Mystery Ranch Sweetpea

Bomber construction, with decent features, but lacks in carry comfort.

I have long been a fan of Mystery Ranch products, and the earlier incarnation of Dana Design when they were still made in the U.S. It's difficult to find a brand more dedicated to amazing quality and innovation in a fairly stagnant industry.

The three-zip design makes for easy access to contents within, but takes a bit more effort to open and close than a traditional panel or top loader. Classic 500 D Cordura means durability you can trust.

MR has staked its reputation on optimal fit, and has created a harness system that offers a wide range of adjustability to fit all sorts of people. That being said, I have owned a couple MR packs and found them to be quite uncomfortable.

At this point, despite admiration for what the brand is doing, I have given-up on owning/using their packs unless the harness systems change. I have used their sizing guides for both yoke and waistbelts, tried different yokes, and even received on-line and over the phone advice, and no luck. I'm 5'9" and 155 lb. so quite average. The shoulder straps in both the packs I have owned simply slide off the sides of my shoulders. I end-up cinching the sternum strap so tight, that carrying the pack becomes quite uncomfortable. One shouldn't have to use the sternum strap just to keep a pack on, it should be used for heavier load stability.

Dana Designs packs are some of the most comfortable bags I've ever used. Gravitating to Mystery Ranch to find that comfort again seemed like logical progression, but wasn't the case.

Be forewarned to really try on these packs before purchase. It's quite difficult to do so because MR works mostly mail-order customer direct. They have a good return policy, but won't take anything back that has been used. Difficult to see how something performs if it hasn't spent anytime in the real world.