Tag Archives: Mystery Ranch

Carry-on and travel packs

You guys, I am a little obsessed with backpacks. Blame it on Kay. I had one when I met him and now I own three. He has like ten.

Thanks to Kay, I am always thinking about  getting more bags that fulfill needs that mine don’t quite meet. For the most part, I use my trusty Mystery Ranch bag for backpacking and overnight hikes or my handy Osprey for day hikes and weekend city trips, but there is always a reason to “window shop”.

Mystery Ranch Glacial: $349 69L

The Glacial bag is my first backpacking backpack. I bought it for $435 (ouch!) back in 2010 and it’s been going strong for five years already. It’s not perfect for me, but the carrying system of Mystery Ranch bags is phenomenal and you probably won’t find a more comfortable pack for long hikes anywhere else.

Mystery Ranch makes pretty industrial, military and firefighting oriented bags, so they are usually fairly basic and rough for a woman’s bag, but you really can’t beat the durability or comfort with a heavy load. I’ve used mine to backpack in Hawaii, Bali, Thailand, Oman, Australia, and soon Peru.

Osprey Sirrus 24: $120 24L I LOVE this bag. It is the perfect day pack size for a hike with camera, water bladder including ports for camelbak hoses, clips for stowing hiking sticks, an ice pick, integrated rain cover and more. It’s also wonderful for city trips because I pack light enough for 2-3 days that I can still fit my clothes, toiletries, camera, and jacket in here.

The mesh suspension system keeps me and my water cool, everything about the bag is really comfortable and built for female bodies, and I like the handy hip belt pockets and shoulder strap pocket for tissues and goodies to eat while carrying. The original bag was $99 on Amazon, but it looks like they have upped their prices recently with the more recent version. I got mine a little on sale for $79 in 2012.

My only qualms are that at 24L it’s perfect for a day pack, but I need [want] something a bit bigger for carry on for longer trips.

These are a few backpacks on my list that I would not mind having:

Mystery Ranch Big Sky: $279 49L

This pack says it would be just within the carry on requirements of Delta (22″ x 14″ x 9″) which makes it really ideal for maxing out your carry on, but Kay has their Sweet Pea, the smallest pack in this series, and it is definitely taller than their listed 45cm, leading me to believe that they are not taking into account everything here. It would be quite an expensive mistake to buy a pack hoping it will fit as carry on, only to have to check it, because then I might as well use my current 69L pack.

Mystery Ranch Snapdragon: $197 38LLike Big Sky, the Snapdragon pack is also bigger than Kay’s Sweet Pea, but again, I can’t be sure if this or the Big Sky pack are actually within carry on limits for most American airlines. There is very little information about owners using these packs as a carry-on in planes because they most often use them for hunting or local outdoor activities .

Mystery Ranch also mainly operates remotely, so it’s not like you would ever find these in stores in the States, let alone Switzerland. Although they are used in the Swiss military because they make fantastic packs!

Osprey Farpoint 55: 179CHF 55L (40L + 15L)In theory, this pack looks really cool and has tons of wonderful reviews all over the interwebs about using it for backpacking all over Brazil and Peru, which is exactly where we are headed later this year. The main bag acts a bit like a suitcase, opening up on the side, while the day pack clips off so you don’t need to carry everything with you when you are out and about. Sounds perfect!The reality is that even with tons of reviews discussing using this as a carry on and how it just slides by, the consensus is that this is NOT a hiking backpack and would be very uncomfortable to wear for several hours. That takes it out for Peru where we plan to hike for several days in a row and camp, so I don’t think it’s worth it to get this pack, even if all the other ideas it includes are great. A good harness for hiking is indispensable, and something I need.

Lo & Sons OG: $295 This is not a backpack. I know…. but so many friends have recommended Lo & Sons bags for carry-on and they are even reviewed across several sites as sliding by as your personal item, even as a large purse. The OG is the larger of the two I looked at and people even claimed they could use this for a personal item under their seat.

Expensive? Yes. Luxury? Yes. The bags look beautiful and chic, which are not usually words attributed to me during travel. I would use a bag like this on travel to see family or “hotel” travel. Weekend trips when I want to ditch my Lulu bag from Epiphaniebags that is falling apart at the seams.

