Kifaru
Kifaru Stryker XL
A day pack built around an oversized cargo sling: 1,900 ci (31 L) in the main bag plus an extended load shelf Kifaru rates at effectively unlimited volume, made to haul tree stands, bait barrels, full-bodied antelope, and boned-out meat. Complete price is $825 ($325 bag + $500 ARK frame), with the bag itself at 2 lb 9.6 oz — the lightest complete system of Kifaru's ARK hunting bags.
Price and availability on Kifaru’s site may differ.
Specifications
What do these specs mean? →Features
Pros
- ✓The best-reviewed bag in Kifaru's ARK lineup: 4.9 stars from 26 kifaru.net reviews with 96% recommending, versus single-digit review counts on the 44 Mag, Hellbender, and Bedlam.
- ✓The extended sling swallows what other packs simply can't — Kifaru designed it for bait barrels, full-bodied antelope, tree stands, and boned-out meat, and it drops the weight low on the frame so it doesn't throw your balance mid-stride.
- ✓A kifaru.net owner hauled a 97 lb load his first season and multiple animals since, saying the load sling 'made carrying animals out a breeze' — real capability a Mystery Ranch Pop Up 28's fold-out shelf can't match for bulk.
- ✓treestand hunters run it with a Duplex/ARK frame to carry a hang-on stand and climbing sticks in the sling, then pack out a deer with the same rig — the exact role the pack was designed around.
- ✓At 2 lb 9.6 oz for the bag and about 5.7 lbs complete, it's the lightest full system among Kifaru's ARK hunting bags and at $825 all-in only The Maniml ($749) costs less.
- ✓Wildlife photographers on kifaru.net use the shelf for a 600mm f/4 super-telephoto with room left in the bag for layers and food — a use case camera bags handle worse.
- ✓Dual 32 oz bottle pockets, a bladder sleeve with twin hose ports, a front zip pocket with key hook, and 8 included compression straps come standard.
- ✓PALS webbing inside and out takes the Sherman pocket, Camp Bag, and belt pouches, and one owner stretches it to 2-day trips with a camp bag riding in the sling.
Cons
- ✗1,900 ci in the actual bag is tight — layers, optics, and a kill kit fill it, and that exact complaint is why Kifaru built the bigger Hellbender; owner threads comparing the Hellbender and Stryker XL exist for a reason.
- ✗$825 complete is steep for a 31 L day system when a Mystery Ranch Pop Up 28 lists around $400 complete and Eberlestock stand-hauler setups run in the $300s.
- ✗The Cordura sling carries meat on an open shelf, so bloody loads need their own game bags and it doesn't wipe clean like the Hellbender's Xpac sling — one of the specific upgrades Kifaru made on the newer bag.
- ✗No lid, no hipbelt pockets, and no dedicated weapon carry are included — the Gun Bearer, pouches, and Sherman pocket are all extra, on top of the $500 frame.
- ✗With near-zero retail distribution, there is rarely a chance to try it on before buying.
- ✗It's a day pack, full stop — overnight use means buying the Camp Bag accessory, where an Exo K3 or Stone Glacier Terminus flexes from day to multiday out of the box.
- ✗The foam-on-carbon back panel has no ventilation, and 500D Cordura is heavier fabric than the ultra-weaves Stone Glacier and Seek Outside now use.
- ✗Sling loads sit outside the bag, so awkward cargo needs deliberate strapping — owners report the system rewards practice and k-clip tweaks, and rattles if you get lazy with the 8 straps.
Common Questions
Compare the Kifaru Stryker XL
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