Steeped in backpacking heritage, Mystery Ranch was officially formed in 2000 by Dana Gleason and Renee Sippel-Baker. The two partners have worked together since 1978; first at Kletterworks, later at Dana Designs, and now at Mystery Ranch.

Mystery Ranch was lifted to prominence quickly by their patented lumbar wrap design. A contract with the Navy SEALS ensured their prominence in the pack-making market and at the same time put them on a new business path. Over time, Mystery Ranch has expanded into several markets, including outdoor retail.

Today, Mystery Ranch produces high-quality backpacks and load carriage systems for a wide array of industries, including hunting. Their focus is hand-built quality along with matching user-specific specifications. Based in Bozeman, Montana, Mystery Ranch is now a global leader, producing and distributing backpacks worldwide.

A top-selling hunting pack, the Mule (MSRP $375) is one of Mystery Ranch’s newest innovations; a user-specific design built on a superior load carriage system. Regarding the Mule’s innovative features, Tim Hoffer, Mystery Ranch North American Sales Manager (Hunting), offered the following. “We set out to design a pack that was lightweight, simple in design and form, but allowed for a flexible style of hunting — from day hunts to multiday outings, the Mule offers the capacity to carry just the bare essentials, or it can be paired with a large dry bag to carry more gear for longer hunts. Also, it is available as a “bag only” option, so with one frame, a hunter can have a large multi-day pack for big hunts, and easily switch it out for day hunts.”

The Mule

Mystery Ranch developed the Mule as a “blended” backpack, coupling a 23-liter packsack with their Guide Light Frame, constructed from lightweight carbon and featuring Load Carriage ingenuity. The pack’s Overload feature adds load expandability via a load sling between the pack and frame. The result, “a versatile, workhorse hybrid for multiple hunting applications,” according to their marketing.

The daypack is capable of carrying all of the essential gear items to and from on any hunting adventure. The versatile load sling that fastens the daypack to the frame is expandable, adapting to fit overnight camping gear or quarters from a downed big game harvest easily. The pack is crafted from a combination of 500D and 610 HP Cordura. “Mystery Ranch, and prior to that Dana Design, has had a very strong relationship with Cordura for nearly 4 decades. It is really the gold standard for a fabric choice. As Dana Gleason states, ‘Cordura gives us the best mix of durability, waterproofness and just plain toughness.’ We use 500D for solid colors like Coyote and Foliage, which is a nylon fabric, and the 610 HP Cordura is a polyester base, which allows the Desolve Bare and Optifade Subalpine patterns to be applied cleanly and crisply. Both are what we require in terms of durability and abrasion resistance,” Hoffer added. It’s obvious that Mystery Ranch created the Mule for the hardcore western or mountain hunter, but they also note that it adapts to fit the midwestern whitetail hunters’ every need as well.

The lightweight carbon Guide Light Frame is both dynamic and rigid, designed to give and flex as the body moves. The frame features heavy-duty compression straps and load lifters to stabilize loads. The waist belt features a forward pull, which tightens easily and effortlessly and includes built-in features to distribute weight evenly, lessening slippage down and over the hips. The goal is comfort under heavy loads. “The Guide Light Frame is the foundational piece for our backcountry hunting packs. It is a modified form of the renowned NICE frame, which countless military groups around the world rely on. For the hunting application, a few things were modified, namely removing some fabric that was overkill and therefore saved a bit of weight, and the addition of load lifters, which is key when packing out sizable loads such as elk quarters or bags of boned out meat,” Hoffer noted.

“The Overload feature again originated from our military side of the business. Special Forces teams have used it and variations of it for a number of years to haul everything from communications gear to ammunition and medical kits to hard-sided cases for optics, battery packs, mortar rounds — the list goes on. For the hunter, the Overload allows you to carry the heaviest load closest to your back, where it is most secure as well as being the safest location to keep you balanced for the hike out, all while keeping your other gear dry and clean in the main pack bag. Over the years, that feature has been used to carry elk quarters, bear hides, shed antlers, camera gear and treestands. Basically, anything you can fit in it, cinch down and physically carry out has been done!”

Selling Points

Mystery Ranch designs for and caters to a wide variety of pack users. “While not necessarily tangible features, Mystery Ranch is known for innovative designs that really solve problems for our users: from wildland firefighters to Navy SEALS, ski mountaineers and backcountry hunters, the “secret sauce” is the level of passion and expertise the people at Mystery Ranch bring to the table every day. We are committed to making the best load-bearing backpacks in the world, period,” Hoffer says.

“The Mule was our answer to the individual headed out for a long day hunt, who just needed the volume to carry the essentials, but when an animal is on the ground, easy access to the Overload feature for the pack out. We kept hearing from hunters who, either had one of our larger packs like the Metcalf, or who didn’t need quite that much volume for day hunts. The Mule was a good solution for the day hunter who will likely be hauling quarters and game bags,” Hoffer added in regard to the user-specific design of the Mule.

Below are a few points from Mystery Ranch regarding the Mule to share with interested customers.

• The Guide Light Frame is a rigid yet dynamic frame system that moves with you. With lightweight carbon fiber stays that flex with your body to comfortably carry heavy loads, it also features heavy-duty compression straps and load lifters to stabilize the load. It also features a Redirect waist belt system that secures in a natural, forward pull direction that requires less effort to tighten and with patented features and construction methods, the waist belt cants and conforms over the hips to effectively transfer and distribute the weight eliminating slippage down over the hips.

• Overload feature provides functional expandability via a load sling between the pack and the frame, allowing you to put the bulk of the weight closest to your back for optimal comfort.

• The patented Futura Yoke easily macro adjusts to the torso length allowing the proper amount of stand-off between the back and frame.

Features

• Top-zip access to main compartment

• Zippered pocket on face of bag

• Bow and rifle carry via Quick Attach Accessory Straps clipped to web loops on edge of bag for secure compression

• Stretch-woven water bottle pockets on sides; hydration reservoir compatible

• Available in Optifade Subalpine pattern to seamlessly add another layer of superior gear to your system

For more information on the Mystery Ranch Mule, click here.