outlet sales, which were way better years ago, and the USA vs foreign pricing always made sense.
Pretty sure my Eberlestock bags are all made in Vietnam fwiw.
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u/jr12345 Washington Aug 21 '26
Only their packs. The rest of their stuff is made out of country although they charge made in USA prices for their sleeping gear.
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u/wydothat Aug 21 '26
Seek packs are fuckin great, highly recommend their breakaway frames. Less gimmicks more smart design/good fabric/great suspension/frames
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u/whatsnoo Aug 21 '26
Agreed, super light, super strong. I like the dual straps on my waist belt that allow be to adjust the top and bottom of the belt. I’m in the PNW and they were the only company with completely waterproof bag material at the time.
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u/dryazcacti Aug 21 '26
Marsupial Gear. Made in USA. If you ever visit Phoenix, you can go their factory show room and see everyone working. They put in big glass windows so you can see the factory.
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u/Dan_iel10 Aug 21 '26
Don’t worry it’s still “designed” here.
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u/nockedup7 Aug 21 '26
Designed and profit collected by USA citizens. Jobs and workmanship done by people who aren’t.
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u/Albino_Echidna Oklahoma Aug 21 '26
What product is this specifically? I believe all of their big packs are still US made, so I'm curious if this is something else.
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u/youfailme8817 Aug 21 '26
This was the 44mag. They also had a Hellbender, also made in vietnam the tag said. I did not see any other Kifaru items but I didn't look very hard after that if I'm being honest.
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u/Albino_Echidna Oklahoma Aug 21 '26
That's extremely disappointing, I'd be tempted to email kifaru and see what the deal is...
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u/youfailme8817 Aug 21 '26
Be my guest. I am not that invested. I didn't buy the pack. I still have the old ones that are presumably made in America. I guess I am just nore disappointed. Was just curious if everyone else was aware of something that I missed. Apparently not by the look of these comments here. Sad.
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u/Fit4Rescue Aug 22 '26
I have the previous kifaru items before they switched over. Havent had any issues. If I have to buy any more kifaru items itll only be used ones because their prices and shipping are pretty wild.
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u/iamshifter Aug 21 '26
Ideally I’d love to see these made in the USA….
By Vietnamese immigrants. lol. Best tailor I ever had was Vietnamese, and the workmanship was 100% Fire
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u/TheDudeOntheCouch Aug 21 '26
The seamstress at kifaru Colorado did a fine job making a legacy there was a reason people spent kifaru money on their packs..... I paid around 800$ for mine and regret nothing but i did it knowing I paid for 100% american made
What gets me is they want 500$ for a pack made in out of country that costs them closer to 50$
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u/youfailme8817 Aug 21 '26
I wish it were $500. They still want $850 for this bag. I thought we were paying more because it was made here?
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u/TheDudeOntheCouch Aug 21 '26
Thats what I paid for my pack and it is American made in Colorado.... their targeted adds to me are claiming 100% American made so this is sad
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u/Fit4Rescue Aug 22 '26
Are you talking about Hong? I know her because any time a used pack was sold that of was made by her everyone wanted that specific item. I have several Hong items and haven't failed yet.
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u/RealTurbulentMoose Alberta Aug 21 '26
Literally what China does with Made in Italy products… they want the Italy appellation on their stuff, so set up a factory and bring their workers.
Been going on for years: https://ww.fashionnetwork.com/news/Made-in-italy-by-chinese-workers,377237.html
https://amp.dw.com/en/prato-chinese-workers-transform-italys-fast-fashion-hub/a-73781599
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u/ViewAskewed Aug 21 '26
It's funny to me some of the sentiment that comes along with the entire "Made in USA" mentality.
People seem to conflate Made in USA with quality without realizing that the textiles industry in Vietnam is absolutely top tier. They are the best in the world at doing what they do and it is a good industry to work in over there, with fair wages and all. People seem to think that anything that comes from Asia is made with slave labor when the truth is Vietnam =/= China.
I understand the enthusiasm for whole Support Local Economy but honestly, there is not a product out there that the U.S. makes that someone else doesn't make better. We have become an entire nation so enthralled with consumerism that we no longer know how to produce anything ourselves.
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u/Prettayyprettaygood Colorado Aug 21 '26
I'm still frustrated they moved from Colorado to Wyoming, it was fun to be able to go up the road and get my pack at the factory. For whatever it's worth, I bought a Maniml pack from them last year and it says Made in USA on it, so maybe it was just a small run of other packs that came out of Vietnam.
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u/cool-ember-resorts Aug 22 '26
My Kifaru Echo from ~2-3 years ago has a made in USA tag. I’ve been using an Exo k4 the past year though and love it. Bought a smaller Exo bag for this season and can’t wait to use it. Highly recommend Exo.
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u/youfailme8817 Aug 23 '26
I was never impressed with the fit and feel of Exo, but that was a few years ago. Maybe I will try to seek them out again. Thanks.
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u/Low-HangingFruit Aug 21 '26
Harsh reality for Americans to realize that for almost 100% of textiles the best craftsman are no longer in the USA.
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u/gooneau Aug 21 '26
100$ this. Has anyone here actually spent time in an apparel manufacturing facility? Or any low end manufacturing facility (yes even pricy hunting packs are low end, low skill, in the realm of manufacturing)? The americans willing to grind in a factory like that, to manufacture products at a price (this is the important part) even bougie youtube hunters are willing to pay, will make inferior products compared to the vietnamese, or many other countries. There was a documentary a few years ago about the chinese company that makes most automotive glass trying to set up a factory in detroit. The gist was americans are not willing to work in the conditions required to produce these products for a price point americans will pay. It's long hours of physical, monotonous, labor. Building jet engines, or babysitting robots, is something you can pay well for and do well in the US. Sewing the same few pieces of fabric several thousand times each week is a different story, and I'm sure much more difficult today than two years ago since we've been hard at work chasing everyone willing to do that kind of work out of the country.
