Kifaru
Kifaru 22 Mag
Kifaru's load-hauling day bag: a 2,400 ci (39 L) full-zip panel loader (2,250 ci main + 150 ci lid) that bridges a daypack and a full expedition system, sold complete for $850 ($350 bag + $500 ARK frame). A full-length load shelf positioned high on the frame, a bottom carry sleeve for rifles or tripods, and laser-cut MOLLE define the current ARK-era version, at about 3 lb for the bag and roughly 6.1 lb complete.
Specifications
Features
Pros
- ✓The full-zip clamshell panel opens the whole bag like a suitcase — Rokslide owners who cross-shopped it against top-loaders consistently pick the 22 Mag for organization, with one calling it simply 'a great pack' for exactly this reason.
- ✓A Rokslide owner packed an elk rear quarter, a backstrap, and full day gear — 105 lbs total — on his 22 Mag and frame and reported it 'balanced nicely,' then finished the whole bull in three more trips.
- ✓The current version adds a full-length load shelf positioned high on the frame, keeping meat weight tight to your back instead of sagging low like bolt-on shelf setups.
- ✓A bottom carry sleeve for rifles, tripods, or trekking poles is built in — dedicated weapon carry that the Stryker XL and Hellbender still need the Gun Bearer accessory for.
- ✓Carry-on compliant on the 22-inch ARK frame, which makes it one of very few real load-hauling systems you can take in an airline cabin for travel hunts.
- ✓Dual water-bottle pockets plus horizontal compression straps secure a tripod or spotting scope against the bag, and the included 150 ci lid with mesh organizer keeps small essentials out of the main bag.
- ✓Owners on Rokslide stretch it past day use — one runs full day gear plus one-night spike-out kit for solo elk hunts, processing at night and packing out in the morning.
- ✓500D Cordura with Squadron laminate reinforcement, made in the USA, with Kifaru's lifetime warranty — the same build quality as the flagship 44 Mag in a smaller envelope.
Cons
- ✗$850 complete ($350 bag + $500 ARK frame) buys a 39 L daypack — that's more than complete 75 L+ flagship systems from Exo, Stone Glacier, or Mystery Ranch cost.
- ✗There's almost no public review record: GOHUNT's 22 Mag Combo listing shows zero reviews and kifaru.net doesn't display a rating for it, so the rating here is an estimate from scattered owner posts.
- ✗At roughly 6.1 lbs complete it's a heavy day rig — a Mystery Ranch Pop Up 28 does the treestand-and-load-shelf job at around 4.9 lbs, and simple 2 lb daypacks embarrass it when no meat is on the menu.
- ✗Some Roksliders who owned both sold the 22 Mag and kept the Muskeg 2800, preferring the Muskeg's side zipper and expandable snow collar for the same day-hunt role.
- ✗The fixed panel-loader shape has no roll top or collar, so unlike the Muskeg or a compressed multiday bag there's zero overflow capacity when a hunt goes sideways.
- ✗Kifaru sized it around the 25-inch frame — on the carry-on-friendly 22-inch ARK the bag hangs 3 inches below the frame, and one owner noted the load shelf sits noticeably high on taller frames.
- ✗Hipbelt pockets, belt pouches, and the Sherman pocket are all paid add-ons, and the foam back panel has no ventilation for early-season heat.
- ✗The bear-canister question is a squeeze: the main bag is 25 x 11 x 8 inches, so a BV500 distorts the panel zip rather than dropping in the way it does in the 44 Mag or Bedlam.
Compare the Kifaru 22 Mag
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