Mystery Ranch Metcalf 75 vs Mystery Ranch Beartooth 85
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Quick take: The Mystery Ranch Metcalf 75 costs $75 less; the Mystery Ranch Beartooth 85 carries more (85 vs 75 liters); the Mystery Ranch Metcalf 75 is lighter (5.3 vs 6.2 lbs).
| Spec | Mystery Ranch Metcalf 75 | Mystery Ranch Beartooth 85 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $575 | $650 |
| Rating | 4.7★ (382) | 5★ (4) |
| Type | Hunting Pack | Hunting Pack |
| Frame Type | Internal Frame | Internal Frame |
| Capacity | 75 L | 85 L |
| Weight | 5.3 lbs | 6.2 lbs |
| Max Load | 80+ lbs (no official rating) | No official rating (owners report 70–80 lbs carried comfortably) |
| Torso Fit | S–XL sizes with telescoping yoke (~15.5–23 in), plus dedicated women's version | S–XL frame sizes with adjustable yoke (S/M ~15–20 in, L/XL ~17–24 in torsos); women's version available |
| Material | 330D LP CORDURA with YKK zippers | 330 HT CORDURA 5PM and 330D Robic Kodra ripstop with YKK zippers and SJ Autolock buckles |
| Back Panel | Ultra Light MT frame with telescoping shoulder yoke and single-piece foam hipbelt | MYSTERIUM frame (2025 successor to the Guide Light MT) with breathable harnessing and adjustable yoke |
| Adjustable torso | Yes | Yes |
| Ventilated back | No | No |
| Raincover included | No | No |
| Hipbelt pockets | No | No |
| Removable lid | Yes | Yes |
| Hydration sleeve | Yes | Yes |
| Fits BV500 bear can | Yes | Yes |
| Warranty | Mystery Ranch lifetime guarantee against manufacturing defects | Mystery Ranch lifetime guarantee against manufacturing defects |
Pros & cons
Mystery Ranch Metcalf 75
- ✓The Overload meat shelf is the feature Rokslide owners rave about most — quarters ride between frame and bag, tight to your back, without bloodying the pack interior.
- ✓The 2024 Ultra Light MT frame cut roughly three-quarters of a pound versus the old Guide Light while keeping the load-hauling feel; forum consensus is the Metcalf actually 'carries better the heavier you pack it'.
- ✓At $575 complete it's meaningfully cheaper than a comparable Stone Glacier Sky 5900 or Kifaru system, which Hunt Talk threads repeatedly frame as the Metcalf's trump card.
- ✓330D CORDURA construction wins the durability argument in nearly every Metcalf-vs-Stone Glacier thread — owners describe dragging it through deadfall for seasons without a blowout.
- ✓The telescoping yoke dials torso length in seconds, and four sizes plus a women's-specific version cover a wider fit range than most bag-and-frame systems.
- ✓Detachable lid and roll-top let it compress from 75 L multi-day rig to a clean day pack, so many owners run it as their only hunting pack.
- ✓Mystery Ranch customer service and lifetime repair reputation draw consistent praise on Rokslide even from hunters who moved on to other packs.
- ✓Blaze-orange internal ribbon loops and frame tabs plus a side-zip into the main bag make gear staging faster than single-opening roll-top rivals.
- ✗Frame squeak under 50+ lb loads is the most common Rokslide complaint — the frame stays rub the covering fabric, and owners resort to graphite powder or literally washing the pack to silence it for stalks.
- ✗At 5.3 lbs the complete pack still runs about a pound and a half heavier than a Stone Glacier Sky 5900 system of similar capacity.
- ✗No hipbelt pockets come stock — Mystery Ranch sells them as add-on accessories, a nickel-and-dime move competitors like Exo avoid.
- ✗The redesigned single-piece hipbelt uses softer foam that divides opinion; several forum reports describe the belt slipping down under heavy meat loads.
- ✗No full-length front zipper means reaching gear at the bottom of the bag goes through the roll-top or single side zip — a frequent access gripe versus Exo's full side zip.
- ✗Mystery Ranch publishes no official max-load rating, so buyers comparing against Stone Glacier's 150 lb spec are left with forum anecdotes of 70–80 lb comfort.
- ✗The foam back panel has zero ventilation, and early-season hunters consistently report a soaked shirt on warm-weather pack-ins.
- ✗Post-YETI-acquisition QC worries are live on Rokslide, with recent threads about noisy frames and stitching on new units fueling 'they aren't what they used to be' sentiment.
Mystery Ranch Beartooth 85
- ✓The 270-degree duffel-style zipper is the pack's calling card — owners and reviewers alike say loading and finding gear beats digging through the roll-top-only Metcalf, Stone Glacier, or Kifaru bags from the top, side, or bottom.
- ✓The patented Overload shelf captures quarters between frame and bag with quick-attach autolock straps, keeping meat tight to your back without bloodying the pack interior.
- ✓The new MYSTERIUM frame carries forward the Guide Light lineage Mystery Ranch built its load-hauling reputation on; an early GOHUNT reviewer reported 70 lb loads riding comfortably.
- ✓The split dual-compartment removable lid draws specific praise — the center split stops the lid from compressing your quick-access items and makes headlamps and water filters easy to grab.
- ✓Hunt Talk users consistently favor the Beartooth over the Metcalf for versatility — it compresses down to a legitimate day pack, and one GOHUNT owner said it 'compresses to a sleeker profile than smaller Mystery Ranch packs'.
- ✓Organization is a step above bag-and-frame rivals: internal mesh pockets, front organizational pockets, and MOLLE webbing for customization out of the box.
- ✓Four frame sizes plus an adjustable yoke and a dedicated women's version cover a wider fit range than most one-frame competitors, backed by Mystery Ranch's lifetime guarantee.
- ✓Early Mysterium-line reception has been strong — the Beartooth 85 took Hunt Alaska's Editor's Choice 2026 for hunting packs, and prototype testers in 2024 reported positive results.
- ✗The most repeated gripe carried over from the Beartooth 80: you have to unclip several compression buckles before the 270-degree zipper will actually open, which gets old for quick gear grabs.
- ✗At 6.2 lbs it is one of the heaviest packs in its class — roughly 1.5 lbs more than a Stone Glacier Sky 5900 system and nearly a pound over Mystery Ranch's own Metcalf 75.
- ✗At $650 ($700 in OPTIFADE Subalpine) it costs $75-125 more than the Metcalf, and Rokslide value threads have long questioned the Beartooth premium over the simpler pack.
- ✗Reviewers of the outgoing Beartooth 80 found the load shelf sits too low on the frame, letting lighter meat loads ride below the ideal carry position — an area to watch on the new frame.
- ✗The same long-term testing found comfort degrading around 80+ lbs with loads sliding down the back — hunters routinely packing 100 lb loads still gravitate to Kifaru or Stone Glacier frames.
- ✗No hipbelt pockets come stock; Mystery Ranch sells them as add-on accessories while Exo and Stone Glacier include belt storage.
- ✗Mystery Ranch publishes no official load rating, so buyers comparing against Stone Glacier's 150 lb spec are left with forum anecdotes.
- ✗The 2025 MYSTERIUM platform is brand new with a thin long-term track record — forum discussion is still mostly first looks and classifieds, and post-YETI-acquisition QC chatter on Rokslide hasn't died down.