Mystery Ranch Metcalf Review

Mystery Ranch has been in the backpack game since 2000. They specialize in making backpacks for mountaineering, hunting, military, and wildland firefighters. Their mission to provide functional, durable, and comfortable gear is unquestionable. The backpacks are hand-made and meet the quality most other backpacks dream of.

In this article, we are going to take a good look at the Mystery Ranch Metcalf hunting backpack. It’s one of the most well-known hunting backpacks around and for good reasons. The Metcalf is made to be able to carry enough gear for a week-long trip into the backcountry, comfortably. Its special and well-thought-out design makes it one of the best backpacks for handling a heavy load, plus it’s geared up with loads of special hunting features. 

There is everything you might need to know about the Metcalf in this review, so keep scrolling through to find out why it might be the right hunting backpack for you. 

Materials & Durability

Hunting and life in the wilderness put a lot of strain on a backpack and you’ll need one that can handle a lot of wear and tear. Luckily, the Mystery Ranch Metcalf is made to handle pretty much anything you can throw at it.

Materials

It’s made from a blend of 500D LP Cordura and 500D Cordura. This is an incredibly light, strong, and durable fabric that has excellent tear and abrasion resistance.

The high D count of 500 denotes a heavy weave and thus a thick fabric, ideal if you want to make something durable. This means the Metcalf is going to last a long time and handle any wear and tear that comes its way.

Water-Resistance

Cordura is a water-resistant material that makes the Metcalf excellent at stopping moisture from getting in. If you’re caught out in a quick rain shower then you needn’t worry about the contents of your bag getting wet. But, this does not mean the bag is waterproof, and if you’re dealing with some adverse weather conditions, you’ll need to add a rain fly to keep everything fully protected.

Zippers

Zippers are probably the most likely and most annoying point of failure on any bag. If your main zipper goes mid-way through a week-long hunt, life’s going to be a bit of a pain.

The zippers on the Metcalf are heavy-duty YKK zippers that are known for their long-lasting durability. They have also been coated for water protection to stop any moisture from seeping through.

Buckles

The buckles are another thing that can easily fail, especially if they get banged around. The Metcalf uses auto-lock SJ buckles on their compression straps. These are about as good as buckles can get, making sure they last longer than others.

Carrying Comfort

Going into the wilderness for a week-long expedition requires a lot of gear. Once your backpack is fully loaded it’s going to be seriously heavy.

In order for you to manage the differing terrains with such a heavy load, the backpack is going to need to be comfy and supportive. The Metcalf has made its name with it’s amazing carrying comfort under a heavy load and here’s how.

The Frame

The backpack uses a Guide Light Myster Tech Frame which is very rigid but still lightweight and dynamic. Combined with the compression straps, the frame ensures the weight is distributed evenly to all the carrying and support straps. This means that you’ll be able to move naturally and handle such a heavy load.

The Yoke

The Metcalf uses a patented Futura Yoke that micro adjusts to your exact torso length. This allows the correct amount of stand-off between the frame and your back so that the backpack is taking the strain to ensure maximum carrying comfort.

Overload Feature

The Overload feature is specifically designed for hunters needing to transport anything they’ve killed to camp or home. This addition means you can add a load sling between the frame and the backpack.

This not only ensures that the bulk of the weight is closest to your back for extra comfort, but also means you can transport your kill without getting your backpack dirty.

Back Panel

The bank panel on the Metcalf is breathable, solid, and soft to squeeze. This gives you the support you need, ensures you don’t overheat, and protects your back from anything that’s bulky in your backpack.

Shoulder & Sternum Straps

Ensuring your shoulder straps fit you correctly is one of the keys to ensuring you can carry your backpack comfortably. The Metcalf comes with shoulder straps that are adjustable at both the top and bottom so you can find the perfect fit for you.

The shoulder straps are also padded, wide, and breathable. They don’t dig in or hurt your shoulders and you don’t sweat too much.

