Verdict on MR Pop-Ups?

[PNWTO]

So for dayhunts and short to middle distance packouts how does the hive mind feel out the Pop-Up series?

I like the prices and sizes and I know some updates and new colors are coming soon. I know a true framed pack with a proper belt will always be the better option but I think these packs have a good niche. I’m also use to the MR fire packs so I am familiar with how to maximize comfort with that harness system.

Forgive me if any conclusions have been reached in other threads.

 

[White Mamba]

I think the belt sucks, for a 5 pound pack it should have a real belt. The size is great, carries well but try and keep it under 50lbs. I did 80 lbs last week and it sucked

 

[BluMtn]

I originally liked mine but after using it with 40lb loads for 12 to 15 miles a day for 10 days my shoulders were killing me. Even stopped by MR in Bozeman and had it fitted and still made my shoulders soar. Went back to my KUIU installing the apex shoulder straps with the new pro belt. Works extremely well except now I can not keep the shoulder strap on my rifle on top of my pack shoulder straps. Never happy

 

[Ridge Ghost]

I used mine on day hunts for antelope last year. I didn't want a frame above my head while stalking /belly-crawling, but wanted the ability to pop the frame up for packing out meat. For packing day hunting gear and deboned antelope 1-3 miles it worked great.

I can't comment on heavier loads like an elk quarter though. I still take my Seek Outside Goshawk when planning on packing this kind of weight, because it's just better suited for it by design.

 

[BradArnett]

I have used mine quite a bit. 50# loads up to 4 miles and I have no complaints with that weight and distance. Ive not carried any loads heavier, or farther, than that. Im very happy with mine. Heavier loads I'll take my kifaru frame.

 

[brsnow]

It didn’t fit me well and is almost double my SO with a Merlin in weight so I sold it.

 

[Trial153]

For what it’s designed for...I like it

 

[Newtosavage]

Never had the chance to pack meat with mine. I bought one brand new on the father's day clearance, and the hip belt didn't fit me worth a darn. My plan was to use it to pack in my camp, drop the camp, pop it down into day pack configuration and go hunt. Packed with my camp it looked ridiculous and hung so far off my back it was pulling me backward.

I never even took the tags off, and I sold it for the same price I paid about 12 hours later. I hope the new owner liked it more than I did.

Great design in theory but just didn't work for me at all.

 

[realunlucky]

Belt also didn't work very well for me even after I got an extender so the power pulls would work. I wanted to love it as the perfect day pack but I had to move it along after a few uses.

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

 

[Desk Jockey]

I have commented on this one before but I a fan.

Negative - belt is a little underwhelming. The pack flops a little unless you strap it down well. It is easy to fill up 28 liters with some layers and stand gear. A 40 liter bag would be better.

Positive - it is light, relatively inexpensive and hauls a descent load fairly well. I have had +60 # in mine for short distances and it was fine, including awkward loads like bags of corn and a quartered up whitetail.

Bottom line: I don’t think it is fair to compare it to a full size frame. For me it replaces a 20-30 no frame daypack and gives me something that can haul meat when necessary. So, If you want a daypack that’s can occasionally haul a load, it is great, but it isn’t a full size hauler. If you are hauling with it often or over long distances like some of the posters above, then it is less good. If you want something that can haul like a full size packbut more or less the size of a daypack then you need to step it up to the MR mule, pintler or sawtooth and deal with the weight, cost and bulk that goes with that. I have both the pop up and the sawtooth and switch to the sawtooth late season for hauling more layers and heavier loads. If I could only have one it would be the sawtooth.

 

[brsnow]

I have commented on this one before but I a fan.

Negative - belt is a little underwhelming. The pack flops a little unless you strap it down well. It is easy to fill up 28 liters with some layers and stand gear. A 40 liter bag would be better.

Positive - it is light, relatively inexpensive and hauls a descent load fairly well. I have had +60 # in mine for short distances and it was fine, including awkward loads like bags of corn and a quartered up whitetail.

Bottom line: I don’t think it is fair to compare it to a full size frame. For me it replaces a 20-30 no frame daypack and gives me something that can haul meat when necessary. So, If you want a daypack that’s can occasionally haul a load, it is great, but it isn’t a full size hauler. If you are hauling with it often or over long distances like some of the posters above, then it is less good. If you want something that can haul like a full size packbut more or less the size of a daypack then you need to step it up to the MR mule, pintler or sawtooth and deal with the weight, cost and bulk that goes with that. I have both the pop up and the sawtooth and switch to the sawtooth late season for hauling more layers and heavier loads. If I could only have one it would be the sawtooth.

it weights as much or more than full size frame packs, so I think that is why you are seeing the comparison.