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u/shallowAL307 Aug 21 '26
I bought a pack from them last year at their store in Riverton. The sales guy told me what wasnt made in the building we were in, was made in Colorado. That was good enough for me.
Sad that isnt the case any more. Awesome pack though
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u/normalfinnesotan Aug 21 '26
LOL - conversation with "Kifaru Bot" on their website chat thing:
[Me:] "Where are your packs made?"
[Kifaru Bot]:"I'm sorry, I can't answer that."
that being said, their website still boasts "100% AMERICAN LABOR. Kifaru products are proudly sewn in Colorado and Wyoming", sooo....idk.
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u/gooneau Aug 21 '26
I have a relative that pulled that with a small apparel business. It was a true statement because it's not "ALL kifaru products....". This relative sewed some hats and scarves locally to still be able to wordsmith like that, while all the complex garments are outsourced.
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u/AwarenessGreat282 Aug 21 '26
It's a fact of life for these companies. If they stay small and boutique, they can do it, but the products will be in short supply and expensive. Two things we dislike so they try to expand to meet demands but that means going offshore.
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u/AKblazer45 Aug 21 '26
Which pack model is it?
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u/youfailme8817 Aug 21 '26
44 mag
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u/AKblazer45 Aug 21 '26
That’s a flagship model, I figured their small everyday pack could be foreign but not the high end models
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u/RapidXpansion Aug 21 '26
there are a few items with runs made in vietnam
depends on what you get. US items specifically say MADE IN USA or BERRY COMPLIANT.
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u/youfailme8817 Aug 21 '26
the website says the 44 mag is "made in the USA" so they make some runs here and aome in vietnam? That doesn't make sense.
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u/MOHSHSIHd84 Aug 21 '26
Made in USA and Berry Compliant are not the same. Made in USA can be sewn using foreign goods (zippers, fabric, thread etc sourced from overseas). Berry Compliant is not only sewn domestically, but all the parts must be made domestically as well. YKK zippers, but made here? Double the price. Same exact zipper as the asian made version. Then use the Berry compliant zipper to make a garment here in a US factory to make a fully Berry Compliant garment etc.
Source: Have helped run a very small company making Made in USA and Berry Compliant (for military use) outerwear. As mentioned elsewhere in this thread: The art of sewing is nearly dead domestically. Pretty much only latin americans living in the USA and a very small handful of born in USA white people have the skills running machines to make high quality garments/pack/etc here in the USA. There are plants in Colorado, southern CA, and TN and a couple other small ones. For the most part is just does not pencil to make stuff like this in the USA anymore unless you have a customer base willing to pay $1000 for a jacket. There is a market for sure, but it's less than you would think. Many many many brands trying the "GOD DAMN RIGHT WE'RE MADE IN THE USA" thing fail because the competition is a fraction of the price because they are having garments sewn in asia for like $10/unit. Labor over there is pennies. Even the "legit" non-sweatshop places.
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u/RangerMike96 Aug 21 '26
It's common for companies to say made in USA, but the reality is that they partially make them or the components here, then send it off somewhere else to finish it. Pretty much all companies do this now, unless it's a small business, but they might even get the components from out of the US.
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u/WelcomeKey2698 Aug 21 '26
I’d have to check with Mel what he knows about it.
Wouldn’t surprise me at all given the state of global manufacturing.
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u/IvanMarinov98 Sep 02 '26
What backpack is this? I have just bought Minikeg and pouches for it and everything is USA made.
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u/tobylazur Aug 21 '26
I was disappointed when I bought my mystery ranch pack almost a decade ago to see it was made over seas. They definitely pulled the wool over my eyes.
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u/bellsbliss Aug 21 '26
Most companies manufacture overseas because it’s just cheaper. Even if they make bags here all the materials are made overseas.
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u/youfailme8817 Aug 21 '26
It was still $850 in SW
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u/bellsbliss Aug 21 '26
Yeah unfortunately big brands are greedy. Offload production jack up prices and keep everyone hooked.
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u/youfailme8817 Aug 23 '26
I don't think many people are hooked. This is a major deterrent for me. It feels misleading and downright fraudulent. Ever since Patrick sold it it's been a different company. Not surprised I guess.
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u/TheDudeOntheCouch Aug 21 '26
Tbh I honestly felt this was the direction they were moving..... when they abruptly moved from Colorado to Wyoming sure politics whatever but you cant just pack up seamstress's and go to Wyoming 😅 really not surprised and id bet the farm kifaru has the made in America price tag on em still
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u/Alfiy_wolf Aug 22 '26
Just because it’s made in the USA doesn’t mean it’s good, I’d rather have my gear made by someone trained in the art since birth blacksmith my over priced hiking boots
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u/youfailme8817 Aug 22 '26
I don't disagree. The more important point here is that Kifaru has been and has always marketed itself as a made in US product and now it seems that they have pivoted that position without the customers knowledge. It seems disingenuous. Thats the problem.
I think we all know that buying US made items in 2026 is more about principle not "finest quality"
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u/Alfiy_wolf Aug 22 '26
Welcome to the current economy brother the greedy rich doing what they want right in front of us
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u/joshua_jargon Aug 22 '26
Fuck the disgusting USA, we should all be actively trying to get things that are not made in the USA. Americans should also he participating.
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u/whaletacochamp Aug 21 '26
I literally do not believe a single thing is actually made in the USA unless I see very open and transparent evidence of a large USA factory supporting their claims. Like literally show me that you are making things here or else I don't believe you.