BACKCOUNTRY HUNTER EXTRAORDINAIRE ARON SNYDER

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We caught Snyder on the phone, right as he was heading out for a bear hunt. Though our timing wasn’t as fortuitous as it might seem; Snyder spends 150 nights a year hunting in the backcountry.

That’s an impressive number for most hunters. Take into consideration that Snyder is also the owner of world-renowned premier hunting gear and accessories brand Kifaru, and it’s an even more awe-inspiring figure. So, we were lucky to talk to Snyder while he had cell service. Snyder currently resides in Riverton, Wyoming. But he grew up in Detroit Lake, Oregon.

Not surprisingly, Synder grew up hunting and fishing in his free time. At 18, joined the Army and was enlisted for many years. His last assignment was in Colorado. It was there, around 2008, Snyder started reviewing hunting gear on various blogs and forums. Eventually, this led him to Kifaru.

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Joining Kifaru full time in 2010, Snyder quickly rose through the ranks and was eventually named President and CEO. In 2020, he bought the company and relocated it to Wyoming. Snyder has been leading Kifaru ever since.

If you’re not aware of Kifaru, it makes the highest quality hunting gear. Like Leitner Designs, every piece of the gear is made in America, from the cloth to the thread down to the needles themselves.

When Snyder is in the backcountry for days at a time, he uses backpacking gear. When he uses his truck as a homebase, though, he sleeps in the bed. When Snyder is traveling, he uses the Leitner Designs Active Cargo System Forged for carrying and securing his gear. On the ASC Forged, Snyder has mounted GearPOD, GearPOD Dual, and HydroPOD ACS Rack Shower Kit.

Snyder admits that he didn’t see much value or utility in the HydroPOD at first. That all changed, though, once he used it.

“I have been super surprised as far as just how much I use the damn Hydropod,” Snyder said. “Whether it's just getting to the truck, turning HydroPOD on to clean my hands off or right after I've gutted an animal whatever or I'm just sweating balls when I get back to the truck from backpacking the last four days, I smell like crap, it works great as a shower.”

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At first, Snyder was weary of taking an ACS Forged to test since he wasn’t sure how much he’d actually use it. Quickly, he discovered just how essential the Active Cargo System is for a hunter.

“I've sold 11 of the Active Cargo Systems already to buddies … they kind of sell themselves once you get to use them,” Snyder said. “When we pull up to camp and my buddies see the system, how I use it, what I pull out or whatever — it kind of sells itself.”

We couldn’t be prouder to help a world-class bad-ass like Aron Snyder carry his world and make his hunts easier and more successful. Thank you for your confidence in Leitner Designs, Aron.

If you want to follow along with Snyder’s adventures, you can find him on Instagram @aron_snyder.

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