I have one & LOVE it. It's surprising how much it holds & how comfortable it is loaded. Great review. I appreciate your honesty- which is why I tune in. Thank you for sharing.
I could really see that being useful for a daytime hiking/bushcraft pack but I would really like to see a version with an external water bottle pouch in addition to the strap holders. The price seems very acceptable for the quality and being made in the USA
Those people complaining about how geeky fanny packs are should take a look a the Ribz Front Pack. The medium size is 8 liters, same as this fanny pack. The large is 11 liters. There is also a small. Luke reviewed the Ribz a couple years ago. I can't paste the link here for some reason so use the channel search.
I love this pack, I use to for going on short hikes for the afternoon and pack my lunch in it. for the long waist straps I cut the straps to where i need it then I hut glue it and sew it up, and there's about just a little under 4 inches of strap left and it's perfect. -Jake
A great little pack. When weighted down with a water bottle and other gear I like to use the shoulder strap in conjuction with the waist strap to hold it up from slipping down my rear end. Great review!
little advice, I just added a little bit of padding to the sides by cutting some old padding of my TT Backpack and adding it to it and it turned out to be the missing link to be perfect. now I can carry more and witch much more comfort
All of the products you review should have a patch stitched in saying " Reviewed & Tested by The OutdoorGearReview" ! Thanks for another great vid Luke
At last a lumbar pack that hangs below the waist strap so stays against your back when loaded up, would be nice for cycling. Shame that they ship everywhere apart from the UK.
I would like to see an review of an actual Mystery Ranch backpack like the Wolfpack especially with a NICE Frame, any chance u get ur hands on something like that? greetings from germany, great channel!
good review as always 👍 however I have never been fan of lumbar packs, only exception would be pack lid that doubles up as lumbar pack. l would always go for a day size backpack.😊 keep up good work sir
In that case it doesn't seem fair to count excess strap as even a minor critique. I don't like to cut straps either. But I would if necessary as most of the gear I own I never plan to sell but instead to use until worn out.
+Tracy Reed I agree with luke, it's a fair critique and I wouldn't cut straps either. Strap keepers, tape, zip ties, elastic bands, Web Dominators and more.
+gw4k Thanks gw. Strap keepers are pretty common these days and it's a feature that I believe all backpacks should include. When it comes to cutting straps, this is usually done by those who wish to focus on reducing weight and I wouldn't recommend it for most people when there are better solutions available. Regret is a only a snip away. - Luke
$60 seems a bit much for an 8L bag that appears to be a bit feature starved. Options from Osprey, Mountainsmith, REI (brand), and high sierra all seem to do a lot more for about the same price or much less. I would expect this to be more than an 8L pack with two secondary sleeve pockets and a single nylon strap for a waist belt, for certain. The competition seems to have a padded belt (like on a decent backpack), they seem to all have easy access water bottle holders, they often seem to have small easy access zippered pockets on the belt (like many backpacks), and they seem to all have some attachment points (yes the compression strap may allow for limited external gear). If the competition had these features and cost 20% to 40% more, then I would say they were in the same ballpark. This doesn't seem to be the case and I can find much more feature rich offerings at the time of this comment at REI.com (not known for amazing deals) for $40 to $65.
True, but MR offers a lifetime warranty on there products. I've had to use there warranty a couple of times on other products and it's always been no questions asked. If you're rough on your gear or use them professionally, MR is the way to go.
Very sad I would like to buy here in EU but the price is 3 time more 102€= ~150$ so in the end I got 9L North Face... Anyway thanks for the nice vid Luke. Take care be safe mate.
I like it but without either a canteen sleeve or a place for a water bottle to hang I'll stick with my $15 MOLLE II waistpack. Its 1 pocket and zipper and its $15 on eBay vs $60.
+Mickey B I emailed the company and that was their reply. I was attempting to purchase a foliage green one. I then called to see if they had one lying around and I got the same response. I was told that the Kletterwerks brand would carry a similar version at some point in the future.
+TheOutdoorGearReview They informed me it was the sister company to Mystery Ranch and still headed by Dana Gleason. I was not aware either. They aren't making the Hip Monkey but are allegedly coming out with some "Hip Flip" pack that is supposed to be similar.
