Mystery ranch backpacks

Mystery ranch backpacks. Are they worth the money? I have a badlands super day pack but looking for a meat hauler

I've had one for years. Its absolutely bomb proof but heavy as hell. Empty the thing is almost 9 pounds.

I have an older MR Terraplane that has been a great pack. I bought it on sale for about $250 when I got into elk hunting about six years ago. I've compared it to a few different models of packs made by companies such as kuiu and kifaru. Though it wasn't as heavy duty as the kifaru, it has been comfortable and durable enough to handle a few heavy pack outs. I've preferred it over the kuiu packs and for the money I don't think I could've done much better. Some people hammer on mystery ranch for being formerly exclusively American made but sometimes you gotta buy what you can afford and that's what I did. I would recommend them but I still feel inexperienced for mountain hunting with less than 6 seasons and two heavy elk packouts.

Plenty of people have Badlands packs and enjoy them. I did. They are second tier packs compared to the other purpose built packs for heavy loads and meat.

EXO gave me cadillac ride with a good balance of material weight vs durability. I also agree with their philosophy of running the dry bag inside but do what works for you!

I will never pack enough weight to blow out my hips, knees or back but hey go for it!!

I've had both. Badlands are nowhere near the quality of a MR. Also MR warranty is unparalleled

I have a mystery ranch pack I use for general hunting and shooting tasks. I also have a smaller MR pack for my 12hr search pack and a large MR pack for my unsupported search pack for search and rescue work. The SAR packs especially live very hard lives and the MR gear has held up well.

I was looking for a meat hauler last year. I was really bothered by them shipping production to Vietnam and their story with it.

So I bought a Wilderness Pack Specialities….

Then, I promptly hurt my hip and have barely tried it on. Still think it is a good pack though.

Exo and stone glacier are definitely going to be in that top shelf realm. Lots of people seem to like the Kifaru stuff too. I don't know anyone that uses the mystery ranch stuff but I've heard it's good stuff. A good middle ground would be eberlestock. Not as spendy and the top shelf stuff but still carriers weight pretty well.

We have used 4 packs using the previous revision of the MR hunting frame. They have been sturdy and comfortable. You can buy yokes from them to mix and match waist and yoke side to customize your fit. For example if your tall and slim you might need a medium belt but a XL yoke. I have tried on the new frame, it seems more padded and may be more comfortable with a heavy load. Day to day hunting in AZ for Elk and Coues deer we will carry 25-35lbs and they are very comfortable crossing rough terrain. You can spend more on other brands, and they may be worth it if they work for your body better. I'd try to find somewhere where you can try them on with some weight in them. See how they feel on your traps and hips.

I have the Marshall mystery ranch pack and it's sweet! It weighs 7.1 lbs, for a frame pack that's not bad imo.

Thanks for the reply I have a coworker at work that has a mystery ranch I think it's a sawtooth if I'm not mistaken. He says it's a good pack but I just wanted some more input from other people who had experiences with them. I will have him bring it in and give it a try.

I've used my Dana Design Terraplane since 1996 and it's still going strong ... stronger than me now!

I have a a Mystery Ranch Marshall, Pintler, metcalf and I just bought from a member on here the pop up 38.

My brother in law had the Beartooth 80.

In my opinion, are the worth the money….sure. I'd say they are in the top 3 pack competitors.

As others said, the trade off is that some of the packs are heavy. The Marshall is a expedition pack. It's heavy to be able to handle meat, and 5+ days of gear and food. If you ever seen what that looks like, it's kind of ridiculous if you're not use to it.

Something like the Pintler which uses the same frame is a good overnight/day pack, if you like their trizip design.

Meanwhile, something like the pop up seems to do well as a day pack but then can handle large weight change immediately.

They have a lot of good options. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone that's broken a pack due to normal use. I don't have an issue fitting packs to myself, so as far as fit and feel, it fits and feels like any other pack I own really. Holds weight good.

I've got a MR pop up 28, had a couple badlands before that including the superday. The pop up 28 is a very comfortable day pack with a frame sheet built in and the ability to open up a huge load shelf. With this setup you can take a quarter back with you on the first load out. Very well built, definitely better build quality and functionality than the badlands IMO.