Mystery Ranch Marshall 105 vs Stone Glacier Sky Talus 6900
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Quick take: The Stone Glacier Sky Talus 6900 carries more (113 vs 103 liters); the Stone Glacier Sky Talus 6900 is lighter (5.29 vs 6.7 lbs).
| Spec | Mystery Ranch Marshall 105 | Stone Glacier Sky Talus 6900 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $750 | $750 |
| Rating | 5★ (6) | 4.9★ (220) |
| Type | Hunting Pack | Hunting Pack |
| Frame Type | Internal Frame | External Frame |
| Capacity | 103 L | 113 L |
| Weight | 6.7 lbs | 5 lb 4.6 oz (Krux) / 5 lb 8.6 oz (Xcurve), complete with medium belt |
| Max Load | No official rating (reviewers report 60+ lb loads with no frame flex; expedition-class hauler) | 150+ lbs |
| Torso Fit | S–XL frame sizes with adjustable yoke (S/M ~15–20 in, L/XL ~17–24 in torsos); women's version available | Hook-and-loop harness with continuous height and angle adjustment; S/M/L belts (28"-37"+); Krux Short frame option for shorter torsos |
| Material | 330 HT CORDURA 5PM and 330D Robic Kodra ripstop with YKK zippers and SJ Autolock buckles | 500D Cordura + X-Pac laminate, YKK #10 zippers, 1" Duraflex military-spec hardware, made in USA |
| Back Panel | MYSTERIUM frame (2025 successor to the Guide Light MT) with adjustable yoke and five-piece hipbelt | Foam-padded carbon-stay frame panel (Krux or Xcurve frame) with nitrogen-infused foam harness |
| Adjustable torso | Yes | Yes |
| Ventilated back | No | No |
| Raincover included | No | No |
| Hipbelt pockets | No | No |
| Removable lid | Yes | Yes |
| Hydration sleeve | Yes | No |
| Fits BV500 bear can | Yes | Yes |
| Warranty | Mystery Ranch lifetime guarantee against manufacturing defects | Lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship |
Pros & cons
Mystery Ranch Marshall 105
- ✓This is Mystery Ranch's biggest hunting pack by a wide margin — 103 liters swallows 10+ days of gear, and Outside Bozeman called the attention to detail on 'this 105-liter beast' evident the moment you strap it on.
- ✓Long-term testers load it brutally: Backwoods Pursuit packed two elk quarters plus antlers with 'no slippage' and found no noticeable vertical frame flex, with 60+ lb loads staying comfortable.
- ✓The Overload meat shelf is unusually easy to deploy for a pack this size — reviewers single out the ease of access for getting quarters between frame and bag.
- ✓The dedicated bottom speed compartment keeps a sleeping bag accessible without unpacking, and dual full-length side zippers reach the middle of the enormous main bag — access most expedition top-loaders can't match.
- ✓The removable lid converts to a daypack, so you can drop camp and stalk light from a spike camp without carrying a second pack.
- ✓Outside Bozeman raved about the carry: the five-point hipbelt 'hugs the hips with a secure firmness, while the back panel and load straps pull the weight off the shoulders' — even suggesting you add 15 lbs more than you think you can carry.
- ✓The 2025 MYSTERIUM rebuild cut roughly 0.8 lbs versus the old Guide Light MT Marshall while adding the new weatherproof CORDURA 5PM fabric.
- ✓Owner reviews are a perfect 5.0 at Scheels, with one guide-type user writing 'I trust my life with the Marshall' — and Mystery Ranch's lifetime guarantee backs it.
- ✗At $750 ($800 in OPTIFADE Subalpine) it is Mystery Ranch's most expensive hunting pack, priced right against a Stone Glacier Terminus 7000 or Exo K4 7200 without their lighter weight or modular bag swaps.
- ✗At 6.7 lbs it runs about 1.5-2 lbs heavier than comparable Stone Glacier and Exo expedition systems — weight you carry on every mile of a long hunt.
