Mystery Ranch Dragon Slayer – a hiking pack with a hunting heritage

Prologue:
The Dragon Slayer (DS) was originally designed as a hunting pack. But when I started searching for a new summer family hiking pack (35-40 liters) I still decided to put it on my short list. I thought that if it has been designed for hunters it would be comfortable, reasonably lightweight, optimized to carry full load of gear and should survive family mountaineering just fine. I’ve had positive experiences with MR packs so in the end I decided to give it a go. And what a great choice it turned out to be! The runner-up was the Mystery Ranch Komodo Dragon, but I didn’t want the full-blown military look or the extra weight. The real decision makers were: the superior frame system of the DS, the perfect size for my needs and the availability of my favorite Foliage Green. Decision made!

Pack Facts: I won’t bother you with official technical specs, it’s all on the official Mystery Ranch website.

First look:
The Tri-Zip concept is a brainchild of Dana Glesson, pack designer genius from Bozeman, Montana. It consists of a Y-shaped opening system allows for quick and full access to any part of the pack. You can use it in a ‘top loader mode’ – just grab the lid and tear it open; or unzip the vertical central zipper to open up the whole pack. What’s also cool is that it compresses the pack’s content nicely when zipping it back up. It just works. The zippers are top notch splashproof YKKs with modified paracord silent pulls. Well, I preferred these silent zipper pulls so much over standard ones that I modified my other packs in the same way!

The overall build quality is very good, with attention to detail and top craftsmanship and yeah… it’s fully US made! The Dragon Slayer is made of 500D Cordura with high quality nylon trimmings and tough polymer buckles. Every single stitch on my DS is perfect, the materials are premium and the zippers are tight and overbuilt. It’s clearly a premium pack – just as expected considering the hefty price tag of $299. The only part I felt was missing on my pack was a morale patch velcro panel. I can imagine an accidental sound of a ripping off Velcro patch is the last thing you want when tracking a 12-point buck, so the decision to keep the Dragon Slayer velcro-free is quite understandable. However, I was not going hunting and I just dig cool patches on my gear; so I customized my pack with DIY velcro panel. It took me two hours to get the hand stitching job done and sealed. Now I have the perfect place to put my Prometheus Design Werx ‘Kraken’ patch!

Exterior & attachment points:
Just take a look at it! Dragon Slayer is a slick, sexy looking pack with clean lines. Tall and slim, you can hardly tell it’s practically a 38 liters pack. The lack of PALS webbing is something I’m really not used to, but as I said before it was a conscious decision to avoid it. The overall look is (of course) dominated by Y-shaped zipper opening system. There are two vertical nylon tapes with multiple attachment points but you can’t use it easily for your standard MOLLE pouches – it’s been optimized for carabiner use or just to attach stuff with paracord, bungee cord or webbing straps. It also makes it easy to attach all kind of climbing and mountaineering equipment including: crampons, ice hatchet, hiking poles etc. Two additional straps and buckles are located at the bottom and are designed for attaching a rolled tarp or other heavy/dirty items.

The front zipper is secured with two front compression straps and fastex buckles connected with long side compression straps – all together going back-to-back. You can use it to leash additional gear (rolled jacket, poles, axe etc.) or to attach an IFAK (Individual First Aid Kit) pouch. In total it creates three big separate attachment areas, which is plenty for any additional load and gear.

I noticed that all the straps are really long; so you can attach REALLY bulky items to the pack (including your trophy if you’re a hunter). Most companies make the straps way too short – it’s not only hiking poles that people strap to they’re packs – so well done Mystery Ranch!

A Live Wing waist belt (comes as standard) is equipped with 2×3 PALS panel on each side, which is a very welcome addition. The waist belt is where I’d recommended attaching a small camera pouch, LBE sheathed knife or small canteen. Last but not least there are multiple attachment points on the shoulder straps, which great for a small pouch or a compact knife.

It’s too bad that the MR Stick-it beavertail pocket is NOT compatible with the DS. Why? I guess the answer is: range differentiation. The DS is not a military pack, so if you need to carry couple of claymore mines or your helmet then just get yourself Komodo Dragon (bear in mind the Komodo Dragon does weigh considerably more and its internal frame is not as good as the DS frame). But I was still able to attach a full-size hatchet, 1L canteen, big knife, rolled jacket and more to the outside of the pack. Of course if you’re a hunter you can use the attachment points to secure your compound bow or scoped rifle to the back of the Dragon Slayer. There are also 2 drain holes at the bottom; I’m not fan of drain holes as they more often let the water in than out, especially in damp terrain. It wasn’t a major issue for me and nothing got wet as I closed them with two pieces of duct tape from the inside.

Interior & packability:
As soon as you open all 3 zippers you get a clear access to any part of your DS. On each side there are two internal pockets: one is just a sleeve (great for clothing etc.) the other is a small zipper pocket (for documents, a wallet etc.) that is very secure and backed with additional layers of fabric, making it really well protected from elements. The rest of the main compartment is just one big cavity ready to accept whatever you want to store inside: cloths, food, camp stove, radio etc.

The top lid consists of two pocket: a small one on top which is great for a quick access items like flashlight or energy bars; and really BIG one below which I use for maps, compass, phone, multitool, first aid kit and some food for the kids. There is also small PALS panel on the back of the main compartment. Frankly speaking I didn’t find any practical use for it; any pouch installed there would be an obstacle to reach down the pack from the top. But I can imagine some activities where one might prefer some essential gear (like big medical pouch or radio) fixed there.

