AUTHENTIC HUNTING 2014 1
INTRODUCTION Based in Bozeman, Montana, Mystery Ranch has a decade’s decade’s long heritage in hunting. Our packs, rom the old D ana Design erraplanes erraplanes o the 80’s and 90’ss to the 90’ t he NICE 6500/7500 today, share a robust raming that controls the outlandish loads required to pack in a camp - or pack out a trophy trophy.. Built in the US, we control the quality o Mystery Ranch packs obsessively – these are tools to use, not toys rom the sporting goods store. It’s no secret t hat much o our gear, like the NICE Frame packs, are influenced by our Military Packs. Carrying unreasonable loads in unreasonable terrain and circumstances is second nature to us, around the world and in t he backcountry o Montana. Tis is why our military influences, moderated and edited by Mark Seacat and our in-house crew o hunters, are a better starting point than commercial gear that’s that’s built to be marketed more than to be used. Tanks or looking at our catalog. You can find much more at www.mysteryranch.com, www.mysteryra nch.com, Facebook, Facebo ok, or just visiting our plant in Bozeman, M. Dana Gleason Principal/Designer
Cover Photo: Steven Drake, Seacat Creative Hunter: Mark Seacat
CONTENTS
4-5
6-7 8-9 10-11 12-13 14-15
WHAT KEEPS THE FIRE BURNING NEW NICE LIFT KIT NICE Metcalf NICE Longbow NICE Crewcab NICE 6500 NICE 7500 Dragon Slayer
16-17
ACCESSORIES/TRAVEL
18-19
FABRIC AND MATERIALS
Photo: Travis Boughton Boughton | MONTANA WILD Hunter: Zack Boughton
WHAT WHA T KEEPS KEEPS THE FIRE FIRE BURNING There are many reasons to choose Mystery Ranch. I’d like to think that a lot of folks really need the quality of our products - something that they never have to worry about, something that just flat out lasts. I’d I’d like to think that if you ever have the chance to tour our factory, you’ll be stoked to see all the smiling faces and the incredible team of people we have building these bags right here in Bozeman, Montana, because connection to a brand is important. I like to t hink that the people who have chosen Mystery Ranch share our vision of what hunting really is - that they are people who still work hard, who soak in the experience of every trip t rip into the hills, who ALWA ALWAYS carry game bags. I like to think that th at these are men and women who get after it and don’t just identify with our slogan “Authentic “Authentic Hunting,” Hunting,” but live by it. -Mark Seacat
I don’t use Mystery Ranch packs for the money- MR doesn’t sponsor any of their athletes. I get offers from many pack companies to use them in our show, but I need a pack that works in the toughest of conditions, not a pack that comes with a check. I continue to use MR packs for this simple reason reason – it is the most versatile, best built pack I can find, and comes with the finest product support in the industry. When your hunting season is 100 days in the hills and the reward for success is hauling your animal out on your back, you don’t cut corners; you can’t afford a failure and you are grateful to have a Mystery Ranch on your back.
