Mystery Ranch Sawtooth 45 vs Mystery Ranch Pintler
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).
Which one to buy
This is Mystery Ranch's old generation against its new one. The Mystery Ranch Pintler rides on the Guide Light MT frame that carried the pre-2024 Metcalf and Beartooth. Mystery Ranch shows it out of stock with no restock date, and retailers have been down to the last few units. The Mystery Ranch Sawtooth 45 is the 2025 MYSTERIUM version of the same idea. It's $51 more but holds 4 L more and weighs half a pound less, with lighter Robic fabric and a weatherproof coating.
Specs favor the Sawtooth, but owners don't all agree. Several longtime Pintler owners keep choosing it over the Sawtooth for how it carries. A reviewer called it a masterpiece, and its five-point Redirect belt has a reputation for not slipping. Its 500D Cordura is heavier than the Sawtooth's 330D, and owners describe it as built like a tank. Its 3-ZIP front opens the whole bag, and it suits one to three days with a compact kit. Loading a quarter onto the sling means undoing the load lifters, and owners question how securely it holds a heavy one.
The Sawtooth's new carbon-stay frame and segmented belt earned a tester's comment that a loaded pack barely felt worn. A long-term reviewer put comfortable shelf loads at 75-85 lb. Its 270-degree zipper opens the bag flat and works from the side while you're wearing it. Its weak points are frame squeak at the shoulders and hips, which one tester called a possible deal breaker on a stalk, wet contents in sustained rain, and no lid. Neither pack has hipbelt pockets.
Since the Pintler is out of stock with no restock date, the Sawtooth is the default. The Pintler is worth buying only if you can find one in your frame size and trust owners' reports on how it carries over the newer frame.
Mystery Ranch Sawtooth 45
The default for most hunters: lighter, roomier, currently made, and a carbon-stay frame that hauls a quarter on the Overload shelf, if you can tolerate possible squeak.
Mystery Ranch Pintler
Worth tracking down only if you want the older frame's tank-tough 500D build and slip-free belt that some owners prefer, and can find your size before stock runs out.
| Spec | Mystery Ranch Sawtooth 45 | Mystery Ranch Pintler |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $550 | $499 |
| Rating | — | — |
| 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 | Not published by the manufacturer (one long-term reviewer estimated 75-85 lbs on the Overload shelf) | Not published by the manufacturer |
| 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 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 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 one 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 lb 1 oz and a Kifaru Minikeg 3.4 lbs with its belt, and the weight penalty rides along on every hunt that doesn't end in a packout.
- ✗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; owners note that adding Mystery Ranch's accessory lid pushes the combo price into bigger-standalone-pack territory.
- ✗No hipbelt pockets come stock, so rangefinder and calls go elsewhere; Exo and Stone Glacier also sell belt pockets separately.
- ✗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.
- ✓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 Sawtooth 45 vs Mystery Ranch Pintler: common questions
Why do some owners prefer the older Pintler to the new Sawtooth 45?▾
How it carries. Several longtime owners keep choosing the Pintler for its five-point Redirect belt and proven Guide Light MT frame, and they describe its 500D Cordura as built like a tank. The Sawtooth is lighter and newer, but its frame squeak drew a tester's warning.
Can I still buy a new Mystery Ranch Pintler?▾
It's getting hard. Mystery Ranch lists it as out of stock with no restock estimate as the line moves to MYSTERIUM packs, and retailers were down to the last few units in mid-2026. The Sawtooth 45 is the current model.
Which pack holds more for an overnight hunt?▾
The Sawtooth 45, at 43 L to the Pintler's 38.6 L. The Pintler works for one to three days with a compact kit. For longer trips, Mystery Ranch's Sawtooth 65 or a full bag-and-frame pack is a better fit than either.