Unless you do a lot of jumping out of helicopters or like to drag your ruck behind a humvee over the Iraqi wastelands, most of us could probably make do with other, less expensive rucks, that have proven themselves capable of taking a fair amount of abuse themselves. Kifaru is by no means the end all, be all of rucks, though they are among the best, and it sure helps that they are made in the USA. Having drug my camelbak through the grit, grime and grease of the middle east, I am none too anxious to pitch it in the can and go get a kifaru of my own.

I guess if you can afford it and you think you're gonna be getting into regular fights with grizzlies and cougars or you blow things up for a living and you might need something to hide behind, Kifaru may be the sort of gear you are looking for. Personally, I can't think of anything I would want to live through that is going to fail my motherlode. I suppose that the camelbak being the only ruck they sold at every PX in country I stopped in at doesn't carry much weight either. Then again, this is the same store chain they sold nickel bags of Ramen at for 50 cents a pkg.

I will say this: For half the cost or less of an equivalent kifaru, you are getting maybe 10% less ruggedness out of the camelbak.