Before I left I went around and around on my backpack choices — Osprey ‘Exos’ or Mystery Ranch ‘Crew Cab?’ I haven’t written about either of these, so first a word or two about each.
Osprey Exos 58
The Exos 58 is 15 to 20 years old. I bought it on sale back when I was still working in Yosemite National Park. But then I never used it. It is very light weight. Oddly, the bottom corners of the frame are not attached to the hip belt.
I wore it around the house and on training rucks, loaded with 40 pounds. All I could think about was how small the main belt fastex buckle was. If that broke in the backcountry without a replacement on hand I’d be hosed.
Mystery Ranch Crew Cab
The ‘Crew Cab’ by Mystery Ranch is built on the “NICE” frame. It is no longer available unless you can find a used one. It was purchased for wildland fire investigations where I might need to carry heavy, over-sized equipment and personal gear.
The pack weighs a whopping 9.5 pounds empty, but can easily bare a 150 pound load. I used it throughout my rucking training for this trip. This picture doesn’t show the top lid, but gives a good idea of how it works.
For the trip in the Winds, the Mystery Ranch Crew Cab won out. I just had more confidence in it. That said, I used the Osprey in Glacier where I would be carrying much less weight (no tent, less food).
How Did They Work Out?
The Mystery Ranch ‘Crew Cab’ carried well throughout the Bridger Wilderness. Having a central bag to hold the gear in the middle would have made it better. The day we crossed Knapsack Col is the only time I wished for a lighter pack and more flexible frame. At one point I tried looking up for my route and felt I was being pulled backwards. Had we chosen to take the slightly longer but less technical route this probably wouldn’t have been a problem.
I used the Osprey for the six plus miles in and out of the Belly River Ranger Station in Glacier. Again, though I didn’t weigh it, this was a very light load — less than 20 pounds. When I lifted it out of the car I was elated. When I cinched down the first side compression strap and the hardware snapped, the elation evaporated. I tied a ‘taught line hitch’ to keep it cinched down.
An aside for my fellow knot nerds: a ‘taught line hitch’ is a rolling hitch tied with the bitter end back onto the standing or running end to create an adjustable loop.
The light load carried okay. The lower corners of the frame slopped around and irritated me. As previously mentioned these lower frame corners are not attached to the waist belt. I’m glad I didn’t use it on the seven day trip. The sway and slop with 35-40 pounds would have sucked.
Conclusions
I’m on the hunt for a new backpack. Lighter than, but as durable as the Mystery Ranch, and more confidence-inducing than the Osprey. I see that Osprey has updated the Exos — still geared toward the ultra-light crowd. It seems they fixed the bottom of the frame to the pack belt.
On my way to Glacier I got to visit ‘Mystery Ranch’ for an hour or so and I’m already a super fan of Dana Gleason. I used a US-made Terraplane for trips in Denali National Park in 1997. I think you can tell where this is going, but I’ll save the details of my research for later posts.
In the Next Chapter
The next post will take a quick tour through “The Kitchen” — stoves, pots and pans, utensils, and food. If that doesn’t light your fire, you can give any of these others a read instead:
- Introduction — Debriefing the Odyssey
- Foundations — what was on my feet?
- Walls — which pack did I use?
- Kitchen — what did I eat and how?
- Bedroom — my tent and sleep system
- Closet — clothing
- Furniture & Appliances — all the other stuff