Lo & Sons OG: $275 The OMG is the slightly (slightly!) smaller version of the OG. But that just might make it a little more plausible as a personal item on planes. Spoiler alert: I ordered it. 🙂

Osprey Ultralight Stuff Pack: 37.50CHF 18LAfter I decided the Farpoint 55 was probably a bad idea for me personally, I wondered if I should just go with a packable day pack to stick in a larger, easy to carry bag like my Mystery Ranch. This looks so small and handy to have with you on trips. I often want a smaller bag for day trips while traveling, but would like something larger as my carry on.

Exped Typhoon 25: 85CHF 25LFor the more adventurous, there is the Typhoon series by Exped. Kay has a dry bag backpack like this from Exped, but his is an older model with some holes by now… so it wouldn’t be much help in a river these days. Something like this also looks packable, although a little less than the Osprey.

What you give up in flexibility, you gain in protection against the elements. The bag looks a little more durable than the Osprey, is obviously completely waterproof and submergeable, and unlike Kay’s pack, it even has water bottle pockets, which was something we missed on our trip to Brazil when it was pouring at Iguazu Falls.

Outlander Packable Lightweight Pack: $21.99 30LI had never heard of Outlander before, but this pack has wonderful reviews and is so darn cheap. It also has so many more pockets than other brands, but it’s not necessarily water resistant.

Sigh. There are always so many good choices. I splurged on the OMG bag, but after that I decided to be a little more budget conscientious, so I decided to just stick with my Mystery Ranch for Peru and go with the OMG and my Osprey as carry-on for Brazil.

What’s your dream travel bag?

A big move for two

After our handover we had a very Swiss “last meal” of Ghackets mit Hörnli, or noodles and ground beef with applesauce. It was delicious and kept us running for a long time that day.

We picked up a transport van from Mobility instead of a traditional moving truck because it was cheaper and easier to drive and park and then we started moving!

Our old flat was on the 5th floor (Floor 4 in German), had four and a half flights of stairs and no lift. Because Kay and I were moving by ourselves, we had to get a little creative bringing down the boxes.

Kay used his special Mystery Ranch backpack to strap in 1-2 boxes on his back and carried an additional 1-3 boxes down in his arms. With his magical backpack he dealt with all our heavy loads while I put lighter boxes in some giant Ikea bags to carry down with backpacks and bags on my back and boxes in front. Between the two of us, we were both getting around 3-5 boxes down in each load. No fighting and moving in at the new place with a lift was a breeze.

After three loads on the first day we called it a night and then finished the next two loads on Saturday. We still had the transport rental for another few hours so we headed to Ikea for lunch and to buy some Billy bookshelves for our office now that we are in need of new storage space.

We didn’t forget to enjoy a meal of Köttbullar and Daim cake of course!

Allreal was sweet enough to gift us this thoughtful gift basket to welcome us to our new flat as homeowners. It was the nicest thing they have done for us ever.

Inside was also a 5 year “lost-your-keys” subscription tag that lets someone drop your lost keys off in a mailbox to be returned. Kay made me put it on my key ring. Psh. It’s not like I’ve ever lost my house key in Brazil or anything…

The kitchen was completely covered in boxes, but on the Sunday after our Friday/Saturday move I had opened all the boxes and put almost everything away. I found out things like that Kay has a freaking ton of Matte Leão tea from Brazil! All those orange boxes. Sheesh!

21 empty boxes later, the kitchen was finished!

I celebrated on Monday with a beer. Ok, that’s not the real reason why I had beer just then… but I’ll save that for another post.

Coffee machine all set up, thanks to Kay. I’m kind of in love with it. It grinds our beans and gives me frothy cappuccinos. 🙂

One of our first meals on the balcony. We ate outside a lot the first weeks because the weather is great and the inside is a mess.

Enjoying the innenhof.

This is our new view for the next few years. I hope we enjoy it. It sure is not quite the same as what we had in ZĂĽrich.

Back inside, the living room is still mostly a mess. I asked forced Kay to help me flip the dining room table right side up so we could fill it up with crap.

But lookie what Kay did while I was busy organizing the kitchen! He installed our hammocks (both!) on the balcony! Hoorah!

We bought a cheap umbrella from Ikea to help combat the sun, but it falls over all the time so we are thinking of returning it. It’s pretty lame and that sun is killer right now.