+TheOutdoorGearReview was able to find it at a 3rd party outfit based out of bozeman, montana.. www.schnees.com/ the price is 69.95 but colors are limited. i may have to pull the trigger. forgot to thank you for the review :)
At that weight it has to be 500D i have zero long term use with that deneer im yearding for a 1000D pack because i want somdthinv that will last many years im out almost $700 on two 500D back packs give nd 100D any day if tbe week and twice on sundays! I dont care about the wejght im a life long power lifter. Its no issue for me to carry 80lbs seven miles without stopping i know becsuse ive done it 5 times now.!!
Looks like a good pack. It'll take a beating you think? I mean as far as the outer surface goes. Like the beard by the way, looks good more full like that. Thanks for the video.
+Rob Farrell most are made is USA. They now have a factory in the Philippines so you have to look at the patch to see where it was made. This info is on their site.
I have one & LOVE it. It's surprising how much it holds & how comfortable it is loaded.
Great review. I appreciate your honesty- which is why I tune in.
Thank you for sharing.
I could really see that being useful for a daytime hiking/bushcraft pack but I would really like to see a version with an external water bottle pouch in addition to the strap holders. The price seems very acceptable for the quality and being made in the USA
+Aaron El Good points Aaron! - Luke
Awesome review I appreciate the fact that you showed how it looks on and what it holds
Those people complaining about how geeky fanny packs are should take a look a the Ribz Front Pack. The medium size is 8 liters, same as this fanny pack. The large is 11 liters. There is also a small. Luke reviewed the Ribz a couple years ago. I can't paste the link here for some reason so use the channel search.
I love this pack, I use to for going on short hikes for the afternoon and pack my lunch in it. for the long waist straps I cut the straps to where i need it then I hut glue it and sew it up, and there's about just a little under 4 inches of strap left and it's perfect. -Jake
A great little pack. When weighted down with a water bottle and other gear I like to use the shoulder strap in conjuction with the waist strap to hold it up from slipping down my rear end. Great review!
little advice, I just added a little bit of padding to the sides by cutting some old padding of my TT Backpack and adding it to it and it turned out to be the missing link to be perfect. now I can carry more and witch much more comfort
edit: In Germany this costs 100€ so around $ 110
All of the products you review should have a patch stitched in saying " Reviewed & Tested by The OutdoorGearReview" ! Thanks for another great vid Luke
+DelawareDuff I like that idea Delaware! - Luke
Sadly, the hip monkey is no longer made in the USA. I would pay for double if it is still USA made.
I use a fanny pack for fishing when I run the creeks, rivers and streams. This would really be great for that. Much more room than the one I have now.
At last a lumbar pack that hangs below the waist strap so stays against your back when loaded up, would be nice for cycling. Shame that they ship everywhere apart from the UK.
I would like to see an review of an actual Mystery Ranch backpack like the Wolfpack especially with a NICE Frame, any chance u get ur hands on something like that?
greetings from germany, great channel!
good review as always 👍
however I have never been fan of lumbar packs, only exception would be pack lid that doubles up as lumbar pack.
l would always go for a day size backpack.😊
keep up good work sir
The Moutainsmith Lumbar I think is a better option. This pack seems to lack some basic things that the Moutainsmith Lumbar comes with in stock form.
Fixing excessively long nylon strap is easy with a pair of scissors and a lighter. Much better to start off with too much strap than too little.
+Tracy Reed I don't recommend cutting the straps for a number of reasons including resell and future adjustment. - Luke
In that case it doesn't seem fair to count excess strap as even a minor critique. I don't like to cut straps either. But I would if necessary as most of the gear I own I never plan to sell but instead to use until worn out.
+Tracy Reed I agree with luke, it's a fair critique and I wouldn't cut straps either. Strap keepers, tape, zip ties, elastic bands, Web Dominators and more.
+gw4k Thanks gw. Strap keepers are pretty common these days and it's a feature that I believe all backpacks should include. When it comes to cutting straps, this is usually done by those who wish to focus on reducing weight and I wouldn't recommend it for most people when there are better solutions available. Regret is a only a snip away. - Luke
I always stitch some velcro on excest straps its a bit organize😁
Great video luke keep up the good work
$60 seems a bit much for an 8L bag that appears to be a bit feature starved. Options from Osprey, Mountainsmith, REI (brand), and high sierra all seem to do a lot more for about the same price or much less.
I would expect this to be more than an 8L pack with two secondary sleeve pockets and a single nylon strap for a waist belt, for certain.
