Mystery Ranch Mysterium Series Sawtooth 45 Review: A Comfortable Carry for Backcountry Hunters

Mystery Ranch is a historically great backpack brand in the backcountry hunting world, and the company’s new Mystery Ranch Mysterium series is an impressive, feature-rich line of packs designed to bring the brand’s functionally and aesthetics into the modern era.

“The Mysterium series is an evolution of design. We are not going with the traditional materials and design used in most hunting packs,” Mystery Ranch’s director of product Dana Gleason tells Outdoor Life. “We went away from the traditional fabrics and coatings and found materials that bring hunting packs functionally and aesthetically into the modern era. We updated our frame with enhanced breathability and durability while maintaining our ridiculously high standards in fit and comfort.”

The Mysterium series boasts features tailored for long days in the field, from functional expandability to solid weight distribution, as well as plenty of strategic storage compartments for your gear, food, and hydration. But does it live up to its promise of supporting hunters through challenging terrain? I got my hands on the Sawtooth 45, the Mysterium series’ daypack to see how it would perform in the field. 

About Mystery Ranch

Founded by Dana Gleason and Renée Sippel-Baker, Mystery Ranch has been making top-notch backpacks since 2000. Both brought decades of backpack design experience with them. Gleason’s first company, Dana Designs, is legendary in the backpacking world. Some Dana Designs backpacks can still be found on many of the most famous trails in North America, even though some of those packs rolled off the production line in the 1980s. 

Since the company’s inception, Mystery Ranch has gained a loyal following among military, wildland firefighters, backcountry hunters, and die-hard trail junkies. Its packs regularly make Outdoor Life’s lists of top products, including the Best Elk Hunting Packs, Best Backpacking Backpacks, Best EDC Backpacks, Best Hiking Daypacks, and Best Hiking Gear We Use All the Time. 

Yeti purchased the Mystery Ranch brand in Feb. 2024. Rumors spread quickly across the internet that Yeti planned to phase out the backpacking brand’s consumer line. However, Gleason says the brand isn’t going anywhere any time soon. 

“Mystery Ranch will continue to do what we do best: make packs. Going into 2025, we plan to have key products for outdoor endeavors, launching two new packs” Gleason says. “And we will continue to focus on hunting, launching the four Mysterium packs for 2025.” 

The Low-Down on the New Mysterium Series

Mystery Ranch designers have worked on the new Mysterium series for over 2 years. 

“Our product team is a bunch of tinkerers, and they are constantly looking for ways to innovate and improve,” Gleason says. “In 2022, they started down a path to create a new line of hunting packs that would drastically improve load carry comfort, organization, and weight. We have so much R&D in-house as we design outdoor, military, and wildland fire packs. We took what we learned from our outdoor packs to inform this new line of hunting packs, giving it a lighter and more modern aesthetic.”

Mystery Ranch upgraded their textile choices for the Mysterium series packs.The sides are made of 330D Rodra Kodra Ripstop which the brand claims is a lighter weight fabric than the 500 D Lite Plus Cordura used in previous models while also having a higher tear and tensile strength. The exterior of the pack, in areas that are most exposed to weather, Mystery Ranch chose a Cordura 5PM coated fabric, which is meant to add better weather resistance to keep the contents of your pack dry.

The packs also feature a frame with an adjustable yoke, so you can fine-tune the fit. The new frame design has carbon-fiber vertical stays and a horizontal flat bar, which allows for lightweight rigidity under load, yet still offers plenty of flexibility so the frame can move comfortably with your body as you’re hiking.

The series, which was designed in Bozeman, Montana, and manufactured overseas, includes four packs of different sizes to cater to different hunting needs. 

Sawtooth 45 

The smallest in the group, the Sawtooth 45, features 2625 cubic inches of storage space. It is designed as a rugged day-hunting pack that is also roomy enough for a fast overnighter. This sturdy pack features a quick-access 270-degree zipper, plenty of external organization pockets, and a meat shelf for easy pack-out. 

Price: $519 ($539 in Optifade Subalpine)

Sawtooth 65

With 45 percent more space than its little brother, the Sawtooth 65 has a 3835 cubic inch packing area.  This one builds on the 45’s organizational design, creating a versatile pack for hunters spending one or two nights in the field.  

Price: $549 ($579 in Optifade Subalpine)

Beartooth 85

Designed for multi-day hunts, the Beartooth 85 has a spacious capacity (5187 cubic inches) and features PALS webbing to provide versatile storage for rifles, bows, or other bulky gear. This one is engineered to carry enough gear to tackle 3 to 5 days in the backcountry.

Price: $599 ($635 in Optifade Subalpine)

Marshall 105

The largest pack in the Mysterium Series, the Marshall 105, has 6285 cubic inches of packing space, making it well-suited for extended stays in the backcountry. It has an adjustable overload shelf, speed-zip access to the bottom compartment, and a detachable lid that doubles as a daypack.

