Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Mystery Ranch Metcalf - Tell me about it

Looking at a Metcalf.

Looking for a pack that will work for a few day excursion and is good to pack meat with.

How do the Metcalf's specs look for those in the know?

One thing that are important to me is durability. I own another MR pack and the sippers etc are bulletproof, so I assume this will be good that way.

Size, organization and the ability to handle meat/odd size parcels is also important.

Does this have a shelf, or a spot where you can loosen the straps and place meat bags in to carry that load?

I have one and it is a hauling sum biotch. Very sturdy and handles loads well. A friend has hauled at least a dozen elk out with his and he loves it. Go on the website. They have a video going through the whole pack.

They are bullet proof, handle loads reasonably well - but the hip belt is a deal killer for me - it has no rubberized interior side of the belt. The MR fit me well but when I put an elk quarter in the bag, it slides down my hips. Clinching the shoulder straps helps keep the pack seated in my lumbar but I end up carrying alot of weight on my shoulders. If they would fix the belt, I'd buy another.

I have one new with tags on I’ll give you a good deal on. Shoot me a pm if interested. My backpacking days are over.

Scheels has a sale going now. https://www.scheels.com/c/backpacks/mystery-ranch

Mine was well made and impressive in every way except that it was uncomfortable. The hip belt wings dug into my back when the pack was under load. They’re also heavy, but that’s the name of the game with mystery ranch.

I've been using the Pintler the last couple of years, which I believe is the same frame/suspension as the Metcalf. As has been said, they're well made and rugged. I do struggle with the hip belt - it creates a pressure point on my hip, and I find my SO Paradox to be a more comfortable pack. The MR belt is pretty thick/stiff and feels like the load is on the points if my hips rather than distributed evenly across the hips and lumbar. If starting over, one of the Stone Glacier X-curves would be at the top of my list.

in the past year or 3 MR upgraded the hip belt I have a Marshall, pintler and a Metcalf witht he guide lite MT frame and new style hip belt and iit is very, very comfortable

Good to know - I'll definitely check that out.

ive had a Metcalf for 6 years. packed deer and elk and have used it on many back packing trips. Its a bit heavy, but durable. Once I get over 60 lbs it becomes a bit uncomfortable on my shoulders and it pinches my hips, I have a long torso.,on longer trips.


I prefer a stone glacier but of course that costs more. Its a good pack for the money if you get it on sale

I bit the bullet tonight and ended up with a Stone Glacier.

I was looking at the Col 4800 but ended up buying the sky 5900. The 5900 came with the xcurv frame and felt like it sat and fit better. It collapses down pretty good when not packing a full load and obviously has more room to exand if/when needed.

I was tempted by the Mystery Ranch options, but SG is still made here in the US and is considerably lighter than the MR packs and has a great warranty.

For those interested, Scheels is starting a pretty good discount/sale on SG. I got about $120 off list price on the pack.

I also have the SG 5900, I've been very happy with it....enjoy.

I've compared the Pintler, Stone Glacier 5900 / xcurve, and Kifaru Duplex lite with 55lb sand bag hiking the 2 miles around the house. All three are comfortable enough to use. The Kifaru hip belt, for me, is the best of the three. I sold the 5900 and use the Pintler for day hunts. It's more than capable for packing meat but even with the updated hip belt it's not as comfortable as the Kifaru.

I have a MR Pintler, Kuiu Pro and an EXO K3. They all fit a bit different. Your body will tell you how well it will do for you. My Kuiu is more of a day pack-light and comfortable. The MR works well for predator hunting and the EXO is pretty much an all-around pack. Tough part is not all companies make Iin my opinion) a bag that suits all applications. Hence why I have three... Happy to let anyone in the NH/ME/Mass area give them a whirl...

I wish that the Mystery Ranch hip belt was as nice as the Kuiu hip belt. I so wanted to like the Kuiu pack but it killed my back, even empty, I went to the Mystery Ranch Sawtooth no back pain but the hip belt is just not as nice and seems like an afterthought compared to the Kuiu

I use one and am very happy with the Metcalf..had the slipping/pain issue with the hip belt as well, initially, and this really helped. https://ovinnovations.com/collections/nice-frame-accessories/products/mean-pad

I have a Pop-Up 28. Have hauled an entire deer out in it. Quality is good to great. Kinda noisy if you're looking for stealthy, the material isn't it. But it's durable. I will get a bigger one than what I have now and probably give this one to my son.

I must have one with the newer hip belt because I though it was great. Until I had a deer loaded in it, you could hardly tell it was on.

Well, I just ordered that lumbar pad so we'll see if that helps.

My Pintler feels fine with 70 lbs wearing it around the house for short periods, but I haven't packed meat with it or carried a heavy load any distance. My discomfort comes from wearing it all day loaded light as a day pack. I feel like I'm constantly pushing it up trying to get it higher on my hips. Has me thinking it's slipping down. I spent quite a bit of time with all the suspension adjustments, but will go through that again when I add the lumbar pad.

Metcalfs (Metcalves?) are great.

I’ve tried Kifaru, Stone Glacier, and Kuiu. Still like my Mystery Ranch packs the best. Kifaru was great with heavy loads, but really stiff for dodging limbs, etc. while day hunting. Also the heaviest. Mystery Ranch and Kuiu packs “hunt” the best out of the four. SG’s land right in the middle.

Give me a Pintler for day hunts and a Metcalf for overnights - or just a Metcalf for everything - and that’s the best all-around pack there is.

You can buy the Pintler bag alone and switch out your Metcalf(or other bag) with the MR frame. I was thinking the Marshall looks more better but the Pintler is working fine for me.