Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Mystery Ranch w/ Spotting Scope and Tripod?

Im thinking about taking the plunge and buying a Mystery Ranch pack. Maybe a crew cab or longbow. Haven't decided which one. If I can get some help on deciding which one that would be great. I will try to describe what Im looking for, I carry a 80mm Swaro spotting scope, tripod, and 15x56 swaros. Im looking for a pack that I can put each of these into a separate pocket (quick access). Anybody have pics of how they load their pack?

Thanks

I have both a crewcab and the longbow and I favor the longbow. My 65mm Swaro fits in one long inside pocket and I place my 10x42 EL's in the lid...not sure if the 15's would fit up there? You would still have plenty of room to put them into the main compartment.

Depending upon what tripod you use -- possibly may be able to slide it inside, I lash mine to the outside.

I love the pocket design overall much better on the longbow, but either pack is going to be a great choice...sorry no pics though.

If you want to go MR for a daypack, from a straight gear organizational stand point I would choose the longbow over the crewcab. In fact after looking them both over in person I did just that and purchased a longbow to go on my NICE frame. Honestly 80mm swaro, may be too big for any of the internal pockets of the longbow anyways, but I have mine in the el cheapo $40 neoprene cover from Cabelas and just stick my 65mm Swaro inside the main compartment wrapped up in either my puffy coat or pants. The tri-zip of the longbow makes for quick access of anything in the pack. Plus the more sleeves and pockets makes it easier for me to organize my day hunting gear how I would like.

Jeremy PM sent.

if you go with the Longbow MR makes a pair of padded NICE long pockets that will strap to the outside of your pack.

I happen to have two sets of nice pockets for sale too for less than MR wants of course.

As a frame of reference, a 65mm Leica and Slik mini fit together in one padded MR pocket. 80mm Swaro may be too long.

Greenhorn would know, pretty sure he uses the big Swaro.

This may help:

http://forums.bowsite.com/TF/bgforums/thread.cfm?threadid=366127&forum=36

OR

http://forums.bowsite.com/TF/bgforums/thread.cfm?threadid=384308&forum=5

How about the Bighorn vs Longbow? The majority of my loads will be light day trips.

I've been using the Longbow steady since December. I actually picked it up a couple days before Christmas. It's been my favorite pack that I've ever used. I love the threeZip design. I love the organization, everything has its place. However, I also bought a Bighorn for my wife that I plan on using this weekend (hunting muleys). I am liking the Bighorn much more than the Longbow. Same great design and organization. But, It is lighter. Has a little more room for overnights and bivy hunts. Depending on your height, the load lifters work better and it's still bombproof like any other Mystery Ranch.

I'd point you towards the Bighorn. I believe for your needs it will suit you perfectly.

I can't compare since the only MR pack I've seen or held is my Bighorn. I love that pack. It works great for day hikes. I tend to go out alone in areas with no cell reception so I tend to pack heavy to cover the what ifs. I followed the fitting instructions and the load lifters work great on the pack. I'm not sure of the exact angle they are at but it's enough to pull the pack tight into you and take the weight off of the shoulders. As soon as I tighten the load lifters I can feel the difference. From looking at pictures the Bighorn's load lifters come up a lot higher than the Longbow's.

The tri zip design works great, no more dumping gear out of you pack to get to things. I like the stick it pocket to. You can put an oversize jacket etc there. I know most won't agree with how I pack but that's where I like to put my Camelbak. (sorry I don't like bladders inside of my pack, they take up too much room. For me the pack is sized for 1 day winter or a couple of days in warmer weather.

Both are great packs with some differences. The BH is a little bigger, a little lighter and has the outside pockets.

The big difference with the LB is that it is compatible with the NICE frame. The NICE frame is designed to carry heavy loads and be used with different platforms. As others have mentioned, with the NICE frame you can use the LB for day trips or multi day bivy hunts and then switch out the bag for the 6500 for the serious stuff.

I went with the LB for the versatility and load carrying. I can do bivy hunts with it and carry a load of boned out meat (along with my gear) if successful.

Jeremy,
I have a Zeiss Diascope with the 85mm and it slides nicely into the interior pocket of my Longbow. It will also slide into the interior pocket of my duaghters Bighorn. My binos usually are hanging of me and handy so haven't put them in the lid, but I am guessing yours would fit just fine. I have the old Zeiss Classics and I bet I could fit two or maybe three pairs into the lid. I can email you some pics if you like with how everything fits in.
I do like the Bighorn with a little more room, but the Longbow is really easy to strap "extra" gear on it and the NICE frame is more suited to a heavier load. If I had to only have one pack, it would be the Longbow.
Loaded going into camp this week. I use a canvas meat bag to put extra gear (mountain house meals etc that isn't real heavy and strap to the back. This is the pack loaded with gear and food for 4 days.
If the load is heavier and want to keep it closer to my shoulders and back you can place extras on top of the pack, use the extended straps and hook into the buckles that are on the pack that are in place for a Top Lid.

