Mystery Ranch vs Kifaru

[PalmettoBuster81]

I know this is like comparing apples and oranges but wanted some opinions here. Considering a Mystery Ranch Metcalf or Pintler and a Kifaru system with either 22 Mag or 44 Mag. I know the differences in manf, quality, and of course price but looking for guys who have used both platforms.

Back round on what my uses will be is for very limited western hunting (elk, mule deer etc once to two times a year) and I may use for saddle hunting whitetail here in SE as well but currently use a Kuiu Venture 1800 and it fits the bill perfect for that.

I want the flexibility in bag size to be a day pack and or go out for multi day spike camps 2-3 days. Meat shelf a most. My last trip to CO we did 5 days on our backs and highly doubt i'll be going out that long again.

Honest feed back appreciated. Thanks

 

[nobody]

Never run a Kifaru, but my brother in law does and I can't think of any reason to bad mouth on it! They do a great job!

But my primary pack is a Mystery Ranch Metcalf. I ONLY western hunt, and most of it is at minimum overnight trips, several multi day trips sprinkled in. It's a phenomenal pack and is sturdy as crap. It's a bit finicky to get dialed in for fitment but now that it's there it's an investment I should've made a LONG time ago. I can't say anything bad about it!

If you're in SLC for the hunt expo, go try on everybody's packs and it'll help in the decision making process. I ran a Stone Glacier a few years ago and had to sell it last year for some medical bills, but it really didn't hurt that bad because it really wasn't anything I could ever get dialed in to fit me great. All the modern packs are awesome, but they won't all fit you.

 

[roosiebull]

I know this is like comparing apples and oranges but wanted some opinions here. Considering a Mystery Ranch Metcalf or Pintler and a Kifaru system with either 22 Mag or 44 Mag. I know the differences in manf, quality, and of course price but looking for guys who have used both platforms.

Back round on what my uses will be is for very limited western hunting (elk, mule deer etc once to two times a year) and I may use for saddle hunting whitetail here in SE as well but currently use a Kuiu Venture 1800 and it fits the bill perfect for that.

I want the flexibility in bag size to be a day pack and or go out for multi day spike camps 2-3 days. Meat shelf a most. My last trip to CO we did 5 days on our backs and highly doubt i'll be going out that long again.

Honest feed back appreciated. Thanks

I have used both.. I much prefer kifaru, I didn’t like the yoke on mystery ranch, and felt a heavy load a good amount more with MR. they are a durable pack, they work, but all around I much prefer kifaru

Another bag option is a Stryker xl which will kick ass for whitetail hunting, and you can use a dry bag when you go camp a few days… seems like a versatile bag for your needs

 

[Bighorner]

I'm the opposite. I have a kifaru now and my brother has my MR. I'll give thre kifaru another season, but I see myself going back to my Metcalf. It just fits me better.

 

[TN_Guy]

I run a MR Beartooth and love it. I have not used a Kifaru but I have a buddy that runs one. He seems to really like it.

 

[justinspicher]

I really tried to like Kifaru packs, but I just couldn’t seem to get them to fit quite right. MR on the other hand, fits me like a glove.

 

[lkwoolsey]

I know this is like comparing apples and oranges but wanted some opinions here. Considering a Mystery Ranch Metcalf or Pintler and a Kifaru system with either 22 Mag or 44 Mag. I know the differences in manf, quality, and of course price but looking for guys who have used both platforms.

Back round on what my uses will be is for very limited western hunting (elk, mule deer etc once to two times a year) and I may use for saddle hunting whitetail here in SE as well but currently use a Kuiu Venture 1800 and it fits the bill perfect for that.

I want the flexibility in bag size to be a day pack and or go out for multi day spike camps 2-3 days. Meat shelf a most. My last trip to CO we did 5 days on our backs and highly doubt i'll be going out that long again.

Honest feed back appreciated. Thanks

I've had both. I have a MR Marshal right now. I'm selling for a Kifaru (i owned one before and tried bunch of others in between.) I really like the MR, but i can't get the fit quite right on my hips and back. If i could, I'd keep it for sure. I like the actual pack, and everything seemed to fit together nicely. I'm looking at going back to Kifaru simply because of the way it fits me in particular. Have a couple buddies that run MR and never had an issue with the fit, but they're the right shape to fit them I suppose.
of you end up going MR, I've got a Marshal in the classifieds with a bunch of pockets and accessories.

 

[Tipps]

I agree that it comes down to fit. And I didn’t realize this until I was hunting, and felt it after several hours. I have a Metcalf, and maybe it doesn’t fit me right so I am going to try another. I badly want a front or horshoe zipper now too

 

[couesbitten]

I have no experience with MR and honestly never will, plenty of other great pack companies that haven't shipped their manufacturing to Asia. I do own Kifaru, Stone Glacier and Exo, and as multiple guys have already mentioned, the biggest factor is how the pack fits you, kind of like boots. The best advice for the OP is to try on as many packs as possible and find the frame that fits you.

