Mystery ranch

[kayaksteve]

Anyone ran one of the pop-up frames from mystery ranch? Been wanting an upgrade and I’ve really been leaning towards one of these. Thinking the pop-up 28. I don’t like a huge pack because I generally don’t carry a ton of stuff on a day hunt but a frame and the capability to haul loads out of the woods is a must. Seems like a good middle ground. I just missed the Memorial Day sale cause I couldn’t commit but, I’m sure I can get a decent deal by fall.

 

[Redwood1199]

I just sold one, good pack I used it for 1 sticking saddle hunting. I personally didn't like it because it felt small to me. I'm 6'5 and the frame just seemed short. The buckels also broke but mystery ranch sent out some for free right away. The 28 is fairly small enough for some rain gear food and some calls not much else. Of course you can get a compression sack and load up the meat shelf. I never hauled meat with it as I went in a different direction with my pack and didn't use it for more than a month or so. It still looked brand new after about 12 trips in the woods and up and down trees.

 

[ddd-shooter]

Went straight to kifaru, no regrets here.
I definitely think you’ll enjoy the upgrade to whatever better pack you choose.

A good pack is worth it, imo

 

[kayaksteve]

I just sold one, good pack I used it for 1 sticking saddle hunting. I personally didn't like it because it felt small to me. I'm 6'5 and the frame just seemed short. The buckels also broke but mystery ranch sent out some for free right away. The 28 is fairly small enough for some rain gear food and some calls not much else. Of course you can get a compression sack and load up the meat shelf. I never hauled meat with it as I went in a different direction with my pack and didn't use it for more than a month or so. It still looked brand new after about 12 trips in the woods and up and down trees.

Thanks for the info. That’s why I wanted to hear some personal experience. I have a hard time trusting a lot of online reviews these days. I’m not looking for a ton of space but I may step up to the 38. I have the alps commander pack now and it’s just bigger than I usually need and the frame is really bulky. And I yreally like the overload feature on the mystery ranch.

 

[kayaksteve]

Went straight to kifaru, no regrets here.
I definitely think you’ll enjoy the upgrade to whatever better pack you choose.

A good pack is worth it, imo

I like a few of the kifarus I’ve looked at and Im not necessarily cheap but they are a little out of my range. It’s hard to put a price on quality and comfort but I’ve gotta do what I gotta do. I haven’t totally removed them from my list though

 

[Tight Lines]

I've not had a Mystery Ranch, but I do have 2 Dana Designs packs (well one fanny pack technically) that are 28 years old and going strong...Dana Gleason used to make the BEST packs. He founded Mystery Ranch. Dana is one of the best pack designers ever...and the MR packs that LEOs have and use they swear by...

 

[ddd-shooter]

I like a few of the kifarus I’ve looked at and Im not necessarily cheap but they are a little out of my range. It’s hard to put a price on quality and comfort but I’ve gotta do what I gotta do. I haven’t totally removed them from my list though

I totally get it. I just didn’t want to do many people end up doing. Trading up three times to eventually get a fancy one anyway.
I was lucky, had a friend who had a kifaru and I tried it out and loved it.
Mystery ranch is certainly a very high quality pack, along with stone glacier, Exo, kifaru, seek outside.

 

[kayaksteve]

I totally get it. I just didn’t want to do many people end up doing. Trading up three times to eventually get a fancy one anyway.
I was lucky, had a friend who had a kifaru and I tried it out and loved it.
Mystery ranch is certainly a very high quality pack, along with stone glacier, Exo, kifaru, seek outside.

The Stryker xl looks like a pretty sweet pack. If I catch the right sale on it or the pop-up I’ll give either one a long hard life

 

[ddd-shooter]

The Stryker xl looks like a pretty sweet pack. If I catch the right sale on it or the pop-up I’ll give either one a long hard life

They just had a big sale where they were eliminating the multi cam and coyote brown packs. Were like 30% off. I dnt think it's still on though

 

[chrislibby88]

Skip the pop up, I’m sure they are good packs, but I don’t like the internal frame packs as much as extrernal frames. They make smaller bags for the guidelite frame. I’ve got the guidelite frame with a pintler bag. It’s perfect for the type of hunting I do. I can stuff plenty of layers and gear in the bag, carry my climber between the bag and frame very comfortably. If I’m not carrying much I can cinch the bag down super small. Get bigger than you think you need. Even the big bags compress down small.

 

[wks41]

I’ve run the pop up 28 for the last couple years. I dont hunt the mountains much so take my opinion for what it’s worth. I did haul out about 100 lbs of bear last year with the pack. It was a long two miles but the pack held up great except for poping one buckle. It’s only rated for 80lbs and I didn’t see that till after the haul. MR sent me out replacement buckles right away. For me it’s very comfortable and has been a great pack. They give a nice discount for first responders and military too.

 

[rnfarley]

@kayaksteve CampSaver currently has a 20% off one item coupon if you wanted to pick up a MR. I've heard mixed reviews about the frame and comfort on the pop up but have to agree that the concept is very appealing. There's another thread on here about pack comparisons with a video where a guy compares 5 of the top packs available today and MR does pretty poorly in his appraisal. He makes a few points worth considering to make sure those aren't issues that would bug you as well before dropping the money on a nicer bag.

 

[KentuckyHeadhunter]

Skip the pop up, I’m sure they are good packs, but I don’t like the internal frame packs as much as extrernal frames. They make smaller bags for the guidelite frame. I’ve got the guidelite frame with a pintler bag. It’s perfect for the type of hunting I do. I can stuff plenty of layers and gear in the bag, carry my climber between the bag and frame very comfortably. If I’m not carrying much I can cinch the bag down super small. Get bigger than you think you need. Even the big bags compress down small.

Been thinking of picking up that Pintler bag to swap out with my metcalf when needed.

 

[chrislibby88]

Been thinking of picking up that Pintler bag to swap out with my metcalf when needed.

Get it. It’s the perfect size for dayhunting with insulation. Get some compression bags for any heavy insulation, just to smush it down as tight as possible.

 

[Bobby Bigtime]

They sell blems and seconds at the outdoor show there in Bozeman but if you contact them they might just have one. They are great people