Mystery Ranch

Catalyst 26 Backpack

Great Pack

Overall a great EDC pack. I like all of the organization and the separate laptop pocket. I actually bought the pack because I bought a larger laptop (older eyes). The one downside is that it won’t stand on its own without something in the bottom of the pack.

Exactly what I was looking for except one problem

I bought this bag when it was on sale, and I was extremely happy with its quality and features. Unfortunately, it has one flaw in my opinion: the water bottle pockets on the sides are a bit too small for my Nalgene 32 oz bottle. It fits, but just barely. I have to set the bag down and use both hands to stretch and push the water bottle in. As a result, I returned it and opted for the Dragon 2.0. Although it is much more expensive, the water bottle pockets on that model should be standard on every MR bag.

Great Bag

Bought this bag for Medical School, fits everything I need and more, and keeps it organized and easy to access.

Almost great

Overall the bag is good. None of the pockets inside or out have any sort of give. It would be great if there was some elasticity to the pockets. Otherwise great bag

High hopes. Disappointed.

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Bottles fall right out of the pockets. Zippers have too much resistance so it’s a pain to open and close. The back panel has deformed after 7 months and now pokes me in the upper back and rubs, making the bag now essentially unusable. I suspect this is due to a design flaw of some of the inner organization pockets being too tight to actually put anything in them without bending the panel.

love how it opens from top or front

Bought this bag for travel and also as a baby bag. I felt it was the perfect size, had good compartments and can be opened from the top or front so if I need a specific item I don't have to dig everything out to get to it. It's multi use is great and it's a good looking bag as well. I would recommend. Also shipped within the same week!

Good travel pack

I brought this to replace another back pack from a different company where the straps weren’t sewn on correctly and tore. The mystery ranch bag looks much nicer and more solidly made. The contrasting interior is nice and it’s a good size for the plane and taking to a class. I travel a lot for training so this is ideal for me

Should bought it earlier

I have tried a lot of backpacks for my daily commute, this one is the best so far. It looks clean, not having bunch webbings or cords on the outside of the bag is a key. It doesn’t look “tactical”, so it is kind discrete. I have a 16inch laptop, which fit in the there perfectly.

This one stands up!

I have the urban assault 24 and I love it. There are two features on that pack that I’m not a fan of. The water bottle holders and it won’t stand… well they did make some upgrades the bottle holders are a little better. Wish they would expand though. And the main feature upgrade I noticed. It stands on its own. I do think the top pouch is slightly smaller. It seems like a little taller and narrower design with works well. All around love the pack. I think even better than thr urban assault.

Amazing Quality!

I bought this pack before a long vacation with a couple of intended uses: * Carry-on backpack for air travel * Day pack for city tourism * Day pack for light hiking I think that it nailed all 3 of these uses perfectly; after weeks with the pack I have zero complaints about its function. I kept it with me at all times during my trip and there were many occasions where I was happy to have my rain gear, water bottle, or a book so close. Some of my favorite features were: * The large admin pouch and 2x left/right internal zipper pockets were great for keeping a large quantity of smaller items like chapstick, snacks, small electronic devices, etc. close at hand. * The tri-zip main compartment was awesome for stuffing rain gear, cold weather clothing, a travel pillow, and other bulky items. * The center internal zipper pocket was good for keeping my passport and other important items in a secure location deep within the pack. * The non-stretch water bottle holders were the perfect size to securely hold a 1 L Nalgene. This water bottle has over time stretched out the elastic on several other backpacks that I own, so I personally LOVED the non-stretch design. I was additionally really impressed by how well the pack carries weight; even when loaded up to capacity it distributed weight extremely well across my shoulders and back. I do think that if I were going on longer hikes then I would want a pack with a hip belt, but for shorter ~5 mile hikes this was more than sufficient. Since returning from my vacation I have used the pack several times as my only bag for short weekend trips, its size is perfect for carrying a couple changes of clothes and other essentials like toiletries and chargers. Lastly, the build quality seems to be outstanding. After throwing this pack around for several weeks I can't see even a speck of wear on it. This was a great for purchase and I will be getting a lot of use out of it hopefully for the rest of my life.