Mystery Ranch ASAP Review

Mystery Ranch is relatively new to the backpack world, having been founded in 2000. But, its founders have had decades of experience in the market. They specialize in making the highest quality backpacks for rugged use in the outdoors. Their mission is to provide comfortable, durable, and functional outdoor gear is something they take seriously. Each backpack is hand-made and surpasses the quality of almost all the other backpacks on the market. 

In this review, we are going to take a deep dive into the Mystery Ranch ASAP day pack. It’s known as the best day pack ever, and although this is not a modest title, it’s pretty close to the truth. The awesome design and build make it one of the most practical and comfortable daypacks around. 

You’ll find all the details of the ASAP daypack in this review, so keep scrolling through to find out why it might be the right daypack for you. 

Materials & Durability

Day packs, as much as any other backpack take a beating. You’re usually using them to go somewhere quickly, you overfill them, put them on the ground and often bump them along on your way. Day packs are abused and you need one that can take it.

The Mystery Ranch ASAP daypack is tough as nails and made to deal with all the abuse you can throw at it.

Materials

The ASAP is made from 500D CORDURA with Teflon and PU coatings. Together these materials are durable, strong, light, and incredibly abrasion-resistant.

The high D count of 500 means the fabric has a high denier count and will, therefore, have a heavy weave and be thick. This is ideal for durability and means the ASAP is going to be with you for life (maybe) and handle the wear and tear of a daypack’s life.

Water-Resistance

Cordura is a water-resistant material on its own, add in the Teflon and PU coating and you have some extra layers of weather resistance. The ASAP is not waterproof but it will have you back in a light rain shower. Your stuff will stay dry in light weather but if it gets heavy, you’ll want to add a rain cover to keep your gear from getting wet.

Zippers

Poor zippers are a pain in the ass and are the most likely thing to go wrong on a daypack. They are also going to be the first point of entry for any moisture.

The zippers used on the ASAP are water-repellent, IR Compliant YKK zippers. These are some of the best zippers on the planet. They’re not going to fail, catch or let moisture in to boot. They’re also incredibly durable and will last as long as the ASAP does.

Carrying Comfort

Daypacks get full, even if you have the best intentions, they somehow end up bursting, and therefore, heavy. No backpack, no matter how sophisticated, is going to be any good unless it’s comfy to carry.

The Mystery Ranch ASAP daypack comes with all the features you need to keep moving quickly in comfort, no matter the terrain.

The Frame

The ASAP has an HDPE internal rigid frame that also provides some flexibility. The frame ensures your back stays supported and distributes all the carrying weight evenly to the carrying straps. This means not one part of you will be under strain, but your whole body will be sharing the load.

The Yoke

The ASAP comes with Mystery Ranches patented Futura Yoke. This allows you to micro-adjust it to fit your torso length and give a custom fit. It provides the perfect amount of space between your back and the frame so that the backpack is taking the weight giving you great carrying comfort.

Back Panel

The ASAP comes with a padded, breathable back panel. It’s solid to touch but soft to squeeze. It gives you great support and stops you from overheating on those hot sweaty days. The padding also stops anything in the pack from digging into your back.

Shoulder & Sternum Straps

Well-fitting shoulder straps are key to carrying a backpack comfortably. The ASAP’s shoulder straps are padded, breathable, and fully adjustable from the top and the bottom. This allows you to find a custom fit for ultimate carrying comfort while the padding and breathability keep your shoulders cool and without pain.

The sternum strap is adjustable but only horizontally, and when fitted well, removes the strain from your shoulders.

Waist Belt

The waist belt on the ASAP is removable and is pretty minimal. It comes without any padding and when used still helps remove the strain from your shoulders and redistributes the weight evenly across your body.

These aren’t common on a daypack but are very useful when you’re having to traverse tricky terrain or need to move fast and stop the pack from moving around on your back.

Organization & Accessibility

Daypacks for hiking around the outdoors don’t need too many pockets as your main concern is low weight and hydration. The Mystery Ranch ASAP backpack is pretty spares when it comes to organization but awesome at accessibility.

Main Compartment

The ASAP comes with a good-sized main compartment with a triple access zipper system. There are two zippers at the top to access the pack from either side and once zipper down the middle to give you full open access. This means you can get to everything you need quickly and easily.

Inside the main compartment, you have two slots on either side, both with compression straps. These are made for hydration bladders, ideal for long, quick ay hikes or trail running. You can also use them for other accessories too.

The back panel in the main compartment has MOLLE webbing for attaching any accessories too. This allows you to great your own organizational world inside your backpack.

One Outer Pocket

On the lid of the ASAP is one zippered pocket that’s great for storing things you need to access quickly like sun cream, snacks, your phone, or wallet.

External Attachment Points

External attachment points are really useful to add extra things to your backpack, or anything you’ll need to access quickly. They’re also great for things that might not fit, like a tent or a sleeping mat.

The Mystery Ranch ASAP has a pretty solid external attachment point system.

Webbing

The ASAP has MOLLE webbing everywhere. The front, the sides, and the bottom are covered in MOLLE webbing for adding anything you like. You could fit a tent, trekking poles, sleeping mats, and more to the ASAP backpack.

The top and sides feature six flaps that will allow you to rig a carrying system on the top of the bag. Threading some cord through all 6 flaps will create a system for adding a sleeping mat or tent to the top of your bag or anything else you might need to put up there.

Value For Money

The Mystery Ranch ASAP retails for $275 which is quite expensive for a day pack. It’s certainly outside of most daypack budgets, but it’s worth considering the quality you’re getting with the ASAP backpack.

It’s so well made, and with the guarantee, it’s going to be a daypack for life. When you stack it up as $275 for one backpack for the rest of your life, compared to 5 or 6 $80 backpacks, the ASAP is a clear winner, and worth every penny.

Rating

With a rating of 94, the Mystery Ranch ASAP has smashed our rating system with one of the highest scores to date.

It only lost a few marks – one for organization, some extra pockets in the main compartment might be nice. And another two marks down due to the high price.

Overall though, it’s an awesome day pack that’s hard to beat.

Verdict

So, is the Mystery Ranch ASAP worth the money? In our opinion, yes, without a doubt! If you spend a lot of time hiking or trail running, then this day pack will be your super buddy along the trail. It’s made to be with you for life and has all the little features every day pack needs.