 

[fatlander]

I had one and I liked the idea of it, but it didn’t know what it wanted to be. It wasn’t great and being a small day pack and it wasn’t great at being a hauler either. The shoulder suspension yoke was too rigid to be a frameless day pack, but the crappy belt coupled with the flimsy frame kept it from being a hauler.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Desk Jockey]

it weights as much or more than full size frame packs, so I think that is why you are seeing the comparison.

Fair point. My 28 is 4.5# and my sawtooth is 6#. Large and Xl respectively. So the weight savings isn’t huge. Retail is $150 difference and the pop up is much more compact overall so does better as a daypack IMO, which is how mine is used 95% of the time.

Again, if you want a daypack that can haul reasonably well on rare occasions, it is a great option. If you are using it to haul #30-40 or more pounds all the time, I don’t think that is where it shines.

 

[brsnow]

Fair point. My 28 is 4.5# and my sawtooth is 6#. Large and Xl respectively. So the weight savings isn’t huge. Retail is $250 difference and the pop up is much more compact overall so does better as a daypack IMO, which is how mine is used 95% of the time.

Again, if you want a daypack that can haul reasonably well on rare occasions, it is a great option. If you are using it to haul #30-40 or more pounds all the time, I don’t think that is where it shines.

my seek outside revolution with merlin day pack is 3lb 7oz and can carry far more weight than I ever could. Was just sharing there are much better load carrying daypack options.

 

[Lochtsa71]

I own the Pop-up 28 and the Sawtooth.

The Verdict: I would not recommend this pack unless you can find one used for $150.00.
The horrible waist belt makes it a no go for me. This is the biggest flaw because MR taut the pack is a first load hauler. I packed a boned out whitetail, weighing about 50 lbs, and it performed poorly despite the pack being fitted perfectly.
If you carry under 25 lbs, it's an okay day pack but there are better options at this price point.
If you like mystery ranch, I would skip the pop up and look at the Sawtooth.
Picts below show the Sawtooth and the Pop up.

 

[Felix40]

I just wanted to add one more data point on these packs. I put mine to work pretty hard this evening and I was satisfied with how it functioned. I packed out a bear hide and a good amount of meat totaling 117 pounds. That’s the heaviest load I’ve had in it The pop up didn’t have a catastrophic failure like I thought it might and it didn’t kill my shoulders as bad as I expected.

Negatives:
The belt still sucks.
The little square corners at the bottom of the frame sheet poked me in the ass every step. This was super annoying but not painful.
The load shelf isn’t quite big enough to handle a serious load. It could really use an extra strap or a little more material to wrap the load.

Positives:
I bought it for sub $200.
I can look up to climb a tree/steep slope etc unlike my tall kifaru frame.
It’s still in one piece after busting through brush with more weight than its probably made for.
My arms never went numb and my shoulders arent bruised like I have experienced with other day packs.

Overall, I think it’s pretty damn cool for a cheap day pack.

 

[Roksliding]

I like mine, I’m admittedly not passionate about packs like some people are though. If it serves its purpose good enough.

It does exactly as advertised, (or what I perceived as it’s purpose) a day pack without wasting the 1st trip out.

I hate a pack that sits high and hits the back of my head while hunting, it’s a deal breaker, no matter the name So it’s good there.

It is “adequate” serving as a frame pack. So it’s good there.. the first trip out is always the easiest anyways!

I will say it does feel like I cannot get the belt tight enough under a load, and it doesn’t carry as well as my external.. but see previous statement.



All that being said-
I always measure gear on a yes/no questioned scale. If it broke today would I buy another one tomorrow?
My answer- probably not, I’d probably try a Kuiu pack.

*grammar

 

[Desk Jockey]

Still liking my 38. I packed an #80 load of gear and quartered deer yesterday. It doesn’t do as well as a full size pack but it does fairly well.

one thing I would suggest is having some type of camp bag to shape and contain your load. It helps keep it from shifting around on your back.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

My 16 year old son used a popup 28 on a recent elk hunt. On the second trip out with his bull he packed a boned out hind and the head and horns of a medium
Sized 5x6. He was in pain, but the pack did it.... haha!

The pack can handle some real weight! We aren't a fan on the belt or the top zippers so far.

 

[Dos Perros]

Does anyone else make an extendable frame? Seek Outside maybe? It seems super nice to have a tight little pack with the tops of the stays below your jawline, and on the off chance I kill something boop bop beep extend the frame and get into hauling mode.

If MR made these with weights equal to or just slightly more than their regular frame, get the belt that people like, then I think folks would think of the additional weight as a cost for having a compact frame most of the time. We trade weight for features all the time.