Mystery Ranch Sawtooth 45 vs Mystery Ranch Pintler
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Quick take: The Mystery Ranch Pintler costs $51 less; the Mystery Ranch Sawtooth 45 carries more (43 vs 38.6 liters); the Mystery Ranch Sawtooth 45 is lighter (5.1 vs 5.6 lbs).
| Spec | Mystery Ranch Sawtooth 45 | Mystery Ranch Pintler |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $550 | $499 |
| Rating | 4.9★ (331) | 4.8★ (175) |
| Type | Hunting Pack | Hunting Pack |
| Frame Type | Internal Frame | Internal Frame |
| Capacity | 43 L | 38.6 L |
| Weight | 5.1 lbs | 5.6 lbs |
| Max Load | No official rating (reviewers report 75–85 lbs on the Overload shelf) | No official rating (Guide Light MT frame is proven on quarter-hauling packouts) |
| Torso Fit | S–XL frame sizes with adjustable yoke (S/M ~15–20 in, L/XL ~17–24 in torsos); women's sizing available | S–XL frame sizes with micro-adjustable Futura yoke |
| Material | 330 HT CORDURA 5PM and 330D Robic Kodra ripstop with YKK zippers and SJ Autolock buckles | 500D LP CORDURA (500D CORDURA in Subalpine) with YKK coated zippers and Autolock SJ buckles |
| Back Panel | MYSTERIUM frame with carbon-fiber vertical stays, adjustable yoke and segmented five-piece hipbelt | 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 | No | No |
| 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 Sawtooth 45
- ✓Man Makes Fire scored it 4.9/5 and called it 'near perfect' after 120+ miles — a roomy daypack, a capable overnighter, and an excellent load-hauling hunting backpack in one.
- ✓The Overload shelf genuinely hauls elk quarters between frame and bag, with the long-term reviewer estimating 75-85 lb loads carry comfortably — huge capability for a 5 lb day pack.
- ✓The U-shaped 270-degree zipper gives wide-open, suitcase-style access and can even be worked from the side while wearing the pack — a repeated advantage over top-loading rivals.
- ✓The 2025 MYSTERIUM refresh swapped to lighter 330D Robic Kodra with a CORDURA 5PM weatherproof coating; Outdoor Life's testing found the coating kept contents dry and the fabric shrugged off abuse.
- ✓Outdoor Life praised the five-piece segmented hipbelt and flexible carbon-stay frame, writing that a loaded pack 'barely felt like wearing' — weight distribution is a class strength.
- ✓One of the highest-rated packs on Mystery Ranch's own site at 4.9 stars across 331 owner reviews.
- ✓Organization beats minimalist day haulers: 11 pockets including internal mesh, front organizational pockets, and MOLLE webbing on the hipbelt.
- ✓Built-in compression straps carry a bow or rifle cleanly for hands-free hiking, and the adjustable yoke across four frame sizes dials in fit that one-size whitetail packs can't match.
- ✗Frame squeak near the shoulders and hips was Outdoor Life's headline complaint — noise they warned 'could be a deal breaker' on a final stalk.
- ✗At 5.1 lbs it is heavy for a day pack — a Stone Glacier Avail 2200 weighs 3.5 lbs and a Kifaru Minikeg 2.9 lbs, and the weight penalty rides along on every hunt that doesn't end in a packout.
- ✗As of mid-2026 it is out of stock direct at mysteryranch.com with only a waitlist/backorder option, so buyers may have to hunt retailers for their size and color.
- ✗The fabric is water-resistant, not waterproof — the Man Makes Fire reviewer got soaked contents in sustained rain and recommends budgeting for the separate Pack Fly raincover.
- ✗No lid is included; Rokslide users note that adding Mystery Ranch's accessory lid pushes the combo price into bigger-standalone-pack territory.
- ✗No hipbelt pockets come stock — rangefinder and calls go elsewhere while Exo and Stone Glacier include belt storage.
- ✗The price has crept from $519 at the Mysterium launch to $550 ($600 in OPTIFADE), which is serious money for a day pack when full bag-and-frame systems start around $650.
- ✗Despite the name, Mystery Ranch's own spec sheet lists 43 L (2,625 cu in) — slightly under both the '45' badge and the outgoing version's 2,745 cu in.
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.
- ✓Multi-year owners on Reddit's r/Hunting 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'.
- ✗Availability is the big caveat: mysteryranch.com lists it out of stock with no restock estimate as the brand transitions to the new MYSTERIUM line, and remaining retail stock is thin — Scheels shows 'only a few left' and GOHUNT was down to its last unit in mid-2026.
- ✗At 5.6 lbs it's heavy for a sub-40-liter pack — a Stone Glacier Avail 2200 system weighs two 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 Rokslide 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.