I can describe the packability of the DS with just one word: awesome! The Tri-Zip system compresses all your stuff nicely upon closure. You might have been using top loading packs for years, but when you start your trip with a Tri-Zip, well… there is simply no way back – Yeah, it’s that good!

Harness system:
Dana Gleason’s designs have been associated with the most comfortable harness systems available and DS is clear proof of it. What we have here is the MR signature adjustable (and available in 3 sizes) Futura Yoke combined with fiberglass X-frame. An internal aluminium strip also add lateral strength to the construction and keeps it in shape. This is one of the key differences between DS and Komodo Dragon. An internal frame like this handles heavy loads so much more comfortably! It distributes the weight across your back and hips and makes it easy to carry. The additional X-frame might be a minor difference for a well trained SEAL operator wearing ballistic protection; but for an average tourist like me the difference is substantial. Been there, done that – a good buddy of mine has Komodo Dragon as his to-go pack and I’ve tried it on – I still prefer my DS for personal use.

The shoulder straps are standard MR anatomically shaped, fully padded and of course fully adjustable. They are mesh inside, Cordura outside and have webbing attachment loops for pouches, knives, carabiners, grimlocs and of course a hydration system. An adjustable sternum strap is included. The back of DS is just standard padded mesh – nothing sophisticated but it works. I was able to carry a fully loaded DS for up to 10hrs without a problem and I didn’t experience any hot spots on my back.

And last but not least, the waist belt. The DS comes with the standard low-profile waist belt, which can be also stowed on the sides behind fastex buckles. This is a nice feature for air traveling with DS as carry-on (yes, it’s possible but some airlines might find it a bit too long for carry-on). However, the Dragon Slayer has been equipped (by default) with an add-on Live Wing belt, which transform the average standard padded belt into fully padded, superbly comfortable and anatomically shaped wide belt – yes! In my opinion it can easily take as much as 60% of the pack weight and put it on your hips. It’s an exemplary belt and the most comfortable I’ve ever used, period. It’s going to be my reference for all other packs.

Overall carry comfort, thoughts & real-life observations, plus rain tightness:
The DS was essential part of my gear during 2-weeks of family hiking in the Polish wild highland area of Beskid Niski. Or rather it was like part of my body! It spent up to 10 hours on my back, day to day. I loaded it with extra cloths for me and the kids, fully equipped medical/trauma kit, 4-5 liters of fresh water, food, energy bars, compact gas stove (to cook a hot lunch for my kids), camera with extra lenses & accu’s, Harsey fixed blade, and sometimes a Gransfors axe. Usually about 30 lbs (or more) in total. Beskid Niski is a great place for family hiking: it’s not too high terrain; not really dangerous (except occasional vipers); wild and empty. It is getting harder and harder to find a place like that in Europe. Sometimes you walk full day and not meet another person on the trial, plus the closest village is miles away. And no mobile network coverage. My kind of vacation!

As you can expect in the middle of the summer day (26-30ºC) my back was not dry anymore, but it’d be exactly the same with any other pack of similar size and weight. If the weather was more comfortable (20ºC) and I was wearing an additional shirt on top of a merino base layer it was not bad at all and I was fairly dry. Was it comfortable? Yes! Thanks to the well designed waist belt it was more comfortable to carry than a classic mountaineering internal frame backpack that my buddy was carrying.

Lugging a fully loaded pack and taking care of 2 young ‘cubs’ at the same time is a serious job! But it was also a lot of fun for us. I found the 3 liter Source bladder with insulated hose to be perfect match for the DS. As you can see from the picture above the young guy confirmed my choice. Of course during the hardest and longest trials my boy had to stay with my wife in the shelter area and I was hiking while only accompanied by my daughter, our friends, and the Mystery Ranch ‘Life Support System’ on my back. The volume (38 liters) was just enough for us and I was not tempted (by empty space) to overload my pack with excessive stuff.

Durability… I was wearing and dragging my pack in summer sun, heavy rain, morning mist, and anything in between – sometimes all in one day. It survived without any major issues, and all the zippers stayed rain tight (incl. the top flap zippers hidden behind a rain liner). Hiking through bush and dry spruce copse left no visible wear marks on the Cordura. The slim shape of the DS is also a big benefit when hiking through rocky terrain, thick bush and foliage. Of course I had to clean my pack quite a bit after the trip but it was only dirt and resin on the fabric, no ripping and no scratches. However I found some surface scratches on plastic polymer buckles and fittings. Nothing serious, but still visible. After a week of use the bottom of the pack was dirty as hell but the material was still in awesome condition despite putting it on sand, rocks, branches, mud or mix of all of the above.

Final recommendations:
We survived the trip fine, me and my pack. I was never short of space and the carry comfort was really good. I must say I really like this pack. It will surely stay with me for a long time. Is it perfect pack? Well, almost. I’d be happy to see compatibility with the ingenious MR Stick-It pocket and a velcro panel could be added on there for personalization. But other than that, it’s one  tough pack, comfortable and reasonably sized. Thanks to all the attachment points it can be easily customized to any specific mission. I can imagine this pack on my back in the snowy mountains, on a hunting trip, a fast and light hike or serious summer mountaineering. I love it!