I picked this Mystery Ranch pack up in the winter. I had planned to use it more as a sling to hold my Olympus Pen-F to take non bike photos, you know like out to dinner with friends, etc. But as you may have noticed, we are all quarantined. So I have been using it walking my dogs and on the occasional mountainbike ride.
This is a simple looking hip pack, but it is sneaky, it hits well above its weight. Pockets and details throughout. It has an outside pocket for your phone, wallet, and a key hook for your keys.
Then the large main section can carry quite the amount of gear at 488 in^3. You can put in a full size Nalgene and maybe a snack, or a small Nalgene, extra layer and a camera. And a larger zippered pocket on the inside as well.
You can keep it from bouncing around while hiking or riding by using the compression straps on the outside.
The back panel is nicely padded, also providing shape to the pack.
The waist belt is 2″ wide which keeps it stable as well.
So overall do I like this? Yeah it is very nice pack for dog walks or short hikes. Is it better than the ULA Burst? It is different the ULA, the ULA has room for more bottles and more layers but also looks more… fanny pack. If you want a simple looking but feature packed hip bag for short hikes or dog walks check this out.
Mystery Ranch says: https://www.mysteryranch.com/hip-monkey