REVIEW – Mystery Ranch Scapegoat 35
ITEM: Scapegoat 35
MANUFACTURER: Mystery Ranch
DESCRIPTION:
A low profile, hunting pack for use in close and tight terrain.
.
.
REVIEW NOTES:
The Scapegoat has been graciously supplied by a long time supporter and confidante of Packs and Beyond. He also happens to be the editing elf of my written work and puts a lot of effort into turning my gibberish into meaningful English.
Like any review of supplied equipment, I have done the review with the proviso I will be painfully honest.
.
.
Don’t forget to follow Packs and Beyond Facebook and Instagram for all our latest updates.
https://www.facebook.com/packsandbeyond/
.
.
LINK:
https://www.mysteryranch.com/scapegoat-35-pack
.
.
SPECIFICATIONS:
DIMENSIONS –
Height: 685mm (approx. 27 inches)
Width: 254mm (approx. 10 inches)
Depth: 240mm (approx. 9.5 inches)
Volume: 35L (approx. 2135 cubic inches)
Weight: 1.76kg (approx. 3.9 pounds)
MATERIALS –
500denier main body
YKK zippers
.
.
LAYOUT:
ATS RAID on the left, Mystery Ranch Scapegoat on the right.
.
.
.
FRAME AND HARNESS –
The Scapegoat has a lightweight frame consisting of a HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) sheet which provides flexibility to the wearer’s body and two polymer rods on the outer edges of the pack bag to provide the requisite amount of stiffness for the frame.
.
The Futura harness is a standard part on many packs available from Mystery Ranch now.
The shoulder straps are contoured, and have a 3-dimensional structure with a plastic stiffener in them that interacts at the shoulder to maximise comfortable load transference and prevent the load from turning the strap into a piece of string under a high load.
.
These shoulder straps are easily adjusted for back height of the wearer by the polymer plate in the harness. This backing plate not just allows easy size adjustments, but is an integral and essential part of the harness system as a stiffener and load transfer device.
.
The shoulder strap running ends have loops fitted to allow easier access to tighten the straps as needed.
The harness has a sternum strap, and top tensioners like that found on most good quality hiking packs.
.
The harness is lined with a mesh material to reduce heat retention and such problems as chafing. This mesh material is pretty impressive. I’ve recently received explanation of the science and design behind it. Apparently it’s a dual layer material. The first material is hydrophilic (water loving) that soaks up moisture and sweat, wicking it away from the wearer. The second layer is hydrophobic, allowing it disperse away from the skin, preventing a build-up of sweat and moisture close to the wearers body.
.
The hip belt is of a lighter weight construction to reflect the lighter weight load.
It comprises a two part system to allow for flexing and movement of the wearers body, especially whilst traversing difficult terrain whilst chasing game species.
The hip belt is also fitted with PALS channels to allow customisation of the load and access to essential stores whilst on the move.
.
The hip belt buckles are fitted to allow belt tension to be taken up by pulling forward away from the body. This allows a more ergonomic and precise method of tensioning.
.
RUCKSACK –
Due to its intended role as a hunting pack in tight terrain, the Scapegoat is a very narrow alpine style rucksack that fits well within the shoulders.
The lid is of modified clamshell design with a large horsehoe-shaped zip into the main compartment. This allows rapid access to equipment.
.
At the top of the ‘lid’ are two zip accessed pockets for sundries and admin items.
.
.
.
There are two compression straps to control the load and allow storage of a rifle or bow on the outside of the pack whilst hunting.
.
At the bottom of the rucksack are two bottle pockets made from stretch woven material. This allows different sized bottles to be easily carried.
.
.
Also at the bottom of the rucksack are another two compression straps to allow external stowage of items such as a bedroll or clothing.
.
Inside the rucksack are two pockets. One is to stow fairly flat items and the other is to stow a hydration bladder.
.
.
PERSONAL ASSESSMENT:
.
.
.
The Scapegoat has been used for mainly in an urban setting for day to day use, training walks (approx. 48 kilometres with a 10kg load) and my duties as a Scout Leader on day hikes.
.
The long, narrow alpine profile of the rucksack could be useful for longer loads in an urban environment.
.
PROS –
The Scapegoat has been a great little pack. It’s well up to the usual standard one can expect from Mystery Ranch.
It’s sized perfectly for maneuvering through tight spaces.
.
CONS –
The only thing I’m not really a fan of on the Scapegoat is the clamshell lid with the large horseshoe zip. I feel there’s a chance (however small) of losing equipment should the zip not be closed properly if in a rush.
.
.
SUMMARY:
A nice little pack for short range trips in the wilderness.
Posted in Civilian, Mystery Ranch, Packs & Webbing, Short Trip, Specialist by 22F with 2 comments.
Leave a Reply