Here is where the NICE frame comes in handy over the Bighorn.

I do like the back beavertail and side water pockets on the Bighorn, though. If I could get a Bighorn "pack" sewn up to strap on the NICE frame that would be about perfect!!!!

Wood stove heading into camp.

I love my Longbow, just wish MR would have put a beaver tail on it, or at least offered an option for an addon (like Kifaru does).

NXP

Ovis great pics for sure.

Just trying to figure things out as I have never hunted down south. I see your longbow is pretty much loaded to the hilt just going in. I am then assuming that you are not packing in all that far because otherwise it would require you to make multiple trips out if you did score a deer or antelope correct?? I mean I could get all my sheep hunting gear with 5 days of food into my longbow pack, but then when I am 20+ miles in from my truck and am I really going to want to make two trips if I do score a sheep??

Just trying to get a feel for how guys are doing this multiday hunts with just the longbow and carrying out the meat in addition to their camp all in one load. The only thing I can come up with is that they are sub 10 miles back in and therefore making two trips.

I just know for my uses the longbow is really only a day hunt pack in that I just have my emergency bivy overnight gear and hunting gear along which leaves enough room to in fact haul out a bear hide or the like. But to haul a full camp out in addition to a bear hide or a boned out deer it would be pretty more usuing all the real estate the longbow had to offer and them some.

Certainly makes sense for elk hunting and the like when mulitple hike outs are needed and most people I would think would not hunt 10+ miles from their truck on foot elk hunting so you make a load out and then get a bigger pack after you make the first load out.

Not trying to be a smart ass, but I have wondered this for a while when everyone is talking about going 3 days with the longbow and anything more than a day hunt I am hauling my NICE 6500 due to lack of space due to hauling camp and animal back in one trip.

Lanche,
You are correct on your observations. My camp is about 4 miles in and I put my tent and stove in early in the season. I am required to move my tent every 14 days, but I am a bit out of the way and have never had a visitor, so I sometimes stretch it a day or two extra (this is for fall/winter elk hunting). So when I wrote I was loaded for 4 days I should have noted tent and stove was already in and I was hunting out of one location and not on the move. If I was moving about the 6500 would accomodate room for that a lot better. I am actually saving some money up in the coffee can to either buy a 6500 or might even pick up the 7500.
For spring and early fall hunting I am pretty well maxed with my tent (4 lbs), sleeping bag and pad (4 lbs), gram weanie and fuel (1.5 lbs), scope and tripod (6.5 lbs) and food. This burns up all the interior room of the pack and I can still load to the frame to haul meat in this mode, but if I throw the stove on the load I have run out of room. At this point the Diascope loses it position of luxury inside the pack and get strapped to the outside with the tripod.
In the photos that you see of going in and out of camp I am kinda hauling "double". I have three kids and my two oldest (both daughters) hunt with me... a lot. My son is 7 and also tags along and likes to hike into camp on occasion too, but back to topic. My 12 year old isn't set up with a pack (a decent one...maybe Santa will swing by Mystery Ranch? shhhh...)so I have been trying to haul her sleeping bag and pad as well as extra water in every trip as my camp is dry and no water within about 2 miles. (1 mile down and 1 mile back).
If I go "lean" I can gear up and do 4 or 5 days including tent, but the 6500 would be a better choice for sure and for me an elk is minumum 3 trips solo, more like 4 if it steep... with any luck I can get some help!
Happy hunting, Casey
PS What color our those pockets you have for sale?

The hunting crew looking at bighorn sheep in the spring while on a spring black bear expedition.

AL,

You can also put your meat between the pack and the frame.

Ovis,

Thanks for breaking it down for me. I was just curious. If you are saving for a NICE 6500 or 7500 I'd say do yourself a favor and get the 7500. Only 4 more oz for another 1000 cu in is a great trade off IMO. Love the pics of the kids getting out there too.

KenaiKing,

Yeah I realize that you can put the meat between the pack frame and the pack, as that is what I plan to do with bear hides and meat when packing out critters with it. However, I fail to see how when your longbow is packed to the hilt going in and then trying to fit a boned out deer between the frame and the pack putting everything so far away from your back how going with a NICE 6500 allows you to load the weight a little better. I realize it may just be how I do things and personal preference comes into play and there really is no wrong way, but I fail to see where the longbow outshines the NICE 6500 for anything other than day hunts. Especially when you consider taking off the top lid of the NICE 6500 and how the NICE 6500 compresses pretty darn small with all the handy compression straps MR placed on it.

Just different strokes for different folks, no wrong way to get the meat and camp out so long as ya get it out.

Yup Al,

Thats pretty much how I roll. The longbow cant replace a 6500. It just has different uses. For day or a quick overnighter the longbow gets the nod.

Any thing longer the 6500 gets to shine. This is my 3rd year on the 6500 and 2nd year on the longbow. I just cant find a better combo for the type of hunting I do. I love it.


If I was to have one pack it would be the 6500 for the reasons you state but you can get it done with just the longbow if you had too.