Price: $699 ($719 in Optifade Subalpine)

Sawtooth 45 Specs and Key Features

• Robic Kodra Ripstop fabric with Cordura 5PM weatherproof coating
• 270-degree horseshoe zipper
• Carbon fiber stays
• Hydration compatible
• Adjustable yoke and compression straps
• Ventilated harness
• Available in three color variations — Gneiss, Ponderosa, and Optifade Subalpine
• Weight: 5.2 pounds
• Dimensions: 29 x 15 x 12 inches
• Volume: 2745 cubic inches
• Sizes: Men’s S, M, L, XL; Women’s XS, S, M, L

Testing the Mystery Ranch Sawtooth 45

I got a sneak peek of the new Mystery Ranch Sawtooth 45 before the official release. While I didn’t have enough time before the end of the season to squeeze in a backcountry hunt, I did have the opportunity to load the pack up with some hunting essentials and wear it on a 5-mile hike at Medoc Mountain State Park in Hollister, North Carolina. I stuffed in rain gear, an insulated outer layer, a limbing saw, a first aid kit, game bags, water, extra socks, and beef jerky, then I threw in a 5-pound plate for good measure. When all was said and done, the Sawtooth 45 tipped the scales at 25.2 pounds, which is plenty heavy for testing a daypack.

The terrain at Medoc Mountain isn’t incredibly challenging — mostly rolling hills with a few steep inclines and declines. While it isn’t anything close to hiking big mountains, I believe it is a decent proving ground for a hunting daypack. 

Off the trail, I also put the pack through some durability testing. I dropped it, kicked it, jumped on it, and let it slide around in the bed of my truck while I drove down I-95. I also sprayed it down with my garden hose to see just how well it would perform if the weather turned soggy.

How the Sawtooth 45 Performed

Fit

Mystery Ranch packs are highly adjustable to help you get that just-right, Goldilocks fit. Each pack has an adjustable yoke that can be moved up or down to match your body type. They also feature adjustable shoulder straps, waist belt, and load lifters. You can tilt the waist belt up or down for an even more customized fit. 

Mystery Ranch offers women-specific sizing for backpackers with smaller, shorter builds. The website has a sizing chart that explains how to measure your body to ensure you get the right size pack. I received a women’s XS/S pack, and after a few quick strap adjustments, it fit like it was tailor-made for me. 

Weight

The Sawtooth 45 weighed 5.2 pounds according to my bathroom scale, which is pretty darned close to the advertised weight of 5.1 pounds. However that’s still a good deal heftier than some comparable daypacks. For example, the Stone Glacier Avail 2200 provides 2,200 cubic inches in the main compartment, yet weighs only 3 pounds 8 ounces, and the Kifaru Minikeg weighs 2 pounds 14 ounces with 2800 cubic inches of interior storage.

Comfort

The Sawtooth 45 is heavy for a daypack. However, the a backpack is comfortable and well-balanced, so I barely noticed the extra weight. In fact, this one weighs in more than my regular go-to hunting pack (a Teton Oasis 22, which does not have a frame), yet feels lighter and far less tiring to tote over distance, even when it’s loaded with more gear than I would typically carry.

It has a five-piece segmented padded waist belt, increasing the comfort and contact for better weight distribution. It also prevents the load from slipping over my hips, even when the pack was loaded down with extra pounds. That flexible frame also came in handy when I had to squat to clean up behind my hiking partner (in her defense, she’s a dog). There was no pinching or poking, no matter which way I twisted, turned, or bent my body.

Durability

While my durability testing wasn’t quite what I would put my pack through during a full season of rough hunting, it did hold up well. The fabric, buckles, and zippers all stood up to the test, and the pack came out on the other side looking almost exactly like it did straight out of the box. I also gave the pack a nice shower with my garden hose to test water resistance. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the fabric did a good job of keeping my gear nice and dry on the inside.

Packability

The Sawtooth 45 has all the features I think are necessary in a pack — a roomy main compartment, side pockets for water bottles (and other stuff), and a large, easy-access stash pocket. The waist belt also features MOLLE webbing on the sides so you can add extra compartments or holsters for your handgun or bear spray. 

One feature that will make backcountry hunters happy is the pack’s Overload shelf, which was a key update to the Mysterium frame across all four styles. You simply unsnap a few straps, pop the pack loose from the frame, and then expand the shelf. Once the shelf is expanded, you can attach a hide, head, or game bag full of meat with the auto-lock compression straps. Once you have your load secure, you simply reattach the pack up and over the load and it’s ready for a packout. 

Noise

Unfortunately, this is not a quiet backpack. The frame squeaks near the shoulders and at the hip. At first, it was mildly annoying, but became down-right irritating the further along the trail I went. While the squeak is mostly irritating during a no-stakes hike through a state park, it could be a deal breaker on a hunt. There’s no way a buck, bull, or ram isn’t going to hear this pack whining with every step on a final stalk. 

Read Next: The Best Hunting Backpacks of 2025, Chosen by the Editors

The squeaky pack frame is a common complaint from hunters who have used other Mystery Ranch models. Many users said the squeaking became less pronounced once they got a pack worn in. I haven’t carried the Sawtooth 45 over enough miles to see if the squeakiness will work itself out. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will. 

Final Thoughts

Mystery Ranch’s new Mysterium series packs are well-suited for hunters who need to haul heavy loads into and out of the backcountry. The packs are sturdy, well-balanced, and super comfortable. Mine fit so well, aside from the squeaky frame, that I almost forgot I was wearing it.