Gastro Gnome - Eat Better Wherever

The pack dilemma is over

DirtyDan

Active member
Joined
Nov 15, 2014
Messages
297
Location
Ohio
Grab yourself some coffee and get yourself comfy cause this is going to be a long one.
I'll wait......
.............
After such a long time of pouring over what pack to get (I'm actually a little embarrassed on how much effort I've put into this) I have finally ordered a Mystery Ranch Metcalf. Not because I think it's the greatest pack out or that all the mountain ninja warriors use it. I never fit into that group anyway.
I already had bought a Nice frame and Longbow several years ago and have been adding a few pieces here and there as I needed them. With all the talk of Mystery Ranch coming out with something new this year I could only hope that it would be a lighter frame that would still use all the older bags.
Last week I noticed that thier web site had changed and that they would no longer be offering bags without the frame. Well my mind started working and I came up with the conclusion that this could only mean that they where trying to offload everything to make way for a completely new system. I could be wrong about this, but only time will tell. This is when I came to the crossroads. What to do? What to do? I could sell my setup and order something completely new, which means no other new equipment for this year, or call the ranch and see if they still had a Metcalf bag tucked away somewhere with my name on it.
This is when it hit me.... If I would have spent half the time exercising and or not eating donuts and drinking coffee while searching pack threads on the Internet, I would have lost the whole whopping 3lbs i was going to loose by switching to something new and spending my hard earned cash. Yup, 3 whole pounds. Let's think about that for moment.
I fluctuate 3 lbs everyday from morning to evening. As long as I stay away from hops and barley. It is also the equivalent to my running shoes. Or my workout clothes and gym bag. 3lbs comes out to $233.33 per pound. Wow, that's exactly what it cost me for a 3 month membership to the local gym. See where this is going yet?
I'll wrap this up as I'm starting to get twitchy for a pastry. I called and ordered a foliage Metcalf which should be here by Tuesday. The best part is I only spent $250. Which leaves me right around $450 to either spend this year or sock away for next years conundrum. They just so happened to have one extra one lying around. No it's not ultra cool, but I figure if it was good enough for most of the guys I have read about on here and other places, it should work fine for me. My search has now come to an end and so has my story.
I think I'll go for a run now and try to beat those 3 little pounds that have been haunting me for such a long time.......
Hmmmmm I wonder what tent the warriors are using this year???

Thanks for reading.
 
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Your going to love the metcalf. It's a bomber setup that is going to last you a long long time. I get the itch now and then to lighten the load from my MR packs, but at the end of the day I always fall back on the durability and comfort of the MR system.
 
I received the Metcalf today. Loaded it up with a bunch of pillows and 2 sleeping bags. There is no way that this thing is only 4300 cubic inches. With the snow collar extended, it is well over my head by 6 to 8 inches and I'm 6'2". I've started laying out all my gear for a 7 day pack trip so I should be able to tell if it all fits. I'm sure it will as I can get it all in or on my Longbow, albeit with it busting at the seems.
 
I received the Metcalf today. Loaded it up with a bunch of pillows and 2 sleeping bags. There is no way that this thing is only 4300 cubic inches. With the snow collar extended, it is well over my head by 6 to 8 inches and I'm 6'2". I've started laying out all my gear for a 7 day pack trip so I should be able to tell if it all fits. I'm sure it will as I can get it all in or on my Longbow, albeit with it busting at the seems.

It was pretty easy for me to fit 9 days of food and gear in mine for an archery mule deer hunt. It's a great pack.
 
hornseeker, I looked at everything. EXO makes nice stuff as well as several others. I really thought about pulling the trigger on a StoneGlacier, and if I was starting from scratch I probably would have. But in the end I spent $250 to build on the system I was already invested into instead of an additional $700. There are certainly lighter packs out there and maybe in a couple years I'll feel the need to spend countless hours on the search to shave 3 pounds off my gear.
 
I've got all 3 packs mentioned. Have the EXO pack coming from Extreme Elk magazine, never have used it yet. Been using the Stone Galcier for 2-3 years now. Ive packed quite a few elk on it and can't say enough positive things. I now have a great conditioned MR that doesn't make it off the garage wall. Agreed, the MR's are great packs though. It's all about what works best for the person wearing it in the end. Best of luck to you on your hunt this fall.
 
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