The competition seems to have a padded belt (like on a decent backpack), they seem to all have easy access water bottle holders, they often seem to have small easy access zippered pockets on the belt (like many backpacks), and they seem to all have some attachment points (yes the compression strap may allow for limited external gear). If the competition had these features and cost 20% to 40% more, then I would say they were in the same ballpark. This doesn't seem to be the case and I can find much more feature rich offerings at the time of this comment at REI.com (not known for amazing deals) for $40 to $65.
True, but MR offers a lifetime warranty on there products. I've had to use there warranty a couple of times on other products and it's always been no questions asked. If you're rough on your gear or use them professionally, MR is the way to go.
I like it but I like my RIBZ better. good review as always
Does anybody have any experience with the newly made ones since they’re not made in the US anymore ?
Please contact mystery ranch and let them know that the hip monkey would be even better if it had a zippered pouch for concealed carry.
Nice review, but I learned the hard way, that unless a lumbar pack has suspenders, forget it.
+George Wamser I use lumbar packs all the time without any issues. Wear it above the waist (lumbar area) and tighten. Take care George. - Luke
A water bottle pocket on the side would have been a good addition.
Laid back, with my mind on my monkey and my monkey on my mind.
+Bobby Harper Yes! - Luke
The size of this is just wayy too big for me, but your review really helped me make that decision. Excellent video man, keep up the great work!
Very sad I would like to buy here in EU but the price is 3 time more 102€= ~150$ so in the end I got 9L North Face...
Anyway thanks for the nice vid Luke.
Take care be safe mate.
what are ykk zippers
+Eric Sharp YKK is the name of the zipper manufacturing company. Very well-liked trusted brand.
John Campbell ooo that reminds me aren't like 90% of zippers made by ykk
+Eric Sharp only the 90% of good ones..if they dont use YKK they probably are cheap.. and you should question the quality of the item..
+Eric Sharp Yokohama KK. A famous and well regarded zipper manufacturer. KK is the Japanese equivalent of Incorporated. So it's like Yokohama Inc.
I like it but without either a canteen sleeve or a place for a water bottle to hang I'll stick with my $15 MOLLE II waistpack. Its 1 pocket and zipper and its $15 on eBay vs $60.
Don't know if you're still responding to videos, but do you think you could fit a full size tablet in that bag with room to spare?
Discontinued. I'm told that once the woodland camo version disappears from their site, it's gonzo for good.
+Ryan R. Burns did you hear that from the company or just someone else? tyia
+Mickey B I emailed the company and that was their reply. I was attempting to purchase a foliage green one. I then called to see if they had one lying around and I got the same response. I was told that the Kletterwerks brand would carry a similar version at some point in the future.
+Ryan R. Burns I haven't heard of the Kletterworks brand before. I will have to look that one up. - Luke
+TheOutdoorGearReview They informed me it was the sister company to Mystery Ranch and still headed by Dana Gleason. I was not aware either. They aren't making the Hip Monkey but are allegedly coming out with some "Hip Flip" pack that is supposed to be similar.
500D CORDURA® fabric
No longer made in US :(
God sees all!!! they make very few in the US.
wow, sometime in the last few months, they've raised the price to $90. not sure it's worth $30 more unless they made significant changes.
+teabone13 Close to $100 for a fanny pack is pretty steep if you ask me. What do you think? - Luke
+TheOutdoorGearReview was able to find it at a 3rd party outfit based out of bozeman, montana.. www.schnees.com/ the price is 69.95 but colors are limited. i may have to pull the trigger. forgot to thank you for the review :)
I like it but the only one I can find in the UK costs £80
+Andrew T. Buy a RIBZ from the USA they are brilliant and cheap
At that weight it has to be 500D i have zero long term use with that deneer im yearding for a 1000D pack because i want somdthinv that will last many years im out almost $700 on two 500D back packs give nd 100D any day if tbe week and twice on sundays! I dont care about the wejght im a life long power lifter. Its no issue for me to carry 80lbs seven miles without stopping i know becsuse ive done it 5 times now.!!
Looks like a good pack.
It'll take a beating you think? I mean as far as the outer surface goes.
Like the beard by the way, looks good more full like that.
Thanks for the video.
Made in the USA? Hmmm, nice!
+Rob Farrell most are made is USA. They now have a factory in the Philippines so you have to look at the patch to see where it was made. This info is on their site.
I just got on of these. They are no longer made in the USA unfortunately. Made in Vietnam.
first to comment hahaha
fail