No love for MR Pop Up 38?

[Dirtydan]

Doesn't seem like a lot of mention about the Pop Up 38 when it comes to people talking about a do it all white tail pack. It seems like the perfect idea for carrying tree stands and sticks in and quarters out. With the Black Friday sales I'm thinking of picking one up. For those that have one, any cons?

 

[KChunter71]

I think it would make a fine whitetail pack. I don’t have one but to not tear up my other pack with stands might be worth it. But, so far I’m just running my sky 5900

 

[Afhunter1]

I saddle hunt and alternate between the pop-up 28 and eberle x2. It’s not terribly cold here so I haven’t needed more room

 

[Desk Jockey]

I use a pop up for exactly that roll. White tail day hunts. I am far enough into some of my hunting areas that dragging or an atv doesn’t work. I quarter and pack out like a western hunter.

I bought a pop up 28 when they came out. Loved it but later in the season I would pack in bibs and heavy jackets and found the bag too small so I used a larger pack In late season. I bought the 38 when it came out and used it all year. It has become one of my favorite packs. I have hauled a quartered whitetail and gear (probably 70#) in relative comfort. I dont think it carries heavy loads as well as a similar sized pack on a full size frame but it does so pretty well. Mine spends 95% of its time in daypack mode and it is much smaller and compact than a full size frame. I wish the lid detached and it had a bit more molle or a daisy chain on the outside, but apart from that, I can’t find much I don’t like about it.

 

[mt100gr.]

I snagged a 38 on sale entirely out of curiosity. Took delivery of it a few days ago. I took it for a 6 mile hike/hunt today and was pretty impressed, actually. Not sure what kind of weight I had on board but for a day pack with some hauling ability I think it will be pretty slick. I definitely did not miss the tall frame of my exo or kifaru catching snowy branches and making noise in the brushy spots. I have never had a pack that was awesome with a whole deer + gear on it so I imagine I can suck it up when the time comes. I also imagine that when I still have an elk tag in my pocket, I will carry a more substantial frame.

 

[jmazz]

I had a 38 and sold it to buy a 28. I was disappointed that the lid on the 38 wasn’t removable and it didn’t fit my needs. I’ve been saddle hunting with the 28 and put my sticks and platform next to the frame. When it’s cold I’ll throw outer layers in a stuff sack held to the pack with a stick-it. Not my 100% perfect pack but it’s been working.

 

[White Mamba]

The Pop Up series is a great idea but MR just cant seem to get it right

 

[mtwarden]

I had a Pop Up 18 when they first came out, used it for one season, but found it too small and went back to a smaller bag on my SG frame. I got excited when they came out with the 38, but in the end I felt the higher load capacity frame was more in line for elk hunting.

If I was living back in Eastern Montana, hunting deer and antelope- I'd probably spring for one.

 

[Catahoula]

Spouse runs a MR Pop up 28 for elk n deer. Likes it thus far...

 

[ac7473]

I looked at the 38, but chose the Metcalf because of the versatility with the removable top and bag size. The 38 seems pretty solid though. Both are on sale on at gohunt btw

 

[Dirtydan]

The Pop Up series is a great idea but MR just cant seem to get it right

How so?

 

[Dirtydan]

I should preface and say that I have a serious load hauling pack that I use on western backpacking hunts. It does its intended job well, but is just too bulky while up in a tree. I've gone back and forth between the Pop Up 38 and the Shape Charge. The lack of any real load hauling ability with SC is what's steering me towards the 38.

 

[mtwarden]

for what you're describing, I don't think you'll have any issues at all

I found that the Pop Up could haul 60-ish lbs without any problems or major discomfort; the fold away frame is really (really) nice when hunting or traversing thick country

just choose the correct capacity for your pack and you should be golden

 

[White Mamba]

How so?

The 38 is the weight of a full size pack with a subpar belt. I found the 2nd generation to be uncomfortable
with minimal weight in the bag. Floppy bag, not enough straps or tabs to add straps for the breakaway.
Poor compression panel design. Inability to remove bag.
Where it does shine is footprint, its a small package. I would suggest buying one used here in the forums to test out, they come up for sale often.
In comparison you could buy a Seek outside which weighs 2lbs less and carries alot better!

 

[JoeDirt]

I day hunt mostly, I use my popup almost every trip.

 

[JoeDirt]

The 38 is the weight of a full size pack with a subpar belt. I found the 2nd generation to be uncomfortable
with minimal weight in the bag. Floppy bag, not enough straps or tabs to add straps for the breakaway.
Poor compression panel design. Inability to remove bag.
Where it does shine is footprint, its a small package. I would suggest buying one used here in the forums to test out, they come up for sale often.
In comparison you could buy a Seek outside which weighs 2lbs less and carries alot better!