Here in the bedroom you can see the sale light shades we purchased. Kay haphazardly installed them in the bedroom and office so we have a temporary light solution. Thank God for electrician husbands!

We also have temporary clothing stands and boxes while we figure out our wardrobe situation.

More grilling and relaxing. We worked hard on our Monday and Tuesday off buying things at stores, assembling, unpacking and organizing, so we deserved a little “us” time. With the kitchen in order, we could actually put together things like grilled ratatouille and bouillon marinated steak!

And my last bit of success now was organizing the bathroom, which took a solid 4 hours after a week of living here. Maybe more. I have a ton of makeup…. but look at that giant drawer of organization!

So. That was that. I was tired of moving, sore as hell and my back literally ached for the first week after moving, partially due to our very crappy sleeping-on-the-floor arrangement that we had for so long in ZĂĽrich. Poor back!

Women’s Daypacks for Hiking and Air Travel

Kay and I have been hiking more in the past few years and the more we hike, the more I learn about myself and what I can handle. We learned pretty quickly that I cannot handle carrying a lot, especially when we climb steep uphill. As soon as the incline hits, my speed drops to a snail’s pace.

Kalalau trail
Here I am, trailing behind Kay on the Kalalau trail in Hawaii.

On our first few major hikes together, I was always carrying too much and would inevitably give my camera or even my whole pack to Kay when it got tough, which made the hike more difficult for him. With this in mind, we stripped down what I’m allowed to carry (if anything) to the essentials.

Camelbak backpacks

For day trips, we often head out with with 1-2 packs. Kay takes his small Camelbak (on the left above) that carries water, our jackets, snacks, sunglasses cases and wallets. If it’s a long hike, I take the even smaller Camelbak hydration pack (on the right above) that carries a bladder, but not much else. I can fit my debit card and a pack of tissues in and that’s about it, but it’s great because I don’t have to chase after Kay to give me a sip of water when I’m dying. I only have to chase him if I want some dextrose.

mystery ranch backpack

On more intense day trips, Kay upgrades to his Mystery Ranch backpack to carry cooking gear and I borrow his Camelbak to carry my jacket and things.

The problem is that when we go on city trips we often both would like a small pack to carry our cameras and jackets. So I’m looking for a pack that I can use for hiking as well as city trips and as a carryon when flying.

So what am I interested in? I headed to Transa with my camera in it’s Kata Access-18 PL bag to check out all the bags they have.

1. Meru Active 24 (79CHF)

( Image via Sportler)

This Meru pack was pretty light weight and comfortable, which would definitely be a plus for carryon weight restrictions. It fit my camera, even in it’s Kata Access-18 PL bag, and it had a handy mesh pocket on the outside that would be good for storing a jacket quickly. The main compartment had zipper entry divided in two for organization and space for a hydration system. The pack was a bright blue and there were no other options for colors at the store.

It did not have compression straps that I could use to attach my hiking poles to the bag, nor did it have a rain cover (what about my camera!?) and it did not have a spacer mesh to separate the pack from your back and keep your back from heating up your water… (Bleagh!) But for 79CHF, the pack is relatively affordable.

2. Crea Element from Mammut (120CHF)

(Image via Mammut)

The version I saw at the store was such a lovely colour. Light grey with teal blue accents for the logo. Very girly in my opinion. There was also another raspberry option that I thought was a bit ugly.

The Crea Element has a very sturdy hip belt and I really liked the mesh suspension system. Normally when we walk, the Camelback is in the backpack against your back and it heats up. Usually your first sip of water is cold because it’s the water left in the hose, but then you get a mouthful of warm water thereafter. It’s kinda gross in the summer.

This pack also had a wonderful built-in detachable rain cover. I love the rain cover built into my Lowepro camera bag because it is really handy, but on this pack I also loved that it is detachable so that if you needed to take it out to store some extra things when you are flying for example, you can detach the rain cover and store it separately, or remove it to dry if needed. Genius!

In addition to the rain cover, the Crea Element comes with a waste bag and a “women’s necessity bag”. With the top lid pockets, this gives you a fair amount of options for organizing things.

Unfortunately though, this pack is only about 20L and it did not fit my Kata bag with the camera. I could try to use Kay’s small crumpler bag which really only houses the camera and one lens, but I worried that maybe 20L is really too small to fit much, especially when flying.