 

[PalmettoBuster81]

I've had both. I have a MR Marshal right now. I'm selling for a Kifaru (i owned one before and tried bunch of others in between.) I really like the MR, but i can't get the fit quite right on my hips and back. If i could, I'd keep it for sure. I like the actual pack, and everything seemed to fit together nicely. I'm looking at going back to Kifaru simply because of the way it fits me in particular. Have a couple buddies that run MR and never had an issue with the fit, but they're the right shape to fit them I suppose.
of you end up going MR, I've got a Marshal in the classifieds with a bunch of pockets and accessories.

Whats your torso length an waist size? Trying to gauge is a MR is worth trying first.

 

[Sadler]

I love my Kifaru packs but hot damn are they getting expensive. You’re around $900 for a pack and frame now.

 

[Mturney]

I have a Pintler that I used for a season and packed a bull with. I have a Kifaru frame with a exo bag that I used for a year and didn't pack meat with. Like was mentioned above I will give the Kifaru one more trip and make a decision. The Kifaru feels good sometimes with training weight (60 lbs.) walking around the neighborhood and then out of nowhere I would put it on and it would feel like it didn't fit at all. I know that the shoulder straps had not moved as I had marked them. I thought the Mystery Ranch was more comfortable for me with lighter weight (<45 lbs.) which is what I'm carrying 90% of my hunt. I am giving the Kifaru more time because this last hunt it was comfortable and I can tell a difference with heavier weight but the Mystery Ranch just seems to fit like a glove for me.

 

[Peregrine1]

I ran a MR Sawtooth 45 last season..loved it, packed out elk hind quarters with ease, but capacity on that bag was too small for multi day and decided to go SG route this year....if I wanted to save a couple hundred bucks, I’d absolutely go for the Metcalf/Marshall/Beartooth on sale...no experience with Kifaru

 

[ccampff]

I used a Bearooth last year and will be trying a Kifaru this year. Haven't put much weight in the Kifaru yet but it seems to fit me better than the MR. I am a pretty short torso though so take it with a grain of salt

 

[loco99]

I'm looking at carrying 80lbs+ at some times,does the kifaru seem to work better at that weight than MR?

 

[RADunfee]

They both broke off from the same company and both are bombproof packs. I really like my Metcalf. Once I dialed it in and learned to use it I couldn't be happier.

 

[shootnrun]

Both make functional packs. Does the flag mean anything to you? If so, buy the kif. If you have certain affiliations or wait on camofire you can get screaming deals on the MR. I've purchased both, packed meat with both. The meat got to the truck with both.

 

[BoilerBowHunter]

I just sold a Metcalf after buying/trying a used Duplex Lite and bag off of here. My experience is mainly with lugging a 45 lb sand bag around, so keep that in mind. However, I found that the Kifaru was just more comfortable. The belt feels better on me which I honestly thought was weird because the MR belt looks beefier w more padding. But I think the width of the Kifaru belt keeps it in position better on my hips. I also like the beefier lumbar pad. I feel it more in the small of my back than I did with the MR belt system - I like that, others may not. The frame also just felt more rigid for me, and for me it felt like the higher stays helped a ton. I can tell that there is very little pressure on the top of my shoulders and none on the back of them once I get it all snugged up. So for me, it was about comfort.

Second to comfort - just feels like there are more options on bags with Kifaru. Not sure anyone would argue that. It’s almost overkill! But I’m also a Midwesterner and the modularity lends itself to different kinds of hunting very well in my opinion.

 

[Magnum61]

This is very subjective but I ran a Metcalf for over a decade. There is no doubt that Pack created a slew of competitors.

If it helps, I always wanted a 7000 size Metcalf. I then went and looked at Kifaru and then all of my Kifaru die-hards I knew bought the new EXO K4.

I now have a K4 and can honestly tell you that this is what I wanted the Metcalf to always be and it's more comfortable than I ever expected even with 60+lbs in it.

Hopefully, that's helpful.

 

[rcb2000]

I know this is like comparing apples and oranges but wanted some opinions here. Considering a Mystery Ranch Metcalf or Pintler and a Kifaru system with either 22 Mag or 44 Mag. I know the differences in manf, quality, and of course price but looking for guys who have used both platforms.

Back round on what my uses will be is for very limited western hunting (elk, mule deer etc once to two times a year) and I may use for saddle hunting whitetail here in SE as well but currently use a Kuiu Venture 1800 and it fits the bill perfect for that.

I want the flexibility in bag size to be a day pack and or go out for multi day spike camps 2-3 days. Meat shelf a most. My last trip to CO we did 5 days on our backs and highly doubt i'll be going out that long again.

Honest feed back appreciated. Thanks

Why not just rent a Exo pack from @Rent Outdoor Gear? Then keep the smaller Kuiu for day/saddle hunts