The sternum strap is also adjustable in both width and its position on the shoulder straps to give you the perfect fit and thus maximum comfort.

Waist Belt

The five-point waist belt incorporates the highly functional Redirect system and delivers solid weight distribution and eliminates slippage over your hips, regardless of the load.

Waist belts are key to carrying comfort as they remove the strain from you shoulder and redistribute the weight evenly across your whole body, making sure one part of your body is under more strain than another.

The Metcalf backpack comes with a five-point adjustable waist belt that is exceptionally well padded. It includes a very efficient redirect system and provides you with amazing weight distribution and stops it slipping over your hips, no matter how heavy your load. This makes it much easier to traverse tricky terrain with a heavy backpack.

Organization & Accessibility

While trekking around the backcountry for a week or more, you’re going to be carrying a lot of gear. Having a spot for everything to keep things organized is useful, and even more useful if you can access it easily.

Here we take a look at how the Metcalf does in terms of organization and accessibility.

Main Compartment

The Metcalf features a huge main compartment with a dual access system. You can either get to it via the lid by unbuckling the clips and opening it up or through the full-length zipper down the side.

This dual access system makes it easy to pack and allows you to organize your gear in sections based on each access point. The full-length side zipper lets you open up the backpack completely to see what’s where and get to it quickly.

The main compartment is one big space for storing a lot of gear and has a hydration sleeve inside it. You can use the hydration sleeve for anything, like a laptop say. It’s a bit of a shame there aren’t any extra storage features in the main compartment, even a zipper pocket for valuables would be useful.

Two Outer Pockets

On the lid of the Metcalf are two substantial zipper pockets. These are ideal for storing things you might need to find quickly, like a rain jacket, flashlight, ammo, sights, and more.

Waterbottle/Rifle Holders

On both sides of the bag are the water bottle holders that also double up as rifle holders. This means you can have a water bottle on one side and securely store your rifle on the other.

External Attachment Points

External attachment points are very useful when you need to add gear to your backpack, especially things you want to access quickly or for things that you don’t want to store in your bag, like a sleeping mat, tent, or bow.

The Mystery Ranch Metcalf has quite a solid external attachment point system and here is how it works.

Webbing

On both sides of the waist belt, you’ll find some MOLLE webbing. This is ideal for attaching anything that you need to get to quickly. You could attach a MOLLE ammo bag, binoculars, hunting sight, and more.

Compression Straps

The Metcalf comes with a 10 compression strap system. It features two on each side for holding your rifle, tent, or sleeping mat.

Then there are four on the front of the bag, two connected to the lid running vertically and two running horizontally across it. These together create an ideal bow storage area. You can clip your bow in and be sure that it won’t fall off and get damaged,

At the bottom of the bag are two more compression straps, ideal for carrying a tent. sleeping mat, or anything a bit bulky.

Value For Money

The Mystery Ranch Metcalf is not cheap and retails for $499. While this may be outside of most people’s backpack budget, when you consider the quality and abilities of the bag, it’s actually worth every penny.

The Metcalf is going to last you a lifetime with proper care, and it does something almost no other backpacks can; let you carry a heavy load comfortably and safely while being geared up for hunting.

If you’re a serious hunter, it’s worth the investment.

Rating

With a rating of 92, the Metcalf has done very well in our rating system. The only place it really didn’t hit top marks was in the organization department, due to just having one main compartment and two extra external zipper pockets. Overall though, it’s a sold piece of kit that’s ready for any adventure.

Verdict

So, is the Mystery Ranch Metcalf worth the investment? In our eyes, absolutely! If you love hunting and go off into the backcountry for weeks at a time, this backpack will be your companion for life. You’re sure to fall in love with it and it’ll become one of those things you’ll never want to live without.

If you hunt now and then, and don’t go for a week at a time, it might be a bit expensive. But it’ll still last you a lifetime, so will it be a Metcalf for life or maybe 4 other bags that may break down on you? The Metcalf is the right choice.