Tried that pack and came up with a lot of the same concerns especially around the medical gear. Right now I am using the Conterra longbow /longbow ranger in the winter. It gives much more ability to organize med supplies and I like the overall fit /stability more, but it lacks in a lot of the modular abilities otherwise. Basically I put organizer bags into the pack. I have tried a few others and just still haven’t found one I am 100% sold on. I like the ideas behind some of the mystery ranch bags but at that cost it’s not something I want to buy to try if it ends up not being worth the cost…. Good luck and keep us updated.
I completely agree regarding Mystery Ranch. Seems to be purchased by agencies, not individuals, most of the time. I like how some of the StatPak units have organizers with windows that Velcro in place, but the ergonomics haven't impressed me. I'm 80% convinced the only way I'll be happy is if I develop my own pack.
Great review, any I have watched on this pack say the same, it feels a bit loose and moves about a bit. I have looked at the Mystery Ranch packs and the Hotshot looks good but also their new Shift 900 MWP looks even better, it would tick the boxes for my use. Unfortunately I live in Scotland and Mystery Ranch are USA Based so the cost plus import taxes are just way to much for me to justify. Good luck with the pack hunt and thanks for sharing your review.
Thank you for the feedback! The Shift 900 does look like a great product. No hands on experience with it, but other mystery ranch products I've encountered have been absolutely bulletproof.
Backpacker and disaster first responder here My SR-1 Endeaver just arrived today. My first impression is that they made some truly dumbfounding design choices. The main pack is not tall enough for my A4 clipboard case. Nor is it wide enough to fit it in sideways either. This means that my first aid communication board also won't fit. This is an essential piece of gear for survivors who are unable to communicate in other ways due to injury or autism. Next, the main pack has daisy chains and a small zippered pocket on the outside. But these are all hidden inward, against the camelback water compartment. I have to unbuckle and remove the main compartment to get to these features because of it. If Coaxsher had put them facing outward instead, they'd be under the small pouch. But it would still be much faster and more convenient to access. The lack of molly doesn't leave me anywhere to attach my helmet webbing. The small front pouch that comes standard and has a small amount of molly, isn't a large enough area. I'm also concerned about how the harness shoulder straps connect the the main pack. It allows the pack to pull away from my body, even when cinched as tightly to the harness as it'll allow. This might not be problem for someone with broader shoulders. But us slim-shouldered folks are an increasing percentage of these teams. And there are better designs that can work well for both. I haven't decided whether or not to return it yet. I'm doing a day hike in the next week or two with a friend. I plan to wear it to assess the shoulder strap situation. If the pack pulls away from my body too much at the shoulders, it won't be a pack I can use.
Pretty much agreed on all points, although I opt for a rite-in-the-rain notepad in a shirt pocket as I use it to copy coordinates, etc. As for the shoulder harness straps, there's 2 sets that allow independent adjustments. Once I found a setting I liked I double backed the adjusters and used hair ties to manage the excess and prevent it from loosening as it had done previously. The main advantage is on long days you can adjust the shoulder length to alternate carrying the weight on your hips or your shoulders. For wildland firefighters who are often bent over swinging tools all day it's much more comfortable to have the weight off the back and on the hips. It's definitely a wildland firefighter pack pressed into SAR service.
@@brainycheddar I prefer the weight to rest on my hips as well. It's how I've got all my other backpacks set up. But I haven't figured out how to do that with this pack. No matter what I've done so far, it pulls away from my body in the back, which pulls the shoulder straps down against the top of my shoulders. I believe I've found all of the adjustment straps and buckles up there. But, I'll have another look and try to fiddle with it some more. I want this pack to work out. I haven't found another pack at this price point (230 with the sale+coupon) that meets my needs. The shoulder straps are the make or break issue for me with my back pain. I took pictures of the gap between the pack and my back. And where it leaves red marks because of the pressure points that creates. But it doesn't appear TH-cam allows me to post pictures in the reply. Any chance you could post a vid on how you've adjusted the shoulder straps and their frame attachments on your pack?
