Kifaru
Kifaru The Maniml
A day pack for the ARK frame designed with champion archer Levi Morgan: a 2,200 ci top-loading main bag with 120 ci dual-access lid plus the included 750 ci Cinch breakaway daypack, about 3,070 ci (50 L) total. A full-length pleated load shelf, autolock weapon straps, and a Chamber Pocket organizer round out the $875 complete system ($375 bag set + $500 25-inch ARK frame).
Specifications
Features
Pros
- ✓The full-length load shelf runs to the top of the frame with a pleated bottom — a kifaru.net owner says 'paired with the ARK frame packing out is no problem' and the weight distribution is 'unbelievable', hauling ability no Exo or Stone Glacier day bag matches.
- ✓Includes the 750 ci Cinch breakaway daypack and Chamber Pocket organizer — the Cinch compresses the main bag or pops off as a standalone bag with stowed shoulder straps.
- ✓The forward-opening dual-zip lid opens from inside or outside, closed or open — designed with Levi Morgan specifically for accessing gear while hanging in a saddle or tree stand.
- ✓Ships with a K-clip strap kit so the bag also mounts on Kifaru Duplex and Newplex frames, not just the ARK.
- ✓Sewn-in .75-in autolock compression straps carry a bow, rifle, tree stand, or climbing sticks stock — owners strap platform, sticks, and saddle on with room for layers inside.
- ✓Owner-proven toughness: one reviewer fell 30 feet — 'the Maniml pack and ARK frame were fine, I wasn't' — and another calls it 'tougher than nails'.
- ✓Serves the whitetail/saddle niche the western pack brands mostly ignore, with a perfect 5.0 on kifaru.net and 100% recommend rate.
- ✓Four-way stretch side pockets and laser-cut MOLLE take bottles, spotter, tripod, bugle tube, or full-size belt pouches for match-your-hunt customization.
Cons
- ✗Rokslide's reception was skeptical: hard to justify against Kifaru's own Stryker XL, Hellbender, 22 Mag, and Minikeg — 'it looks like a 22 Mag without the full horseshoe'.
- ✗A Rokslide member's direct comparison: the Exo K4 3600 is over a pound lighter, has better access, roughly 1,700 more cubic inches, and costs $200 less.
- ✗Top-loader only — no horseshoe, tri-zip, or panel access, a step backward from the 22 Mag and Hellbender for digging out gear.
- ✗At 6 lb 11 oz complete it outweighs the 77 L 44 Mag combo (6 lb 6 oz) while carrying far less — a lot of pack weight for a day system.
- ✗The main bag alone is only 2,200 ci; one verified buyer found it 'a bit smaller than I thought', and the 50 L figure depends on counting the Cinch.
- ✗Quality niggle from a verified buyer: the burned zipper pull cords fray — three came apart within the first few uses.
- ✗Only 4 reviews since its 2024 launch — the thinnest track record of any Kifaru ARK bag.
- ✗$875 all-in is serious money for a whitetail day pack, and the ARK frame is overkill unless you actually drag deer out on your back.
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