Mystery Ranch Metcalf "Lift Kit" & "Meat Shelf"?

[ElkCamp]

My 1st post from the Buckeye State. Time to retire the old Cabelas Freighter. The Mystery Ranch website shows a page with a guy with the pack on. It appears the Guide Light Frame with the "Lift Kit" that holds the shoulder straps above your shoulders sits even higher. I'm wander if any one has experience with how bad it is with catching the frame on limbs/brush? The old Freighter was bad about this.
Also the pack bag be totally removed fairly easily to use the meat shelf by itself?
Thanks

 

[eastsidemuley]

The meat shelf is built into the bag. the bag sits away from the frame and creates the "shelf". As far as height above, someone else will have to comment on that. From the buddies bag I've looked at, it didnt seem bad at all.

 

[ElkCamp]

Thanks, I believe the EXO 3500 the bag will come off.

 

[Matt G.]

Hello fellow buckeyer...

I have the marshall with the guidelight frame, which I believe is the largest bag. I think I'd you have a normal torso length then it should not be an issue. I am 511 and the only time I snagged something was when I wad crawling to very through something but even then wasn't much of issue. but you do want some height so the load lifters will work like they were designed to do.

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[Matt G.]

you can also take any of the bags off the frame as well or swap with a different pack.

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[Desk Jockey]

Using meat shelf is pretty easy. It is a flap that comes off the bottom of the pack to form the “floor” and the “rear” wall of the meat shelf is the inside of the pack bag so it can’t be used solo. There is a guy here called pods 8 that makes load slings. His work is top notch.

Those lifters are built into the guidelight frame. I am not at home but I think they only extend a few inches off the frame top and give you better geometry for load management. If my pack is reasonably full the lid is usually higher than the lifters and more likely to get caught.

I hunt in a lot of brush and for day hunts prefer a lower profile pack for moving in and out of snags. Current favorite is an MR pop up 28. The Metcalf is probably my favorite compromise of a big pack that can play day pack but your going to give up some amount of compactness in daypack mode in terms of the height of the pack bag even when mostly empty.

 

[juan trueno]

There’s no comparison. The only place the frame really sits above your shoulders is behind your head- it’s way way less snag on even with a big bag. As has been stated The bags do come completely off the frame- but you do not completely remove the bag to deploy the meat shelf. Those Frieghters are terrible to hunt out of. My buddy I used to hunt with a lot back in ak swore by it but always wanted to drop it half mile from the animals to start stalking. Then he would always offer to swap packs for load- so I could see what “it was all about” when it came to moose packing. I did swap once. He always offered to swap for a load- this is over the course of 5 moose- so a few loads. After carrying that one load I was always willing to decline. And that was with the MR Nice frame - no lift kit.

Welcome to a better way of life

 

[ElkCamp]

The Metcalf looks like a good pack for packing in and packing out. I'm also trying to figure out best solution for a day pack on an archery backpack hunt. I have a Tenzing 1250 fanny with shoulder harness that is pretty nice to hunt and shoot with. Just trying to figure out a solution that doesn't include carrying an empty 4lb day pack in?

 

[Ledanek]

 

[JD619er]

The best solution is to not take one at all. Day hunt out of your main pack. Your always going to want a pack with you in case you shoot something. You might find yourself 4 miles from camp and I wouldn't want to have to walk back to camp for my frame.

 

[ElkCamp]

Haven't had a chance to see one in person. It just looks a little bulky to shoot a bow with. Do you archery hunt with one?

 

[JD619er]

I've had a kuiu icon, kifarh bikini and hunting frames, mystery ranch guidelight and now a Stone glacier and I can shoot my bow with any of them. Pretty much everyone on here will tell you the same. I do practice with it on but either way the pros of always having a way to get the first load of meat out far outweigh packing in a day pack and hunting out of it. If your dead set on it though then maybe consider buying a mystery ranch pop up 28 and packing camp gear in a dry bag on the meat shelf on your way in. Then you could fold the load lifters down and run it as a day pack hunting

 

[Blacktail_Packer]

I’m in the process of getting my pack system dialed in also. I bought a used Metcalf/daypack lid/nice frame. I’m pretty sure the Metcalf bag will handle all of my packing camp in/out needs. I plan to sell the daypack lid and run a load sling and daypack I plan to have Pods8 make for me.

 

[Huntindog45]

so, it is an issue when you are in day pack mode (when you have full pack the pack is taller than the lift so it doesnt matter). i have three packs with guide lite frames and ducking under brush does kind of suck at times. it is something else you have to think about when brush busting. I still love them though. It is a problem that doesnt come up that often and when it does it just requires a little more planning to get through a brushy spot.