Bear tooth or sawtooth

[HunterKyle]

Back country 3 days at a time. During archery elk season. Would you choose the MR Beartooth or MR Sawtooth? Being my first back country trip my fear is I won’t have enough room in the sawtooth and also fear that I’ll over pack the the Beartooth just out of human nature


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[OrangeMan73]

Beartooth. Always can shrink it down but you can't make it bigger.

 

[Hussar]

I'd go Beartooth. It's easier to make a bigger pack smaller, rather than a smaller pack bigger. Just be cognizant of what you're packing to avoid over packing the bigger bag. Plus, you'll have the space should you want to stay out longer on future hunts.

I'd only recommend the Sawtooth if someone had their kit very dialed in for ultralight and knew they could fit everything inside a 45l bag. 45l doesn't offer much extra space, especially if you're getting later into the year.

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[Desk Jockey]

I have owned both. Both great packs. 3 days is right on the border where I would consider the bigger bag. A bit would be weather dependent. If I had a lot of cold gear then beartooth. The sawtooth size pack can be pushed by loading some items on the meatshelf. The beartooth can be packed down for less of a load.

to Metcalf is a good balance of the two. I currently run a Terraframe 80 pack which is a Metcalf with two outside pockets, a smaller marshall.

 

[Tashi]

I have the Beartooth and have spent about 30+ days with it, but no Sawtooth experience. One item I would add is that the Beartooth is pretty bulky (straps, main bag etc) even when slimmed down, but it definitely feels smaller with the lid off. So if you plan on running light for the day, try it with the lid off. And definitely get the little pockets for the lumbar strap. Those are great.

 

[Quigly13]

My vote is the Sawtooth. I had a Beartooth and it was too big for my 3 trips. The bag does suck down pretty small but i never liked how the bag filled out with gear after it was sucked down. It left a lot of air pockets and I’m sort of anal over the space utilization in my pack. I switched to a stone glacier evo 3300 and it’s perfect for 3 days and I can push it to 5 days with some sacrifices. Always get the right tool for the job in my opinion.

 

[chutinlead]

You can also get the daypack lid for the sawtooth.

 

[eaglemountainman]

Though I truly love my Sawtooth, because of your volume concerns, I would advise you to go with the Beartooth.

Best case, if you can swing it, buy the Sawtooth pack, then buy the Beartooth bag only.

 

[EastHumboldt]

Get the bigger pack. Put everything you’re gonna carry in it. Carry up a steep hill somewhere. Get half way up that hill and decide that half the stuff in your pack is unnecessary because you can’t breathe and your thighs are on fire. Figure out what the extra stuff is and chuck it.