How much can a pintler hold?

[cmat1120]

I'm trying to see how much I can stretch my pintler's capcity and curious if there's anyone else using it beyond the marketed "overnight" usage.

Here's a picture of it just stuffed with a ton of clothing, tent, sleeping bag, a pair of boots etc just to see how much volume I could squeeze in there lol. I think tomorrow I'm going to go through my gear list and pack it up hunt ready and see how much space there is for food since food is really the only addition as days go on assuming I have a filterable water source.

 

[sneaky]

Kinda like "how much wood can a woodchuck chuck" lol

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[cmat1120]

So I tested a little more today. I packed my full gear list for a late-ish season hunt, tent, sleep system, clothes, cook kit etc. along with water and simulated food(some cans of food to add weight wrapped up in clothes to add volume. I got about 10 lbs of food in there plus 4L of water. There's a few things missing but they're either small or simulated with something else to take up space. Weight wise I'm at 50lbs and probably missing a few lbs worth of stuff, but volume wise(which is what I care about here) I'm pretty positive this would be my volume for a 6-8+ day hunt and I still have room to spare. It looks pretty bulky and far from my back because of that pad, but almost all the heavy stuff is in that orange dry bag. I can also switch it to up top which if I'm not going through brush would probably be better. I really wish the pintler had a couple exterior pockets to make it just a little more versatile, but I'm pretty happy with it being able to hold this much and still empty out small enough to be a manageable day pack.

 

[ewade07]

I used my Pintler exclusively this year in MT, archery season through late November rifle. I was able to get 3 days out of the setup. I also ran it with the top lid from a Marshall, used it to hold some gear and to tie down stuff on top of the bag. I feel like i could have gone longer but when late season rifle hunting in single degree weather with snow clothes tend to take up a good chunk of room. I never detached the bag from the frame like you have, though. I feel like doing that would almost double your carrying capacity. I could see getting 8 days out of the setup you have running. The Pintler is a sweet pack, very versatile.

 

[CBreeze]

How big of a yard sale do you want? Are you planning on punching a tag? If that’s your packing list you need more pack. You are a hunter ( I’m assuming) you will be bringing out another 40-450lbs with you depending what your doing in the lower 48, if you do it correctly. Find a bag that your orange thing will fit inside, or modify your packing list

I use a pintler plenty for 3 night deals early season but when it’s time for a Big packing list I bring a big pack. Mine is an old Dana design terraplane overkill, which handles the big winter packing list plus an elk quarter.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Loved my pintler. Swapped it for my sawtooth and love that too. The trizip and panel design don’t acomodste overstuffing as well as a top loader but it works. They are great for overnights but get stretched for longer trips.

Apart from the packing out meat point mentioned above, using the Load shelf impacts the ergonomics of the pack. The more that weight is placed away from the centerline of your body, the more it will pull you “backwards” and create odd torque on you back and abs stabilizers. Think of a plumb line going from the top of your head to your heels. Ideal placement of weight is as tight to the centerline as you can for stability and comfort. Get as much weight tight to you back as you can.

So...if you are going to do the load shelf thing, think about putting the heavy stuff on the meat shelf and the light bulky stuff in the pack bag. Strap some to the bottom if you like but not enough to impede your stride. Another, old trick is to pack the extra gear in a “tube” shape or bedroll and wrap it over the top and drape down the sides of the pack like an inverted “u”. That keeps the weight tight to your back while still adding capacity.

 

[fbhandler]

If I was going with a spike camp, then it would be fine using the load shelf on my Sawtooth (opted for that over the Pintler). Right now I mostly do bivy hunts or big day hunts out of the truck/base camp. The Sawtooth gets all the big day duty, early season and late, and... I can do 2-3 nights with my early season set up. Once the snow flys and temps drop I go with the Selway on bivy hunts as all my late season gear will fit into the bag and the load shelf is still available for the pack out. Again, if I was spiking out then the Sawtooth would be fine no matter what, so as usual it depends on your style/intention. If we’re talking about a through hike where fast and light is the name of the game, then I’d never use the load shelf as it just gets tedious and complicated to load it all up day after day.


PS... I really like the upgrades on the MR guide light frame/packs as it has made the load shelf accessibility probably the most strait forward out of any company and has also made bags swaps very easy !! Now they just have to get on board with the “bag only option” ... Guess you can’t get everything right all the time

 

[EmperorMA]

I really wish Mystery Ranch had a pack with the same configuration as the Sawtooth/Beartooth that fell right between the two in terms of capacity. Anything from 55-70Lwould do the trick, with 62L being about perfect.

I just can’t see ever needing something as big as the Beartooth and I find the Sawtooth a brilliant daypack but a bit small for a weekender.

 

[fbhandler]

I really wish Mystery Ranch had a pack with the same configuration as the Sawtooth/Beartooth that fell right between the two in terms of capacity. Anything from 55-70Lwould do the trick, with 62L being about perfect.

I just can’t see ever needing something as big as the Beartooth and I find the Sawtooth a brilliant daypack but a bit small for a weekender.

I’m kinda in the same boat... I really like Sawtooth but I’m about 5L from being able to get my late season bivy kit in there so I have to end up using that Selway. If I could make the jump to down I’d be there, but I’m a synthetic holdout... The Sawtooth is just about perfect.

 

[JEB76]

So I tested a little more today. I packed my full gear list for a late-ish season hunt, tent, sleep system, clothes, cook kit etc. along with water and simulated food(some cans of food to add weight wrapped up in clothes to add volume. I got about 10 lbs of food in there plus 4L of water. There's a few things missing but they're either small or simulated with something else to take up space. Weight wise I'm at 50lbs and probably missing a few lbs worth of stuff, but volume wise(which is what I care about here) I'm pretty positive this would be my volume for a 6-8+ day hunt and I still have room to spare. It looks pretty bulky and far from my back because of that pad, but almost all the heavy stuff is in that orange dry bag. I can also switch it to up top which if I'm not going through brush would probably be better. I really wish the pintler had a couple exterior pockets to make it just a little more versatile, but I'm pretty happy with it being able to hold this much and still empty out small enough to be a manageable day pack.

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Mission accomplished, you have definitely stretched it.. I have the pintler as well but don't usually do more than a day with mine.