Mystery Ranch Popup 28 and 38 Talk

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I couldn’t do a 28 and 38 review without owning both so here we are.

At first glance this pack seems too small, but it actually looks to be the perfect size if all you want to carry are small essentials. Rain coat, down jacket some snacks and a water bottle, call, knife, cleaning kit, thermacell all fit in there no problem. Big layers are going between the bag and the frame with my platform. This appears to give you an extremely small system that can also haul meat. For the size it may be hard to beat for SE whitetail hunting. Should fit nicely in the tree too. It’s funny that I basically mimicked this set up with my m1 carrier without really knowing it.

I’m Hunting with it this weekend so I’ll report back with thoughts. I already like that it is smaller than the 38. I think having the space on the 38 is great; however, I don’t really need that space most of the time so the extra bag can be annoying. I can’t tell if the waist belt is smaller in height than the 38 or not. Does anyone know?
I’m enjoying fooling around with all these old model packs. It could be worse than saddles.

 

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@BackSpasm was bad mouthing his 28 pretty bad but I think he may want to give it a second look

 

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not sure if I should give the credit to 2TC or this pu28 bag. Nice little set up

 

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Ok after 3 hunts with this pack, 18 miles road on my back while on a bike, 3 miles with full gear walking to stand, 3 trees climbed, and another 4 miles with an empty pack looking for a deer wanted to report back my thoughts.

The features and size of this pack or perfect for whitetail hunting. I was able to fit everything I needed besides my heavy outer winter layers in the bag and pockets. I also really liked the material for raining days. This pack stayed surprisingly dry for two days in the rain. This size pack is much more manageable in the tree.

My biggest knock on this pack is something that might have more to do with my build than the packs build. The shoulder straps and the hip belt are not comfortable to me. I love the look and make of them, and I love that there is enough adjustability to really tune in your size to the pack, but I just can’t get it to fit like a glove. Like saddles, different saddles fit well on different people. This pack is just no where near as comfortable as KUIU or Eberlstock packs have been for me. The Eberlstock pack has next to 0 adjustability but it fits like a nice worn in leather glove. I don’t get hot spots or pinchs or irritations. This is the biggest bummer because I was ready to adopt this pack for good, but if it isn’t comfortable, it isn’t worth keeping for me so I may be getting rid of it soon. If you spend time with this pack and the shoulder and hips feel good to you, I really think this pack does everything you need it to do. I didn’t get a chance to haul a deer with it but I imagine the additional weight would only make the hot spots worse.

 

[HuumanCreed]

Ok after 3 hunts with this pack, 18 miles road on my back while on a bike, 3 miles with full gear walking to stand, 3 trees climbed, and another 4 miles with an empty pack looking for a deer wanted to report back my thoughts.

The features and size of this pack or perfect for whitetail hunting. I was able to fit everything I needed besides my heavy outer winter layers in the bag and pockets. I also really liked the material for raining days. This pack stayed surprisingly dry for two days in the rain. This size pack is much more manageable in the tree.

My biggest knock on this pack is something that might have more to do with my build than the packs build. The shoulder straps and the hip belt are not comfortable to me. I love the look and make of them, and I love that there is enough adjustability to really tune in your size to the pack, but I just can’t get it to fit like a glove. Like saddles, different saddles fit well on different people. This pack is just no where near as comfortable as KUIU or Eberlstock packs have been for me. The Eberlstock pack has next to 0 adjustability but it fits like a nice worn in leather glove. I don’t get hot spots or pinchs or irritations. This is the biggest bummer because I was ready to adopt this pack for good, but if it isn’t comfortable, it isn’t worth keeping for me so I may be getting rid of it soon. If you spend time with this pack and the shoulder and hips feel good to you, I really think this pack does everything you need it to do. I didn’t get a chance to haul a deer with it but I imagine the additional weight would only make the hot spots worse.

I had the same worried as you about the straps and belt as they were uncomfortable at first. But then I try a larger size belt and raised wore it lower then the recommended instruction and it was a lot better. Just for me, it was more comfortable to wear it similar to how Kifaru recommend wearing belt, that the hip bone should be at the center, that the belt should cup the bone. The MR instruction have you wear it more on top of the bone, like the weight is pressing down onto the bone which was not comfortable at all.

Agreed with everything you said! But I think I might need a better solution for winter hunt because I hated the profit when I had to pack bulky layers between the pack and frame.

 

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I had the same worried as you about the straps and belt as they were uncomfortable at first. But then I try a larger size belt and raised wore it lower then the recommended instruction and it was a lot better. Just for me, it was more comfortable to wear it similar to how Kifaru recommend wearing belt, that the hip bone should be at the center, that the belt should cup the bone. The MR instruction have you wear it more on top of the bone, like the weight is pressing down onto the bone which was not comfortable at all.

Agreed with everything you said! But I think I might need a better solution for winter hunt because I hated the profit when I had to pack bulky layers between the pack and frame.

