mystery ranch | The Loadout Room

Why? I’ve long obsessed over the 1DAP but it’s lack of availability here in the states coupled with specs that aren’t “big dude” friendly convinced me not to acquire one. With the Front, Mystery Ranch created a pack similar to the ASAP/1DAP, but made it larger. If the published dimensions are to be believed, the new pack is 22″H x 12.5″W x 9″D and 1,159 cu in/19L in volume. I’m skeptical because the ASAP/1DAP was 16″H x 10W x 6″D and 900 cu in/15L in volume. If the new pack is 6″ taller, 2.5″ wider, and 3″ deeper… well… sorry, but that adds up to more than a 259 cubic inch difference in volume.

A friend of mine up in Wisconsin who recently acquired the Front graciously offered to give me a first hand look. I took my old school Sweetpea along to do some comparison pics. The Front wasn’t packed full but it didn’t seem to be 6″ taller than the Sweetpea, which according to Mystery Ranch is 18″. It’s taller but not that much taller.

First Look: Mystery Ranch Front Pack — The new Mystery Ranch Front (left) and the discontinued Sweetpea (right)

Here are the straps. My Sweetpea has a large Futura harness installed. The harness on the Front looks to be the Futura Lite, which was used on the 1DAP and is slightly narrower and not as bulky as the Futura (used on the ASAP and 3DAP). I like that because it’s easier to sling the pack over one shoulder and the Futura on a pack the size of the Front is overkill anyway.

Continue reading on Loaded Pocketz

Photos courtesy of Loaded Pocketz

Testing the Tri-Zip system, the signature of Mystery Ranch backpacks, has been on top of my list for last couple of years. I really liked the design, but I simply didn’t need another backpack. I already had 16, 20, 30 and 42 L sized packs from different manufacturers. I was also under the impression that MR backpacks were fairly heavy. However, my gear acquisition syndrome finally came to the ‘point of no return’ and I ordered a Mystery Ranch ASAP Pack with removable Stick-It pocket to try it for myself. The question now is – why did I wait so long?

The Mystery Ranch ASAP Pack is a small backpack with a big harness system, which means that the volume of 18 liters is combined with Futura Yoke harness (which can support a backpack 3-times the size). It’s made of 500D cordura, which should survive virtually anything in regular outdoor and/or military use.

The pack opens via a Tri-Zip system, which is made of 3 zippers creating Y-shaped opening. The YKK zippers are rubberized and weather sealed. The vertical zipper goes well above the meeting point of the horizontal zippers, which increases both the rigidness and security of the pack. Just bind the two horizontal zippers with a grimlock and you’re very safe in the city crowd. There is no way anyone could open the pack quickly and without alerting you. This is a trick worth remembering. The zipper’s action is smooth, but requires quite some force (imagine a vault door), which is again very good for security purposes as the zippers won’t open by themselves even when jogging, jumping, or moving about.

Read more – Motus World

(featured image courtesy of motusworld.com)