Mystery Ranch Scree 22 Review

Upon first glance, the Mystery Ranch Scree 22 has much more going on around its exterior than inside. We’re curious if these features will lend themselves to travel or if we should only take it on the trail. Let’s dive in and find out!

External Components

Mystery Ranch’s product page lists three materials: X Grid 500D Nylon 6.6, 70D Nylon Ripstop, and N.100 Robic R/S and 330 SD HITRA. There’s a ton of technical jargon loaded in there, so we’ll simplify things a little. The exterior of this pack is highly durable but remains lightweight, which is handy for people trying to reduce the mass they’re carrying on their back. The fabric does well in the elements, which is a solid plus for travel.

The zippers on this pack are from YKK. The external zippers have an AquaGuard finish, which adds to the external water resistance this pack already has in spades. With safe zipper tracks, your gear is better protected from rain, snow, and spills.

The plastic hardware is from Duraflex. These are easy to manipulate, which is handy, as you can open and close the strap quickly. They don’t pop open when you don’t want them to, either, which we dig, as nobody wants their sling to fall off while they’re wearing it.

The pack’s front face has two daisy chains parallel to the main compartment zipper. These are handy for attaching gear using straps, carabiners, or other hardware. At the top, there’s an elastic adjuster for attaching gear like trekking poles, an ice pick, or other tools.

Compression straps on the sides attach to the daisy chains in the center. They are conveniently removable and help secure your gear inside the pack, ensuring the material outside doesn’t move about too much when your bag isn’t fully packed. They stay out of your way if you aren’t using them, so we don’t often remove them. You can also attach gear onto them if you have more than the elastic adjusters can handle.

There’s a handle on the top of the pack, which is handy but not the most comfortable. It’s incredibly minimalistic and lightweight, though it isn’t padded, so it’ll dig in after a while. If you’re trying to save weight, it’s an excellent addition, but if you have to carry it by the handle for a while, you might miss some padding.

Fit Notes

The back panel is well-padded but doesn’t have much structure. There’s a lot of aeration here, which keeps things chilled on warmer days. If you’re out hiking, you’ll still sweat, but it won’t fester and get swampy. Nobody wants a stinky back!

Because of the lack of structure, the comfort of the back panel rests on your ability to pack smarter. If you put rigid, oblong-shaped items on the back side of the main compartment, they might poke into your back awkwardly or create an uneven surface, which isn’t comfortable. You can ensure the pack stays comfortable by thinking about how you will pack your gear and using pouches, organizers, and packing cubes.

The shoulder straps are well-padded and have solid aeration, too. Load lifters on the top are handy for longer journeys. There’s a sternum strap and a hip belt, which are removable yet convenient for shorter treks and comfortable for longer ones.

The sternum strap isn’t on a rail, so you can’t make micro-adjustments, but we didn’t find this to be a huge issue. On rugged journeys, we’d rather it not fall off than be able to make sure it sits exactly where we want it to. The available options are comfortable enough!

The hip belt is skinny, which can dig in if you tighten it too much. It’s handy that it doesn’t weigh a ton or take up too much space; however, some users may miss the padding.

There aren’t any strap keepers on the bottom of the shoulder or sternum straps, which is a bummer. There’s a lot of extra material here, which looks a bit like one of those gumby guys outside a used car dealership. You can always add these yourself; however, it would have been an excellent include from Mystery Ranch.

Inside The Pack

There’s a top, quick-access pocket we’ve come to know and love from Mystery Ranch daypacks. It’s a pretty good size to fit most of your daily essentials inside, like a phone, travel wallet, headphones, snack, and packable rain jacket. There’s a key clip here, too, which is handy for hikes. There’s nothing worse than getting back to your car after hiking 10 miles to realize you dropped your keys at the summit when you grabbed your banana! The bottom of the compartment is mesh, which feels odd but is handy because you can see into the main compartment and vice versa.

The main compartment utilizes Mystery Ranch’s trademark tri-zip opening. If you aren’t familiar with it, prepare to have your world blown. If you are, stick around because this iteration has a few added features.

Essentially, there are three zippers. Who would have guessed that? There’s one running down the center of the pack and two up top that meet it in the middle. Typically, this design lets you rip the pack open quickly and easily to access your gear. However, on this pack, that isn’t the case. The AquaGuard zippers slow it down considerably, and extra material above the center zipper stops you from accessing it quickly. Additionally, there’s a buckle and drawstring, which add water protection but slow the process down even more.

When we first received this pack, we didn’t understand why Mystery Ranch chose to go with the tri-zip design on a pack that doesn’t enable you to utilize it; however, it’s grown on us. We like the design on any pack because it is easy to load and unload the main compartment, and you still get that here. Plus, you don’t have to use the additional buckle and drawstring if you don’t want to. Mystery Ranch purists may not like the change, but we’re open to it and excited to keep testing it in unique travel situations.

There isn’t much going on inside the main compartment, though we aren’t surprised. On the back side is access to the back panel’s foam frame sheet under a hook-and-loop fastener. You can remove it if you want to, but this reduces the pack structure even more than it already is. That said, you will save some space, and the pack will be easier to compress to fit inside your carry on luggage.

There’s a pocket for a water bladder here and a toggle to hold it up, too. There are two pass-through holes for the hose, and the shoulder straps have elastic loops to keep it in place. You can stow gear inside this pocket if you aren’t bringing a bladder. It isn’t huge, but it’s handy in a pinch.

Apart from that, there’s no other organization inside this compartment. As mentioned earlier, organization tools like packing cubes go a long way here. Without them, segmenting your gear can be challenging. There isn’t a ton of space here at 22 liters, but it works well as a daypack or an overnight bag if you’re minimalist camping with a bivy in warm weather.

Overall, this pack is comfortable to carry and works well as a hiking or urban exploration pack if you’re prepared and know how to pack it. It’s lightweight, easy to stow inside a larger bag, and has many features that make it a comfortable travel companion. That said, its quirks make it less desirable for a casual user. Still, with a bit of preparation, this pack shines.