Mystery Ranch Pop Up 40 vs Mystery Ranch Pintler
Quick take: The Mystery Ranch Pop Up 40 costs $24 less; the Mystery Ranch Pop Up 40 carries more (40 vs 38.6 liters); the Mystery Ranch Pop Up 40 is lighter (5.3 vs 5.6 lbs).
Which one to buy
Availability may decide this before features do. Mystery Ranch lists the Mystery Ranch Pintler as out of stock with no restock date as it moves to the MYSTERIUM line, and retailers have shown stock down to the last few units. The Mystery Ranch Pop Up 40 is the current whitetail model that replaced the Pop Up 38. They're $24 apart, both weigh over 5 lbs, hold close to 40 L and haul quarters on an Overload sling. They're built for different hunts.
The Pop Up is a stand pack. Its telescoping aluminum frame extends in seconds to open the meat sling, and Mystery Ranch rates it to 80 lbs. Owners say it carries hang-on stands and climbing sticks better than anything in its class and rides low enough to look up while climbing. The complaints are about buckles and straps, which a longtime owner says are worse than on the 38, plus a sweaty back and the weight of a frame you don't use on most sits.
The Pintler is a Western overnight pack, good for one to three days, and one owner says five if you pack tight. A reviewer called it a masterpiece. Its 3-ZIP front opens the whole bag, the five-point Redirect belt stops slipping on the hips, and owners describe its 500D Cordura and Guide Light MT frame as built like a tank. Loading a quarter means undoing the load lifters, and some owners question how securely the straps hold a heavy one. It also misses the newer frame's lighter fabric and coating, and it won't be updated.
For a stand hunter the Pop Up is the only one of the two built for the job. The Pintler's case rests on finding one in your frame size before the last units sell, and for a Western overnight hunter that is worth a search.
Mystery Ranch Pop Up 40
For whitetail and stand hunters who carry a hang-on stand in and may haul a deer out the same day, and want a model still in production.
Mystery Ranch Pintler
Right for Western hunters on one-to-three-day trips who want full front-zip access and a proven, very tough frame, and can find one still in stock.
| Spec | Mystery Ranch Pop Up 40 | Mystery Ranch Pintler |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $475 | $499 |
| Rating | — | — |
| Type | Hunting Pack | Hunting Pack |
| Frame Type | Internal Frame | Internal Frame |
| Capacity | 40 L | 38.6 L |
| Weight | 5.3 lbs | 5.6 lbs |
| Max Load | 80 lbs | Not published by the manufacturer |
| Torso Fit | S, M, L, XL yoke sizes with micro-adjustable Hunting Light Yoke torso length | S–XL frame sizes with micro-adjustable Futura yoke |
| Material | 330D Lite Plus CORDURA nylon | 500D LP CORDURA (500D CORDURA in Subalpine) with YKK coated zippers and Autolock SJ buckles |
| Back Panel | Telescoping aluminum Pop-Up Frame that expands from daypack mode into a load hauler, with Mystery Ranch's micro-adjustable yoke and foam back panel | Guide Light MT carbon-composite frame with Futura yoke and five-point waistbelt with Redirect system |
| Adjustable torso | Yes | Yes |
| Ventilated back | No | No |
| Raincover included | No | No |
| Hipbelt pockets | No | No |
| Removable lid | Yes | No |
| Hydration sleeve | Yes | Yes |
| Fits BV500 bear can | Yes | Yes |
| Warranty | Mystery Ranch Guarantee: defects in materials and craftsmanship for the practical lifetime of the product; wear-and-tear and misuse repairs at a reasonable charge | Mystery Ranch Guarantee: defects in materials and craftsmanship for the practical lifetime of the product; wear-and-tear and misuse repairs at a reasonable charge |
Pros & cons
Mystery Ranch Pop Up 40
- ✓The signature pop-up OVERLOAD shelf deploys in seconds, letting whitetail hunters haul a boned-out deer between bag and frame without ever owning a separate frame pack.
- ✓Treestand users say it carries hang-on stands and climbing sticks better than anything in its class, and its low profile lets you actually look up to climb a tree while wearing it.
- ✓An 80-lb load rating in a 40 L daypack footprint is unmatched by mainstream daypacks — some buyers cross-shop it against the far pricier Kifaru Stryker.
- ✓The Hunting Light Yoke micro-adjusts torso length across S-XL sizes, giving a dialed fit that whitetail packs like the Badlands 2200, which comes in two fixed frame sizes, can't match.
- ✓An integrated 1/4"-20 optics thumbscrew on the frame lets you mount a spotting scope, camera arm or rifle rest directly to the pack — a favorite detail among saddle and video-heavy hunters.
- ✓The updated 40 adds a removable, adjustable lid over the old 38 and tweaks the frame's upper attachment to reduce the load slop owners complained about.
- ✓Face compression straps carry a bow or rifle cleanly for hands-free stand hangs, and interior loops accept Mystery Ranch Quick Attach void bags for organization.
