Mystery Ranch Metcalf 75 vs Seek Outside Goshawk 4800 2.0
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Quick take: The Mystery Ranch Metcalf 75 costs $6 less; the Seek Outside Goshawk 4800 2.0 carries more (79 vs 75 liters); the Seek Outside Goshawk 4800 2.0 is lighter (4.9 vs 5.3 lbs).
| Spec | Mystery Ranch Metcalf 75 | Seek Outside Goshawk 4800 2.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $575 | $581 |
| Rating | 4.7★ (382) | 5★ (1) |
| Type | Hunting Pack | Hunting Pack |
| Frame Type | Internal Frame | External Frame |
| Capacity | 75 L | 79 L |
| Weight | 5.3 lbs | 4.9 lbs |
| Max Load | 80+ lbs (no official rating) | 200+ lbs |
| Torso Fit | S–XL sizes with telescoping yoke (~15.5–23 in), plus dedicated women's version | Field-adjustable frame height 24 / 26 / 28 in; hipbelts S-XXL (27-48 in) |
| Material | 330D LP CORDURA with YKK zippers | Ultra 200X laminate (X-Pac and UltraPE 400 also offered) |
| Back Panel | Ultra Light MT frame with telescoping shoulder yoke and single-piece foam hipbelt | Revolution external frame with breakaway load shelf between bag and frame |
| 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 | No |
| Warranty | Mystery Ranch lifetime guarantee against manufacturing defects | Seek Outside lifetime warranty on workmanship; 30-day return policy |
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.
Seek Outside Goshawk 4800 2.0
- ✓Owners repeatedly say it out-carries heavier rivals at extreme loads — one Alaska hunter reported it 'carried better than my Stone Glacier with 100 pounds.'
- ✓The complete system genuinely weighs what Seek Outside claims; a Rokslide owner scale-verified 4.9 lbs for bag, Revolution frame, lid, and load shelf together.
- ✓The breakaway shelf keeps blood out of your gear, and owners note dried blood wipes off the Ultra fabric with wet paper towels rather than needing a wash.
- ✓It packs far bigger than its 4800 ci label — multiple owners say it swallows closer to 6500 ci and comfortably covers 5-7 day hunts.
- ✓A side-by-side rucking test at 60 lbs had it beating a Kifaru T2 on both comfort and hipbelt grip, despite weighing substantially less.
- ✓The load shelf carries bulky non-meat loads too — owners haul treestands, wood stoves, packrafts, and even kid carriers between bag and frame.
- ✓It compresses down convincingly for day hunts; owners report barely noticing it when cinched into daypack mode.
- ✓Gatekeeper strap ends let you tighten from both directions, halving the loose strap tails that plague other load-shelf packs.
- ✗The hipbelt and lumbar pad are the pack's weak point by consensus — owners who otherwise love the frame say Exo's K4 belt is clearly better padded.
- ✗The lumbar pad is a paid add-on, which owners find hard to justify when Kifaru, Stone Glacier, and Exo all include one.
- ✗Without that lumbar pad, owners report upper-glute pain once loads pass about 60 lbs.
- ✗It is famously strappy — the compression, lid, and Talon straps interconnect, so loosening one loosens the others.
- ✗There is essentially no organization; it is one big bag, and owners coming from Mystery Ranch or Exo miss having pockets.
- ✗The laminate fabric crinkles audibly in the cold — one owner described rummaging in it at 25 degrees as 'about as bad as it gets' for noise.
- ✗Setup has a real learning curve; owners consistently describe the strap system as overwhelming until they work out their own configuration.
- ✗Seek Outside is direct-to-consumer with no retail presence, so you cannot try one on, and its on-site rating currently rests on a single review.