Photo: Travis Boughton | MONTANA WILD Hunter: Zack Boughton
-Randy Newberg
NICE LIFT KIT Load lifters? Yeah, Yeah, we’ve been doing those for a while. The contradiction of a small volume bag that carries huge loads is a unique trait of hunting packs. While the NICE 6500 and 7500 have load lifter frame extensions already built into the bags, no one wants to carry a NICE 6500 for day hunt strictly for the load lifters. However having the suspension suspension and support of a large pack at a reduced weight and volume would be awesome. Fortunately, we designed a multi-sized accessory to take the load off your s houlders without having to resort to carrying a massive pack. With two size ranges (5’9”-6’2”(L) and 6’2”-6’10”(XL)), you are able to get the correct angle and function out of your NICE frame load lifters while using smaller bags. With the NICE Lift Kit you won’t give up any features of your standard NICE Frame, but you’ll enjoy a customized version of the renowned yoke fit and weight transfer of the NICE 6500 and 7500. The NICE Frame was designed to military specifications that required a low profile and use with smaller, more adaptable bags. This is why we maintained the NICE Frame around shoulder height for maximum situational awareness. In an effort to accommodate customers carrying heavier weight with smaller bags, we designed (and brutally tested) this elegant addition to the NICE frame. At long last, it’s available to all. -Dana Gleason
N I C E L I F T K I T
NICE LIFT KIT COMPATIBLE
F L A C T E M E C I N 6
NICE METCALF Wt: 6lbs 13 oz (3.09kg) Vol:3600-4500 cu in (63-74l)
Foliage
Coyote
Multicam
Named after the 254,000 acre Lee Metcalf Wilderness just south of our home in Bozeman Montana, this is our most versitile pack for the NICE frame. From day trips to week long adventures, adventures, the Metcalf does it all. The Metcalf incorporates both a top loading shroud design and a full-length side access zipper entry. Eight compression straps straps on the main bag ensure your load isn’t going to shift regardless of its weight. Fully loaded with the included NICE Daypack Lid, the bag reaches reaches 4500 cu in capacity. Fully compressed, compressed, you won’t won’t even know it’s it’s there. It’s the perfect combination combination of heavy duty load-hauler and lightweight hunting pack. As always, we utilized 500D cordura and our time tested sewing standards to withstand the abuse of hauling boned out meat, or full bone-in quarters, season after season. For the ounce-counting backpack hunter,, the Metcalf easily handles your food, camp, and equipment for a week long wilderness mission. hunter
Te NICE Metcal is my go-to pack or multiple day backcountry hunts. Afer a successul hunt deep in the mountains, I want the most efficient way to get out saely, while carrying a ull pack. Te ability to pack meat on the NICE rame and still keep my precious cargo in the bag is by ar the most appealing eature o the NICE Metcal. Not to mention, knowing that the backpack is not going to malunction with a heavy load 8 miles rom the trailhead is a huge bonus. -ravis Boughton
Photo: Zacz Boughton | MONTANA WILD
Simply put ,the Metcal Metcal is bomber. My avorite avorite eature is the ull-length side zipper, it allows quick access to essential gear regardless o its l ocation within the main bag even when packed at max capacity. capacity. Whether I need an extra layer or quick access to my spotting scope, the side zip allows me to instantly access this gear and get on with my hunt. -Zack Boughton
Photo: Travis Boughton | MONTANA WILD
7
NICE LIFT KIT COMPATIBLE
W O B G N O L E C I N 8
NICE LONGBO LONGBOW W Wt: 6 lbs lb s 8 oz (3kg) Vol: 2400 2400 cu-in (39l)
Foliage
Coyote
Multicam
The Longbow Longbow is a compact and lightweight pack pack for the NICE Frame Frame system. system. Its 3Zip design provides provides top or front front panel access. Six internal pockets (including 1 zippered mesh pocket) inside the main bag and a separate zippered lid pocket provide great organization organization for optics and personal gear gear.. It is hydration reservoir compatible with built in ports that route the hose directly to your shoulder pad. This pack is ideal for scouting, day hunts or lightweight backpack hunts where every ounce counts.
Being able to carry a variety of gear is an absolutely essentail essentail part of what I do. The NICE Longbow Pack allows me to carry a variety of lenses and camera equipment, my spotting scope and everything else I need for a successful successful hunt. The 6 internal pockets keep every thing organized and the center zipper feature makes for quick access to anything anything inside the pockets. pockets. Being able to separate separate the pack from the NICE Frame is amazing amazing when hauling quarters, heads and hides. It acts as a frame pack while all my camera and hunting gear stays clean inside the pack! The past 4 years this pack has been with me every step of the way, and I can honestly say its the best I’ve carried. Hunt Hard, Jason Matzinger
Photo: Matt Arkins Hunter: Jason Matzinger
9
NICE LIFT KIT COMPATIBLE
B A C W E R C E C I N 10
NICE CREWCAB Wt: 8 lb 4 lb 4 oz (3.7 kg) Vol: 1900-5000 1900-5000 cu in (31-82 L) (31-82 L)
Foliage
Coyote
Multicam
The Crew Cab is a variable capacity capacity pack made up of of three separate separate compartments compartments and multiple components that that can be configured to carry loads that vary dramatically in size, shape and weight. The Crew Cab can be collapsed into a compact daypack or expanded for three to four day backpack hunts. The Crew Cab’s Cab’s integrated expandable platform area is perfect for hauling Mystery Ranch Load Cells, Pelican cases, shed antlers, weed control sprayers, entire antelope, or even multiple elk quarters. When fully compressed compressed,, the Crew Cab is a low profile 1900 cu. inches that will not interfere with active motion. Fully expanded, the Crew Cab can reach the equivalent of a 5000 cu. pack. For back country hunters and anyone looking for a system that can do it all, this is your pack.