3. Creon Element from Mammut (120CHF)

(Image via Mammut.com)

The Creon Element is a bigger 25L version of the Crea Element (oddly for the same price…), but unfortunately it does not come in the pretty grey/blue that the smaller pack does. It’s pretty obvious that the smaller pack is for women and the larger pack is for men. This pack comes in a putrid green, blue that wasn’t at the store or black with a horrid red Mammut logo. In my opinion, the red is really screaming, “Hey, I’m an expensive brand, look at me!” It looks worse in real life than it does in the photo.

When it comes down to it, I will choose my pack based mainly on functionality, but obviously I don’t want to walk around with a really ugly pack. This pack also had the suspension system, removable rain cover and it also had just enough room for my Kata bag. Both Mammut bags also have dedicated trekking pole straps that look pretty sturdy. (They are also for ice picks apparently…)

It is questionable if I could fit the Kata camera pack and the Camelbak hydration system in at the same time. Another flaw about the Mammut bags is that they are both drawstring, which is not quite as easy to get in and out of as zippered packs. The Creon Element does not come with the women’s necessity bag and it had less pockets in the top compartment, so overall it seemed a bit more primitive than the Crea Element.

4. Sirrus 24 from Osprey ($99)

(Image via Osprey)

While I was trying to find the Mammut backpacks for sale in the States, I came across Osprey packs for women. I went back to Transa and it turns out they only have the Stratos series for men in supply, but the men’s packs have many of the same features as the women’s. I spent about 45 minutes trying them out, so I think it gave me a pretty good idea about what the Sirrus series would be like.

The Sirrus series all have mesh suspension systems, although it looks like the pack is held a little closer to the back than the Mammut bags, especially at the top and bottom of the pack where they attach. I’m not sure how that would affect airflow, considering that Mammut boasts some “chimney effect” with theirs. This is a 24L zippered pack with easy access, but only one small pocket on the front that houses the detachable rain cover. Small point – the rain covers on the Sirrus/Stratos packs attach with velcro and the Mammut ones have a clip. I feel like the clips are sturdier and the velcro seems a bit cheaper, even though the Osprey packs cost more money in Swiss francs.

The Osprey bags also have compression straps on the side, but Osprey also has a system for storing your trekking poles on the go that looks really cool. I almost always hike with poles (Grandma!) so I’m really interested in this part, but I’ve read some reviews that in the summer the poles rub against your arm when you store them this way, so I’m not sure how effective the system actually is.

Sirrus packs come in turquoise and purple, but again, I’m not a big fan of this shade of purple.

5. Sirrus 36 from Osprey ($139)

(Image via Osprey)

Kay had me convinced that the 20L Mammut pack was way too small, especially for air travel, so I started looking at some of Osprey’s larger 36L packs.

Osprey also designed the Sirrus packs with hip belts made for women so they fit better around a woman’s curves. They also have special shoulder straps so that the backpack doesn’t dig into your breasts when you are walking. I noticed when I tried on the Mammut Creon Element, I had to put the chest strap all the way at the top and the bag still felt a bit like it wasn’t designed for me.

Both the 24L and the 36L Osprey packs have hipbelt pockets that are absent on the Mammut packs. I’ve been jealous that Kay has hipbelt pockets his Mystery Ranch backpack that are not on my Mystery Ranch pack. They would be so helpful for storing tissues, lip balm and lens cleaning clothes on hikes. I blow my nose ALL the time! There is even a little pocket on one of the shoulder straps. I’m sure if Kay had one, he would love to store his GPS in it.

In addition, this pack has a drawstring opening with a pack lid that has two zippered compartments. It also has a second front pocket in addition to a much roomier rain cover pocket than the 24L.

It seems like it’s always a big question of how the camera fits in the pack and whether I have the camera in a camera bag (for protection) and whether that fits as well. If I go for a smaller 24L size, I may run into issues with getting things to fit when I fly, but at the same time, most 34-36L packs exceed carryon requirements so I’m sort of stuck.

I’m also still not the biggest fan of drawstring bags because you really have to take them completely off to dig around in them, but can I really survive flying with only 24L? Maybe I should just follow Kay’s example and buy two day packs. Hah!

Do you have a laundry list of requirements for your backpack?