I buckle my popup differently which IMO fixes the compression and floppy bad. I do not have the 38 though.

 

[mt100gr.]

Update: With this thread in the back of my mind, I hunted the day after Thanksgiving with my PopUp 38. I was fortunate to turn up a solid mountain buck and had everything loaded up by a little after 2pm. I had a brutal climb up to the trail and then 4 or so miles to get back to the truck. I made it to the trail by a little after 4pm and back to my truck a little after 6.

The pack handled it all better than I expected. With my rifle in my gun bearer, the entire boned out deer, head, and my gear, the load totaled 111 lbs. That's 31 pounds over what MR claims it's "designed" for.

As I imagined, the suspension and belt are the greatest shortcomings. I've hauled over 100lbs with Kifaru frames, Stone Glacier frames and my Exo K3 - at 100plus, they're all somewhere on the sliding scale of suck but none tore me up quite as bad as the PopUp. The lack of torso pads on the upper frame and the small lumbar pad were the areas I noticed the most discomfort. I honestly didn't think I was over 100lbs so I was somewhat relieved and pleased overall. At the stated load of 80ish lbs that PopUp wouldn't be too bad at all for me.

Yes, I will do it again with the PopUp! And yes, for the sake of a lower profile frame I will probably take this pack when I have an elk tag, too. In those cases there'll usually be more than 1 trip anyway, so a different frame for the second load would be feasible. The PopUp can't replace a full sized hauling frame in my line-up but there are surely going to be some times when I reach for it.

 

[Dirtydan]

Update: With this thread in the back of my mind, I hunted the day after Thanksgiving with my PopUp 38. I was fortunate to turn up a solid mountain buck and had everything loaded up by a little after 2pm. I had a brutal climb up to the trail and then 4 or so miles to get back to the truck. I made it to the trail by a little after 4pm and back to my truck a little after 6.

The pack handled it all better than I expected. With my rifle in my gun bearer, the entire boned out deer, head, and my gear, the load totaled 111 lbs. That's 31 pounds over what MR claims it's "designed" for.

As I imagined, the suspension and belt are the greatest shortcomings. I've hauled over 100lbs with Kifaru frames, Stone Glacier frames and my Exo K3 - at 100plus, they're all somewhere on the sliding scale of suck but none tore me up quite as bad as the PopUp. The lack of torso pads on the upper frame and the small lumbar pad were the areas I noticed the most discomfort. I honestly didn't think I was over 100lbs so I was somewhat relieved and pleased overall. At the stated load of 80ish lbs that PopUp wouldn't be too bad at all for me.

Yes, I will do it again with the PopUp! And yes, for the sake of a lower profile frame I will probably take this pack when I have an elk tag, too. In those cases there'll usually be more than 1 trip anyway, so a different frame for the second load would be feasible. The PopUp can't replace a full sized hauling frame in my line-up but there are surely going to be some times when I reach for it.
View attachment 236872

Nice review. And congrats.

 

[SDRuger21]

I have the pop up 38. Nice pack but I wish the lid was removable, gets in the way while in the main compartment.

 

[roosiebull]

Update: With this thread in the back of my mind, I hunted the day after Thanksgiving with my PopUp 38. I was fortunate to turn up a solid mountain buck and had everything loaded up by a little after 2pm. I had a brutal climb up to the trail and then 4 or so miles to get back to the truck. I made it to the trail by a little after 4pm and back to my truck a little after 6.

The pack handled it all better than I expected. With my rifle in my gun bearer, the entire boned out deer, head, and my gear, the load totaled 111 lbs. That's 31 pounds over what MR claims it's "designed" for.

As I imagined, the suspension and belt are the greatest shortcomings. I've hauled over 100lbs with Kifaru frames, Stone Glacier frames and my Exo K3 - at 100plus, they're all somewhere on the sliding scale of suck but none tore me up quite as bad as the PopUp. The lack of torso pads on the upper frame and the small lumbar pad were the areas I noticed the most discomfort. I honestly didn't think I was over 100lbs so I was somewhat relieved and pleased overall. At the stated load of 80ish lbs that PopUp wouldn't be too bad at all for me.

Yes, I will do it again with the PopUp! And yes, for the sake of a lower profile frame I will probably take this pack when I have an elk tag, too. In those cases there'll usually be more than 1 trip anyway, so a different frame for the second load would be feasible. The PopUp can't replace a full sized hauling frame in my line-up but there are surely going to be some times when I reach for it.
View attachment 236872

pretty much exactly my experiences. i have had over 100lbs in mine twice... it did it but wasn't comfortable.... with 80ish lbs it's not bad at all, very doable. i have been thoroughly impressed with my pop up in load hauling ability. the compression is lacking of course which doesn't help with heavy loads, but it does it better than i expected before hauling weight with mine. they are a snazzy little pack