I’ve logged seven seasons, hard seasons, abusing my Mystery Ranch packs. NICE frame flexibility is perfect for my hunting hunting style. Most often, I am geared with my Crew Cab it carries all I need, compresses perfectly for a day pack, and is a serious load hauler when we have an elk miles from the trailhead. -Randy Newberg
Photo: Troy Batzler Batzler Hunters: Randy Newberg and Courtney Olson
11
0 0 5 7 / 0 0 5 6 E C I N 12
NICE 6500 kg) oz (4.3kg) 9 lbs 8 oz (4.3 Wt: 9 lbs 07l) cu-in(1 n(107l) 6500 cu-i Vol: 6500
Foliage
Coyote
Multicam
NICE 7500 (4.4kg)) Wt: 9 lbs lbs 11 oz (4.4kg 0 cu-in cu-in (123l (123l)) Vol: 750 7500
For the serious backpack hunter, the NICE 6500 or 7500 series are the perfect complement to the Metcalf Bag in the NICE Frame System. The Metcalf maxes out at around 5000 cubic inches which limits it to trips that are less than 10 days. At 6500 cubic inches with the internal frame extension, the NICE 6500’s volume is ideal for ten day to 14 day trips into the back country or for that Alask a sheep hunt you’ve always dreamed of. of. For those packing clients gear, pack boats or any extreme amount amount of sustainment gear the NICE 7500 is the behemoth of all NICE bags. Both of these models feature a classic top loading design with dual draw cord shroud to increase weather resistance and allows for upward expansion. This bag has enough features to organize the largest loads and is ideal for long hunts or extended missions.
On backpack sheep hunts spanning ten or more days, the NICE 6500 is exactly the pack I need. It ’s critical for a pack to have the volume, durability and design to not just handle weight, but allow a load to ride smoothly. With camp, optics, archery equipment, camera gear, food and, if good fortune strikes, horns, cape and meat, the load out can get close to 100 pounds. A pack that can literally handle more weight than I can carry allows me to keep pushing further into basins that get less traffic, knowing that we can still get out safely and in one load if successful. I love the sleeping bag compartment and other compartmentalized pockets of the 6500. It keeps all my gear separate and organized, while compressing down tight against the frame when day-hunting out of camp. Accessorizing to include waist belt pockets and the Wet Rib allows my GPS, rangefinder, rangefinder, wind checker, bars, gels and gloves to be accessible without taking the pack off. Above all, an MR on my back means I’m using a piece of gear that will long outlast me. This past fall in Alaska’s Chugach Range, I was on a dicey ledge and my pack took a tumble off a 30 foot cliff. It was totally intact and performed flawlessly, as usual, in hauling a ram 16 miles out of the mountains the very next day. I’ll never say that 100 pounds is easy, but it’s made managable by the 6500. -Adam Foss
Photo: Steven Drake | SEACAT CREATIVE CREATIVE Hunter: Adam Foss
13
R E Y A L S N O G A R D 14
DRAGON SLAYER oz (2kg)) Wt: 4 lbs 4 lbs 4 oz (2kg in (37.7l (37.7l)) 2300 cu cu-in Vol: 2300
Foliage
Coyote
Multicam
The Dragon Slayer is the hunter’s choice choice for light and fast day missions. missions. Based on our popular 3-Zip design, design, this pack provides quick front panel access to four internal pockets, (two sleeve pockets and two zippered pockets) and two zippered lid pockets perfect for holding essential items items such as knives, food, or tags. Eight sets of external compression straps paired with auto-locking buckl es allow for a multitude of strapping configurations. The pack’s 80 lb internal framing capacity can handle everything from elk quarters and boned out mule deer to shed antlers and tree stands. At 4lbs 4oz with a capacity of 2300 cubic inches, the Dragon Slayer has everything a hard charging day hunter could want, and nothing more.
