I just got in the Mystery Ranch Carryology Assault and right away I can tell you this is my favorite Mystery Ranch pack – ever. And it’s not even close. If you’re not familiar with the Carryology Assault, it’s the by-product of a collaboration between Mystery Ranch and the team over at Carryology. When the pack went on sale, it created a lot of buzz among Mystery Ranch fans, Carryology readers and EDC enthusiasts in general. The drop lasted all of 13 minutes before it sold out.
The Mystery Ranch Carryology Assault
Why all the commotion? After all, it’s just another Mystery Ranch Tri-Zip – right? Wrong. It’s true that “the Ranch” has been rinse and repeating different versions of the same design for well over a decade now. But this one is different. Patterned after the BEAMS Assault, which was a limited release of only 50 units, the Carryology Assault (a.k.a. “the Unicorn”) has the best functional organization I’ve ever seen in a Mystery Ranch pack.
External Features
What won me over right away was the Arc zippered side pockets that have dual zippered pockets on one side and a simple admin panel with two pen slots and another zippered pocket on the other. But what makes them really special is they can hold water bottles. Here’s the pocket swallowing up a 32 ounce Nalgene.
It has it’s own dimensional volume, which limits the amount of space it robs from the main compartment.
How large of a bottle can the Arc pockets hold? Here’s my monster 1.5L Camelbak Chute Mag in one of the pockets. Yeah, it fits that too. It’s true that with a bottle in the pocket, the organizational pockets become a little hard to use. I’ll probably store a bottle in the admin pocket side since I’ll be adding another of my own (more on that in a minute).
I also liked the build components. Like the BEAMS, this bag has panels made from multiple materials. A combination of Dimension Polyant VX42 Sail Cloth and 500D Cordura. The zippers are water resistant YKK #10’s. The counter pull tabs, which get used a lot when unzipping a Tri-Zip, are made from Hypalon (a synthetic rubber).
The top pocket is pretty similar to other MR Assault packs. It features a zippered mesh top pocket with a zippered mesh sub-pocket inside to store smaller items. There’s loop material on the lid and the pack comes with a removable special edition Carryology unicorn morale patch.
One thing I’m not in love with is the waist belt. As belts go, it’s not a bad effort. There’s a little padding and a metal buckle. And it has adequate length if extended. The problem for me is that I prefer not to have a belt at all on a pack this size.
It does tuck behind the lumbar pad on the back panel. But the padded belt makes the lumbar bulge out to the degree that you do notice it. Not a show stopper, but it was avoidable by just forgoing the belt all together.
The team made a great choice going with the tried and true Futura harness for the Unicorn.
This one is “one size fits most” and I was concerned about that before receiving the pack. My concerns proved to be unfounded as it fit great once I adjusted and lengthened it. As with other Futuras I’ve tried, it’s also very comfortable under load.
Internal Features
Inside the pack, there’s a raised padded laptop compartment that easily fit my 15″ Thinkpad. You could carry an iPad Pro in there also if (like me) you often carry two devices.
On the front of the laptop compartment is a 6-Column x 3-row MOLLE panel, which was the perfect place to attach my TAD Special Edition OP1 Admin Pouch – also in VX42.
There are two large zippered dump pockets (one on each side) that run the entire width of each side panel.
The main compartment is generously sized. To the point where I doubted the listed 24 liter volume. According to Mystery Ranch’s website, the dimensions are 22″ H x 10.5″ W x 10″ D. That tells me it’s more like a 30L pack. It carries that way too.
Summary
I’m really glad that I purchased the Mystery Ranch Carryology Assault. Between the adjustable harness and it being 22″ in length, it fits me REALLY well. Last year, it seemed every pack released was 18 inches or shorter and it was really upsetting since it’s hard for someone who’s my height to wear a pack that short. That and the killer organization really sealed the deal for me. This unicorn will be staying in my stable for a long, long time.
The Mystery Ranch Carryology Assault originally retailed for $350 plus shipping. Secondary market pricing is significantly higher with some going as high as $600. Hopefully, over time, prices stabilize and everyone who wants to get one of these packs will have the opportunity to grab one. Believe me, it’s well worth the time you’ll spend hunting down this mythical creature.
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