KUIU Pro 3600 or MR Metcalf?

nobody

WKR
Joined
Sep 15, 2020
Messages
2,088
TL,DR

I sold my Mystery Ranch Metcalf and purchased a Stone Glacier 40/56 earlier this year, no experience with the Kuiu so I won't give my input there. They seem to get good reviews on the 'tube when guys are comparing them, but who knows how honest those reviews are/how biased they are.

My Mystery Ranch was a 2021 Production Model, with the Guide Lite MT frame and 5 piece hip belt. It seemed to be great and I loved it... until I got about 50 lbs into it. The frame was WAY too short to get an appropriate "lift" from the load lifters, so much of the weight was on my shoulders. Felt about like my old Badlands Superday in that regard. Additionally, no matter what I did or what adjustments I made or who tried to help me fit it, the darn thing would slide down my butt and hang inappropriately low, especially considering they retail for the same prices as all the other high end packs. From reading similar complaints on this and other forums, I believe it has to do with the oversized lumbar pad. It had way too much body and squish, and was too smooth so it didn't ever contour appropriately or hang onto my hips or butt to keep the pack up.

The final nail in the proverbial coffin was an elk scouting trip in August with my hunting partner. We hiked about 3 miles in and I had way overpacked, in an effort to push myself and help with pre-hunt conditioning, so I had about 55 lbs in the pack. It slid and sagged so badly that my hips, butt, and outside of my legs went numb. To the point that for the next week, my 2 outside toes on both feet were "asleep." It got sold shortly after that trip and replaced with my SG, which is about as polar opposite of the Metcalf as can be. Lightweight (4 LBS empty including the frame for a pack that expands to 5100 Cubic Inches excluding the top lid), minimalist frame design with minimal padding that sticks to you, and by dang the thing just flat works. It doesn't shift, doesn't wobble, doesn't sag, and the frame stays are long enough that your load lifters actually lift the load from the shoulders.

Personally, I'd recommend a SG over the Mystery Ranch without question. Based upon some mixed reviews I've read on the Kuiu's (admittedly I've never even seen one in person), I'd do the same and recommend SG over the Kuiu. Fit is what's most important, so the more you can somehow try on, test out, and put some weight in to fit correctly before keeping one, the better. If possible, order everything you're looking at and try them all at home in a clean and controlled environment without removing tags, and then return the ones that don't work for you.

For reference, I'm 5'11, about 195 LBS, 33 inch waist, long torso.

But hey, I'm just some random guy on the internet...
 
Last edited:

hikenhunt

WKR
Joined
Jan 28, 2013
Messages
461
Location
WA
Do you just use the bag to hold the meat down? That’s what I did carrying a hind quarter out for a friend this year, but am accustomed to the DO design that has two straps on the frame dedicated to cinching down the meat in addition to the bag.
There was a thread a while back about someone that added extra straps to frame through the same holes that the straps to cinch the bag down feed through. It wasn't easy, but with some grunting I was able to get them in. Now I can strap meat to the frame and secure it with those straps, then fold the bag over and tighten but not overly tighten the bag.
 
Joined
Jan 4, 2019
Messages
12
Location
Indiana
Any big box stores even carry multiple premium brands like these? I have a Metcalf and the fit is ok at best


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nobody

WKR
Joined
Sep 15, 2020
Messages
2,088
Any big box stores even carry multiple premium brands like these? I have a Metcalf and the fit is ok at best


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Scheels carries Stone Glacier and Mystery Ranch, pretty much every other big box store carries Mystery Ranch too. Other than that, Stone Glacier is carried by places like GoHunt and Blackovis, but unless you're local to either of those places (Las Vegas or Salt Lake City), you'll have to order online. All the other big names (Exo, Kuiu, Black Creek, ETC.) are all online.

Order the ones you wanna try, then return the ones you don't like after trying them all on.
 

Venom One

WKR
Joined
Sep 25, 2019
Messages
371
Location
PNW
Awesome,

I made my decision and went with the kuiu 5500LT. Looks like we will playing with the same new toys here soon Dean!

Should be leaps and bounds above the pack I have now!

I think you made a really good choice. IMO the value you get from Kuiu packs is hard to beat. I just bought an EXO K3 4800 (no use yet) and I'm sure it'll be awesome, but I'm also certain that my Kuiu 3600 will get more use than the EXO. The KUIU is a better day pack IMO and I really like the bag layout. The KUIU won Zack's Pack Shootout test too so it's gotta be pretty good. Enjoy the pack!
 
Joined
Jan 23, 2023
Messages
29
Awesome,

I made my decision and went with the kuiu 5500LT. Looks like we will playing with the same new toys here soon Dean!

Should be leaps and bounds above the pack I have now!
What do you think of that bag now that you've had it for a while?
 
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