Te Dragon Slayer is my go-to pack or shed hunting, hunting, scouting missions and day hunts. Tis season I was able to use it extensively in the Montan Montanaa and Idaho backcountry and was always impressed with its capabilities. At 4.2lbs and 2300 cubic cubic inches the weight to volume ratio is ideal and the tri-zip closure and organization pockets allow me rapid access to my spotter and cameras by splaying the bag open with two rips. Tis pack has the structural integrity integrity and comort or or packing o 50lbs o sheds, 30lbs o camera gear gear or 80lbs o boned out out meat. Like all MR products, this pack is bomb proo and begs you to push it harder. harder. Te light weight o this pack along with its volume allows me to reach my backcountry honey holes via high speed overnight scouting trips. Te Dragon Slayer has become a mainstay in my arsenal and I can trust it to be around or many many seasons to come. -Andrew Jakovac
Photo: Andrew Jakovac Hunter: David Burgess
15
NICE Lift Kit Wt: 6.5 oz (184 oz)
S E I R O S S E C C A 16
NICE Daypack Lid
Available in: Foliage
The NICE Lift Kit Adds an extension to the frame which lets you get a more effective angle on your load lifters. This is very beneficial for hauling those heavey loads with the smaller packs like the NICE Crewcab, Nice Longbow, NICE Metcalf or NICE Loadsling
Coyote
Multicam
Wt: 1 lb 3 oz (0.5 kg) Dimensions: 4”x 7”x 12.5” (900 cu in) Compatible with all NICE bags, this lid is designed with two separate pockets for your gear. It attaches to your NICE pack and removes to double as a day pack with enough room for survival gear and a hydration system.
Wet Rib
NICE Load Cell
Wt: 5 oz (140g) Vol: 48 cu in (0.75L) (0.75L)
Wt: 9 oz (Small), 10 oz (Large) Vol: Small - 950 cu in Large - 1450 cu in These gear bags have internal compression straps to hold your gear in the bags. The bags come in two sizes and are designed to work with our Load Hauling packs. One Large and two Smalls work best with our Crew Cab.
The Wet Rib is back. This accessory gives instant access to a water bottle, snacks, gloves; anything you need to get at without removing your pack. Compatible with all Mystery Ranch packs.
Removable Belt Pocket
NICE Loadsling
Wt: 2.4 oz (68 gr) The removable belt pocket pocket was designed to give the user the option to attach 1 or 2 pockets to either the Live Wing or Contour waist belt system. The RBP is attached using the PALS system, and is a perfect solution for quick access to small important tools like: range finders, GPS units, calls, or energy foods.
kg) lbs 3 oz (2.6 (2 .6 kg) Wt: 5 lbs Wt: 5 (39l) Vol: 2400 Vol: 2400 cu-in cu-in (39l)
Flip Top Box
The Load Sling Sling is the most basic method in which to lash objects to the NICE Frame. Its wide range of adjustability will conform to any load you are attempting to carry be it Jerry cans, chemical weed sprayers, bone-in quarters, meat bags, shed antlers or pony kegs.
Wt: 5 oz (14g) Vol: 50 cu-in (.8l) Flip Top Boxes are wonderful accessories to add on to any Mystery Ranch Backpack. Flip Top Boxes surround your items and hold them secure with wall to wall foam padding and a secure buckle attachment and closure. Flip Tops are perfect for your digital camera, ammunition, large range finder, GPS, etc.