- ✓Mystery Ranch's build reputation and lifetime guarantee carry real weight with owners, and the Pop Up 38 it replaces stayed in demand after discontinuation.
- ✗At 5.3 lbs it's a heavy 40-liter pack — nearly the weight of Kuiu's complete 57 L ICON 6 3500 frame kit — and owners feel it on all-day hikes to the stand.
- ✗At least one longtime Pop Up owner calls the newest 40 'bulky, heavy, with poor buckles and straps' and says it doesn't carry weight as well as the outgoing 38.
- ✗The 4.2-star owner rating on Mystery Ranch's own site trails competitors, with strap and buckle complaints the recurring theme.
- ✗Price jumped to $475 from the Pop Up 38's roughly $325 street price, eroding the value story that made the 38 popular.
- ✗No hipbelt pockets, so rangefinder and calls go in shoulder or lid pockets unless you buy add-on pouches.
- ✗Hauling near the 80-lb ceiling on a daypack yoke and belt is punishing compared to a true external frame like a Kifaru or Seek Outside, per owner comparisons.
- ✗The pop-up frame hardware rides along on every sit even though most whitetail hunts never use it — dead weight the minimalist crowd resents.
- ✗The plain foam back panel has no ventilation channels, so early-season and mobile hunters report a soaked back by the time they reach the stand.
Mystery Ranch Pintler
- ✓Outside Bozeman flat-out called it 'a masterpiece' of comfort, functionality, and engineering — rare language for a mid-size hunting pack review.
- ✓The signature 3-ZIP design opens the entire front of the pack — a GOHUNT owner on a Colorado elk hunt praised how easily gear came out and zipped back up compared to digging through a top-loader.
- ✓The Overload sling pivots the bag off the frame and sandwiches quarters tight against your back, giving genuine packout capability in an overnight-pack footprint.
- ✓The five-point waistbelt with Redirect system 'eliminates slippage over the hips' per Outside Bozeman, and owners consistently rank Mystery Ranch belt comfort near the top of the class.
- ✓The Guide Light MT carbon-composite frame is the same proven chassis behind the pre-2024 Metcalf and Beartooth — 'built like a tank' is the recurring owner phrase, and the 500D CORDURA is burlier than the 330D fabrics on newer rivals.
- ✓Organization outclasses minimalist bag-and-frame rivals: four zip pockets, two internal dump pockets, long tripod/spotting-scope pockets, and a hydration compartment.
- ✓Owner ratings are consistently excellent everywhere it's sold — 4.8 from 175 reviews on Mystery Ranch's site, 4.78 at GOHUNT, and a perfect 5.0 at Scheels.
- ✓Several multi-year owners say they keep choosing it over the Sawtooth for the way it carries, and one reviewer noted 'if you pack it right, you can get 5 days out of it'.
- ✗At 5.6 lbs it's heavy for a sub-40-liter pack — a Stone Glacier Avail 2200 system weighs about two and a half pounds less, and the newer Sawtooth 45 gives you more volume at half a pound lighter.
- ✗No hipbelt pockets come stock for rangefinders or calls — Outside Bozeman's lone complaint — and Mystery Ranch sells them as add-on accessories.
- ✗Getting quarters onto the Overload shelf means undoing the load lifters and disrupting your dialed-in fit, and owner threads question how securely the strap system sandwiches a heavy quarter.
- ✗$499 is real money for an overnight pack, and a Scheels reviewer called it 'overpriced' versus the $200-300-off closeout pricing now appearing in stores — full-MSRP buyers are paying end-of-life prices.
- ✗It rides on the older Guide Light MT platform without the Mysterium generation's lighter Robic fabric, weatherproof CORDURA 5PM coating, or updated buckles — and with no restock ETA, there's no update path.
- ✗Actual volume is 38.6 L (2,355 cu in), tighter than its multiday billing suggests — packing beyond 2 nights requires a minimalist kit or strapping gear outside.
- ✗Mystery Ranch publishes no official load rating, so packout expectations rest on forum anecdotes rather than a spec you can compare against Stone Glacier's numbers.
Mystery Ranch Pop Up 40 vs Mystery Ranch Pintler: common questions
Is the Mystery Ranch Pintler being discontinued?▾
Mystery Ranch lists it as out of stock with no restock estimate as the brand moves to its MYSTERIUM packs, and retailers were down to the last few units in mid-2026. The Pop Up 40 is a current model.
Which is better for carrying a treestand, the Pop Up 40 or the Pintler?▾
The Pop Up 40. Owners say it carries hang-on stands and climbing sticks better than anything in its class, and its low profile lets you look up while climbing. The Pintler is built for Western overnight hunts rather than stand hauling.
How do the two packs handle a quarter of meat?▾
Both use an Overload sling between bag and frame. The Pop Up's frame telescopes up to make room and is rated to 80 lbs, though owners say carrying near that limit on its belt is punishing. On the Pintler, loading a quarter means undoing the load lifters, and some owners question how securely it holds a heavy quarter.