Construction, Guarantee

About a Custom Made Product

Our packs cost a little bit more. We're proud to provide extremely durable, lightweight products that are 100% American made and Berry Amendment compliant.

This gear will outperform and outlast anything made offshore - period. In both the short and the long run, the "price" is better Kifaru gear is probably not for everybody. It is built specifically for serious military operators with the best-in-the-world materials. It is costly gear. Nevertheless, these serious users quickly acknowledge that the cost-to-benefit ratio of their Kifaru gear is quite high. The gear, quite simply, is well worth the investment. Can you buy a pack for less money? Absolutely. Sure, it's cheaper to have your stuff sewn over the border, then "assembled" in America - and slap on a USA sticker - allowing other nations to prosper at the expense of our own. So, the question might be... what's the cost?

Our craftsmen are Coloradoans - local folks who are accountable for their quality, and close enough for us to chastise them if it's not up to snuff. They all have a long history of industrial sewing, and have cut their teeth on making rugged outdoor gear that has been thoroughly torture tested by hunters and mountaineers for over 23 years. As far as we know, all of our packs are still in service; they just don't wear out - so we're not new kids on the block.

Why We Sell Only Factory Direct
In order to maintain a consistently high quality custom made product, we do not use dealers. This also helps keep our costs down.

"About 83 percent of all garments sold in the United States are now made offshore, as are 80 percent of the toys, 90 percent of the sporting goods, 95 percent of the shoes...
In the last two years China has created 30 million jobs and the U.S. has lost 2 million..."

The Berry Amendment requires the U.S. Defense Department (DOD) to buy certain products -- judged essential to our military readiness - with 100% U.S. content and labor. These products include clothing and other textile items, specialty steel, and food.

"If there's a downside to the Asian funnel, it's that packs increasingly look the same across the board. 'I once could distinguish one backpack brand from another at a glance,' Pfotenhauer tells me. 'There was a certain unmistakable unique identity behind every maker's product. Now as most packs are made in Asia, much of the design and development is being done there too. This means the vendor will use many of the same methods and techniques to address all their design and construction needs. Product design and development is becoming more more of a menu driven, copy-this, borrow-that proposition. Several times I have found that the sample I was developing in a factory development office were being shown in the design offices of a competitor. Add in the effects of conglomeration in the industry, and you'll see the identities of these companies are becoming much more difficult to define.'"

The most visible manifestation of all this can be seen at a strip of knockoff backpack vendors near the Ben Thanh Market in central Saigon. There, for anywhere from $2 to $10, you can pick up a counterfeit backpack emblazoned with the logo of virtually any brand made in Vietnam... the fabrics, the hardware, the straps and seams - they're practically indential, as if there's only one family family of backpacks left in the world, its members distinguished from their kinfolk only by color and logo and the fain, fading aura of old brand-name glories."

Backpacker Magazine interview with Mike Pfotenhauer,
August, 2005

The Inside Scoop.
We've turned this Navigator inside out to illustrate a few points.
1. We use 1000d waterproofed Cordura extensively, we double it up where appropriate.
2. We use 92F thread instead of industry standard 69E, and seal it all with binding tape to prevent fraying.
3. Our stitching and bartacking (often in combination) is state-of-the-art; again, based on over two decades of knowing what it takes.
4. As always, we use only Delrin buckles to ensure neither cold nor heat will stop your mission.

Navigator, inside out

Buy this gear with confidence. It's guaranteed for life, and is designed to fully meet and exceed government specifications.

Kifaru Backpacks & Pack Accessories - Our Guarantee
Our packs and accessories come with a lifetime guarantee against defects in materials and workmanship. Should they ever fail to provide satisfaction because of defects in materials or workmanship, we will repair or replace at no cost to you. Problems associated with normal wear or abuse will mean a reasonable repair or replacement charge.
Pack shipping: prices indicated are for individual purchases. Shipping costs will be consolidated on combination orders.

Kifaru Tipis, Shelters & Stoves
All our shelters are guaranteed against defects in materials and workmanship. Should our Tipis or Shelters ever fail to provide satisfaction because of defects in materials or workmanship, we will repair or replace it at no cost to you. Problems associated with normal wear or abuse will mean a reasonable repair or replacement charge.

Kifaru Military Sleds
Kifaru sleds are guaranteed for an unlimited period of time against defects in materials and workmanship. Should our sled ever fail to provide satisfaction because of defects in materials or workmanship, we will repair or replace it at no cost to you. Problems associated with normal wear or abuse will mean a reasonable repair or replacement charge. Spare or replacement harness parts and other hardware are readily available from us a t a reasonable cost.
This guarantee applies only to Kifaru made sleds. Owners of Mountainsmith Sleds are subject to charge for any repairs.

Returns
We understand that it can be difficult buying a product that is not on a shelf where you can try it out, touch and feel it. These are custom made products.
If you get your item, and decide that it is just not for you, return it in unused, new condition for a full product refund within 30 days. Shipping costs, in this case however, are not refunded.
Re-stocking fees: unlike most other companies, we do not charge a re-stocking fee for returned merchandise.

Other Ordering Information

Internet		Online order forms are available via any of our website pages

Telephone		Call toll free to place an order: 1-800-222-6139

Fax		Print any online order form and fax to: 303-278-9248

Mail		Print any online order form and mail with currency to: Kifaru, Int'l. 4894 Van Gordon St., Wheat Ridge, Colorado, 80033

Rush Orders		Please call

Outside Continental US		Please call for shipping options.

Showroom Hours		Monday through Friday, 9 to 5 MST, weekends by appointment. Click here for a map to our factory.

Delivery Time		Our products are custom made and may take up to 6 weeks for delivery.

Payment Method		Since our items are custom made, they are on a PRE_PAID basis. Pay via check, money order or the following credit cards: Visa, Mastercard and Discover. Never send cash through the mail!

About Our Mailing List and Your Privacy
Nobody likes junk mail, and we don't generate it.
Customer information is kept entirely confidential, and is never sold or given to any other agency.
Credit card numbers are not maintained in our database.

"We do not quarrel with those who sell for less, after all, they know what their product is worth."
sign in Henderson's Donut Shop, Wheat Ridge, Colorado.