Tried that pack and came up with a lot of the same concerns especially around the medical gear. Right now I am using the Conterra longbow /longbow ranger in the winter. It gives much more ability to organize med supplies and I like the overall fit /stability more, but it lacks in a lot of the modular abilities otherwise. Basically I put organizer bags into the pack. I have tried a few others and just still haven’t found one I am 100% sold on. I like the ideas behind some of the mystery ranch bags but at that cost it’s not something I want to buy to try if it ends up not being worth the cost…. Good luck and keep us updated.
I completely agree regarding Mystery Ranch. Seems to be purchased by agencies, not individuals, most of the time. I like how some of the StatPak units have organizers with windows that Velcro in place, but the ergonomics haven't impressed me. I'm 80% convinced the only way I'll be happy is if I develop my own pack.
Great review, any I have watched on this pack say the same, it feels a bit loose and moves about a bit. I have looked at the Mystery Ranch packs and the Hotshot looks good but also their new Shift 900 MWP looks even better, it would tick the boxes for my use. Unfortunately I live in Scotland and Mystery Ranch are USA Based so the cost plus import taxes are just way to much for me to justify. Good luck with the pack hunt and thanks for sharing your review.
Thank you for the feedback! The Shift 900 does look like a great product. No hands on experience with it, but other mystery ranch products I've encountered have been absolutely bulletproof.
Backpacker and disaster first responder here My SR-1 Endeaver just arrived today. My first impression is that they made some truly dumbfounding design choices.
The main pack is not tall enough for my A4 clipboard case. Nor is it wide enough to fit it in sideways either. This means that my first aid communication board also won't fit. This is an essential piece of gear for survivors who are unable to communicate in other ways due to injury or autism.
Next, the main pack has daisy chains and a small zippered pocket on the outside. But these are all hidden inward, against the camelback water compartment. I have to unbuckle and remove the main compartment to get to these features because of it. If Coaxsher had put them facing outward instead, they'd be under the small pouch. But it would still be much faster and more convenient to access.
The lack of molly doesn't leave me anywhere to attach my helmet webbing. The small front pouch that comes standard and has a small amount of molly, isn't a large enough area.
I'm also concerned about how the harness shoulder straps connect the the main pack. It allows the pack to pull away from my body, even when cinched as tightly to the harness as it'll allow. This might not be problem for someone with broader shoulders. But us slim-shouldered folks are an increasing percentage of these teams. And there are better designs that can work well for both.
I haven't decided whether or not to return it yet. I'm doing a day hike in the next week or two with a friend. I plan to wear it to assess the shoulder strap situation. If the pack pulls away from my body too much at the shoulders, it won't be a pack I can use.
Pretty much agreed on all points, although I opt for a rite-in-the-rain notepad in a shirt pocket as I use it to copy coordinates, etc.
As for the shoulder harness straps, there's 2 sets that allow independent adjustments. Once I found a setting I liked I double backed the adjusters and used hair ties to manage the excess and prevent it from loosening as it had done previously. The main advantage is on long days you can adjust the shoulder length to alternate carrying the weight on your hips or your shoulders. For wildland firefighters who are often bent over swinging tools all day it's much more comfortable to have the weight off the back and on the hips.
It's definitely a wildland firefighter pack pressed into SAR service.
@@brainycheddar I prefer the weight to rest on my hips as well. It's how I've got all my other backpacks set up. But I haven't figured out how to do that with this pack. No matter what I've done so far, it pulls away from my body in the back, which pulls the shoulder straps down against the top of my shoulders. I believe I've found all of the adjustment straps and buckles up there. But, I'll have another look and try to fiddle with it some more. I want this pack to work out. I haven't found another pack at this price point (230 with the sale+coupon) that meets my needs. The shoulder straps are the make or break issue for me with my back pain.
I took pictures of the gap between the pack and my back. And where it leaves red marks because of the pressure points that creates. But it doesn't appear TH-cam allows me to post pictures in the reply.
Any chance you could post a vid on how you've adjusted the shoulder straps and their frame attachments on your pack?
th-cam.com/video/9jirH8B9jfQ/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Jm-kFS2OCEG0_-BQ