- ✗Noise is the recurring Mystery Ranch gripe: the prior-generation Marshall tester reported squeaky shoulder straps and fabric that's loud brushing through branches on stalks.
- ✗The lid-to-daypack conversion is more clever than comfortable — the Backwoods Pursuit reviewer 'never really found it to be comfortable' as an actual stalking pack.
- ✗External storage is lean for a pack this size — two torpedo pockets and no stock hipbelt pockets, so quick-access items depend on add-on accessories.
- ✗Mystery Ranch publishes no official load rating, leaving buyers to forum anecdotes while Stone Glacier claims a 150 lb spec on its expedition frames.
- ✗As of mid-2026 it is backorder-only direct from Mystery Ranch and thin at retail (GOHUNT showing only a couple units), so finding your frame size can take patience.
- ✗Forum consensus is that 103 liters is overkill for most lower-48 hunts — unless you routinely do 5+ day bivy hunts or fly-in trips, a Metcalf or Beartooth carries better and invites less overpacking.
Stone Glacier Sky Talus 6900
- ✓The consensus pick on Rokslide, Stone Glacier's home forum — 'every year I try something new (mostly Kifaru) but always come back to the 6900' is a recurring sentiment, and it carries a 4.9/5 across 220 reviews on stoneglacier.com, by far the most of any SG bag.
- ✓Unmatched range for one pack: 4,750 ci bivy-mode day pack to 113 L expedition rig, with the load shelf pushing total capacity past 8,900 ci — Rokslide's staff reviewer packed a bear out of the Idaho backcountry with it.
- ✓Best organization in the Stone Glacier line: four external side pockets, two with full-length dual-slider #10 zips, all offset from the frame so a strapped tripod or rifle never blocks pocket access.
- ✓Rokslide's long-term test found it comfortable from 20 lb day loads to 80+ lb hauls, with the frame keeping rifle-carrier weight on the hips rather than the shoulders.
- ✓Allen Outside's reviewer cross-shopped Mystery Ranch, Kifaru, Kuiu, and Eberlestock and reported Stone Glacier 'kept coming to the top' among experienced Western hunters before choosing the Talus.
- ✓X-Pac/500D Cordura build passed Rokslide's dedicated water-resistance test, and the same reviewer highlighted hook-and-loop harness adjustment that dials in both height and strap angle for a precision fit.
- ✓Swing-Out Pocket and Camp Pocket attachment points inside the main zip give Kifaru-style modular organization at a fraction of the weight.
- ✓Lifetime defect warranty, US construction, and legendary customer service — Allen Outside rated support 'extremely responsive' through multiple pre- and post-purchase walkthroughs.
- ✗The zippered side pockets run too short for full-size spotting scopes — Rokslide's staff reviewer wanted them longer and ended up stowing his spotter inside the center zip instead.
- ✗The rifle carrier's top quick-release strap sits above/behind the shoulder strap where it's genuinely hard to reach with the pack on, per Rokslide's field test.
- ✗The hip belt is hard to snug under load until you add power pulls, which reviewers argue should be standard at this price rather than an add-on.
- ✗The perforated foam lining on the belt and shoulder straps collects pine needles, burrs, and lichen — a small but universally-cited Stone Glacier annoyance.
- ✗Fussy for newcomers: Allen Outside (4/5 stars) needed Stone Glacier staff to walk through the strap configurations twice, calling it more complicated than his Osprey background prepared him for.
- ✗Real-world cost balloons past the $750 sticker — belt pockets, internal organizers, and a rifle sling took one reviewer's build to roughly $850.
- ✗The main compartment is intentionally thin to accommodate the load shelf, so it packs differently than a traditional backpacking bag and frustrates hunters expecting Osprey-style stowage.
- ✗The lower open-top side pockets are too shallow to hold Nalgene bottles securely, pushing you toward the extra-cost shoulder-strap bottle holster that Rokslide's reviewer found annoying under the arm.