MYSTERY RANCH PINTLER BACKPACK REVIEW - How It Helped Me On My Elk Hunt

Today we do a review of the Mystery Ranch Pintler backpack. I bought this backpack for a New Mexico elk hunt with the intention of carrying the meat and antlers off the mountain once I got my bull.

The Mystery Ranch Pintler is a great back for a long day hunt or a quick overnight hunt. It weighs 5.4 pounds and has 2,355 cubic inches of space. The Pintler would not be ideal for any hunt where you have to carry many days worth of gear. If you're going Dahl sheep hunting, get a different pack.

My Pintler is a size Medium and I am 6' and 180 lbs. When I called Mystery Ranch, they said a Large or Medium would fit, but they recommended the Medium, and it fits perfectly.

The pack is made out of 500D Corduro, which is a very tough fabric that can withstand some beating when on your hunts. It isn't waterproof, but it is water-resistant. The pack comes in Subalpine, Foliage (Green), and Coyote (tan).

On the outside of the Pintler, it does have 2 zippered pockets at the top, which are great for holding smaller items that you want to keep separate from the main compartment. I put a range finder, knife, bullets, and my phone in those pockets.

The Pintler has many compression straps that can be used to secure the pack to the frame, as well as strap a bow or rifle to the pack. I personally hunted with both a bow and rifle on the pack (separate occasions) and it didn't feel awkward at all. I was doing a lot of side-hilling and climbing steep mountains, and the weight was distributed nicely.

On the inside of the Pintler, there are 4 zippered pockets, 4 dump pockets, and a hydration bladder pocket. These different pockets make it easy to separate your larger gear from the smaller accessories and keep everything organized.

The Pinter is adjustable so you can make the frame smaller or larger depending on the size of your torso. In the video, I explain how to get the perfect fit with your Pinter.

The MT Frame is used on the Pintler and it performed flawlessly on my hunt. Once I got my elk, I was able to take all of the meat and strap it to the frame using the overload feature. I explain how to use the overload feature in the video, but it is a pretty easy process overall.

The Pintler has a 5 piece design for the hip strap, which helps with rigidity. The hit belt is very comfortable and even after carrying heavy loads of elk meat and antler for most of a day, I wasn't uncomfortable (besides the exhaustion from carrying all of that weight).

The shoulder straps are also made well and I wasn't experiencing pain during my hikes. I was with my best friend and guide, who both had old school frame packs, and they were complaining about their shoulders hurting while I was pain-free.

Check out the video at 13:37 to see how I try on the pack and best ways to do this. I called Mystery Ranch and spoke with them to get some pointers, and I was able to figure out how to get the perfect fit on the Pintler.

The Pintler is definitely not for every hunt. I do a lot of deer hunting and this would be the last pack I would want because it's too bulky. This pack is best for anybody doing backpack hunts but isn't packing gear for an extended period of time. If you need a pack to hike with and need the ability to pack out a kill, then come back for the evening, this would be the perfect pack for you.

Overall I thought the Pintler was an amazing backpack and I was glad I bought it for my elk hunt. If you are going on a similar hunt, I would definitely recommend checking it out.

0:00 Intro
0:29 Specs
1:03 Sizing
1:30 Pack Material
1:55 Color/Camo Options
2:15 Top pockets
3:04 Compression Straps
5:00 Locking Buckles
5:43 Zippers
6:57 Inside Pack
8:33 Fitting Pack To You
10:27 MT Frame
11:17 MT Frame Overload Feature
12:41 Hip Belts and Shoulder Straps
13:37 Trying On Pack + Fit
15:15 Who Should Buy It
17:27 Personal Experience
19:40 Closing