T R A V E L
Spandura Duffel The Spandura Duffels Duffels utilize a large swath swath of a unique fabric called Spandura (spandex threads wrapped in Cordura) - which has the durability of Cordura yet stretches like Spandex. Lining each side of the main zipper with this fabric allows these panels and the zipper to easily stretch and close over the worst overloads. Each duffle is lined with stiff foam so it keeps it shape for easy packing. With interior pockets and exterior end pockets for smaller items. These duffles are a must have, no Rancher travels without one. Small
Large
Wt: 1 lbs 9 oz (0.7 kg) Wt: 2 lbs 3 oz (1 kg) Vol: 2200 cu in (36 L) Vol: 5600 cu in (92 L) Medium
Wt: 1 lbs 13 oz (0.8 kg) Vol: 3400 cu in (56 L)
One Man Duffel Wt: 2lbs 13oz (1.3 kg) Vol: 8000 cu in (131 L) Designed for travel and large enough to fit almost anything. Folds into its own storage pocket when not in use.
Red
Coyote
Black
MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION All Mystery Ranch packs in this catalog are made in the U.S. All sewn materials are U.S. made –from the fibers up through every stage of production. These packs are constructed in the USA.
Fabrics Our primary fabric is 500 denier Cordura nylon. Tough Tougher er than traditional ALICE-style packcloth, 500d Cordura is about half the weight of 1000d Cordura. This can mean a pound lighter pack. pack. 500d Cordura has superior waterproofing waterproofing qualities and just plain makes a better pack. 1000d Cordura is a little tougher, but anything that damages 500d Cordura will damage 1000d as well. The difference in durability comes comes down to minutes while the difference in weight is double. The bottoms of all of our packs are double layered. The inner layer is stitched 1/2” smaller than the outer layer which places the bulk of the load’s weight on that inner layer, leaving the outer unstressed to maximize the material’s material’s waterproof and abrasion resistance qualities. Where there’s there’s a need to stiffen the packbag itself we use X-Pac. X-Pac is a laminate that sandwiches thick strands of polyester between an inner and outer fabric layer. These strands stiffen the fabric, giving the bag additional structure and load control properties. All pack shrouds are built out of coated and water resistant 200d nylon which is tougher than most tent floors, yet flexible enough to seal tightly. All of our exterior fabrics are IR-compliant and double-coated: inside with a polyurethane coating, the outside with a Teflon treatment treatment for excellen excellentt water resistance. For places that require stretchy and/or compressive material we use Spandura, a hi-tech fabric that combines the toughness of Cordura with the stretch of Lycra. Made of Cordura fibers spun around a Lycra core, it provides a level of abrasion resistance never before approached in a stretch fabric. For areas on the packs that experience extreme abrasion, we use Hypalon. Hypalon is traditionally what the toughest whitewater rafts are built from.
Thermoplastics, Alloys and Composites Fiberforge, a thermoplastics company we’ve partnered with, builds our Framesheet Adjusters. These adjusters are a thermoplastic composite material created by fusing a poly-carbonate material with recycled pop bottles. Per pound the resulting material is lighter than aluminum and stiffer than steel. We have several versatile aircraft alloys to choose from when using aluminum in our framing. These alloys are strong, light, and bendable, yet retain their shape once formed to our specs. Carbon fiber is the key ingredient in the NICE Frame. Carbon fiber is incredibly strong, impressively light, and remains flexible under massive loads.
Foams With attention to memory and durability durability,, each foam we use is chosen for appropriate firmness, breathability,, and cushioning. breathability
Parts and Accessories All main zippers are YKK #10 and all lid and pocket zippers are YKK #8. All zipper sliders are Black Oxide plated, which produces a f ar more durable zipper than painted sliders. All grommets for drawcords are Black Oxide plated and mounted in a 500d Cordura reinforcement. All web is mil-spec nylon, and all plastic buckles are tough Delrin made by National Molding. For serious lashing and compression options we use the National Molding Autolock buckles. For more detailed information on materials, packs, fitting and use, please visit our website:
www.mysteryranch.com
Back Cover Photo: Ryan Saul | Saul Creative Hunter: Andrew Jakovac
Mystery Ranch 1750 Evergreen Drive Bozeman, MT 59715 Phone: 406.585.1428 Email: theworks@m
[email protected] ysteryranchusa.com Website: www.mysteryranch.com
COPYRIGH MYSERY RANCH BACKP BACKPACKS ACKS © 2013
