I ran pintler last year as well in Colorado. Had bag and tent on load shelf. Do wish I bought metcalf. But made pintler work and will do so again this year.
The Pintler's 2,500 cubic inches, I've managed a tent, pad, bag, bivy, stove, food, water, layers of clothes in that volume (2,400 Kifaru Molle Express) for winter snowshoeing overnights. As others have mentioned, you could put your sleep system/shelter underneath leaving more room inside, without even using the meat shelf. Watch the good idea fairy video, and start chucking stuff you can live without. Lower pack weight means faster you....
A cheap options is to get the FILBE rucksack. It fits the frame perfectly just doesn’t have the ability to be turned into a meat shelf. And it has a lot of extra junk that can just be cut off. But with a little ingenuity, a few dollars in auto lock buckles and webbing and a sewing machine you can turn it into a pretty nice pack that’s capable of hauling meat in between the bag and frame. I have two friends on a budget who are going with me this year and it’s what I’m doing for them I’ve already finished one but I didn’t take many pictures to explain in detail how to do it but I’m starting on the next one soon and will post how I did it on the diy forum when I finish
Update to this post: I sold my Pintler and ended up getting the Selway on the new Guide Light MT frame. Everything I have is packed in the bag and I don’t have to utilize the overload shelf. I also have room for food and water.