Packing layers between the frame is easy; however, it seems it makes the pack stick further out. The pack sticking Further out makes a longer lever arm which creates a larger moment which means it feels like more weight pulling on my hip and shoulders. Keeping the stuff close as possible to the frame is a must, but I’ve had a hard time doing that with the Popups. The best I’ve done is to extend frame out as much as possible and lay the clothes long ways against the frame and between the bag. It’s takes longer to do but it makes for a better ride. I’m conflicted for sure.

 

[huskerhunter13]

I've had the Pop Up 38 for a couple years now, used it exclusively in Wisconsin and 95% of the time I'm on public. I use this pack the whole season and for everything from a short evening sit after work when I can swing it to the all day sits in November. Here's my not-so-brief thoughts.

1. I'm not a small guy, 6' even and 270-280lb depending on how much cake I run into during the week. Finding a pack that was adjustable and comfortable was priority number 1 and this thing absolutely fits the bill. Yes, it's a framed pack and is thus slightly heavier than an unframed one, (duh). But, I'm a former weightlifter, so adding a bit of weight doesn't phase me. Managing my sweating on the way in is 100% dependent on how I'm dressed. For a framed pack this thing is comfortable, feels very secure, and is lighter than other framed options out there.

2. I'm also both an overplanner and an overpacker. I always carry a full backcountry first aid kit, even if I'm 100yds from the truck (blow your knee out a few times and let me know how easy you think walking is after), and I'm always worried about needing something and not having it. This pack is big enough to cover all my daily items (first aid, knives, flashlights, etc), all my layers (usually at least a vest, rain/snow kit, and in late season a full Sanctuary 2.0 system in size double sex L), food/water/coffee (spoiler alert: big guy eats a lot), and my sticks and platform. But, it's also super comfortable to wear and the waist strap does a great job distributing the weight to the hips, so packing's easy. For that reason I also like the 38 over the 28, I can always sinch down empty space, but I can't add more if I need it.

3. Storing gear in this thing is awesome. I use the top two zipper pouches on the main flap to store items I use regularly, making getting to things extremely simple. The water bottle holders are big, quiet, and secure. I also store my platform (Predator XL) directly in the front pouch (it fits perfectly) and used to carry my climbing sticks in the meat pouch. I'm switching to a one stick setup this year, but I used to carry 3 full 30" Muddy doublestep sticks and loved how I could extend the handle and secure the pack around the sticks. I like to walk with my hands free and use a walking stick (again, knees...), so the fact that the pack has so much available storage options makes it awesome for how I want to use it.

4. I usually throw my bow up top for walks in, helps keep my hands free. I've found that if I slip my front stabilizer under my chest strap the bow sits perfectly on the top of the pack. Probably more about my own setup, but it's a big perk for me.

5. This thing is durable as all hell and machine washes great. I clean this thing before season and usually once during season as well, never had an issue from anything in the field or from putting it through the washer. Plus, the clips make detaching the frame bars easy, so isolating just the pack portion for the washer is no problem, takes me longer to remove and add back all my crap to the pockets.

6. Speaking of durability, this thing seems incredibly well made. I have noticed ZERO signs of tearing, frayed stitching, or other issues in 3 full seasons of use. The thing damn near still looks new, and that's not because I baby it or only walk across open corn fields. It's had plenty of sticks, thorns, and other crap tearing across it, but it still looks great. The handles are also INCREDIBLY secure, pulling this up I've never worried once about it giving out.

Okay, time for the few downsides:
- It's not 100% quiet. The frame bars, when you have something strapped into the meat pack, can make a little noise. It's certainly not more than your own foot hitting the ground while walking, but for a spot and stalk I could see it being an issue if you want to still wear your pack. I'm about as covert and graceful stalking as a drunk hippo, so it's never been a a problem for me.
- The fabric is also not the quietest, but that's a trade off of the durability. It's pretty water resistant and as I mentioned above super durable, so you should know what you get with that.
- It does take a bit more time to secure loads than a regular pack. But, again, that's a function of the pack's versatility. I've personally never had an issue with things moving around too much, but I'm also someone who plans well and gets in before a lot of other people are even up. Taking an extra 5 minutes to pack and secure is something I would much rather do, not trying to set any speed records.
- I find it too big to store in front of me in the tree. However, I also like to stand on my platform quite a bit, especially for all day sits, so it doesn't bother me, but if you like to do that just know that going in. I just put it to one side, never had an issue with it being in the way or anything.
- Yeah, it's a bit more expensive than some packs. But, again, the functionality is great. Like anything else you get what you pay for.

Eventually when life allows (kids, work, $'s, the usual delays) I plan to use this pack out West as a day pack and I have zero doubts about it being able to hold up for that. It would probably do well as an overnight pack, but any more and you're probably pushing the capacity. But, I love knowing that all season I've got one pack to deal with. I have a small waist pack for squirrel hunting, this thing for everything up to an overnight, and a full 60L for my hiking trips I've taken. This thing has been great and I'd highly encourage other people to take a look.