Mystery Ranch Bridger 55, Nice Pack, but not for everyone. HD 1080p 

Maybe, I tried a tall slim bottle and it is challenging to get in and out due to position on chest. I prefer an adjustable pocket to mount to the shoulder strap or a canted waist holster for a bottle. I'm building a new pack from a MR Septer with a 3L hydration bladder and a should strap wingman for small Nalgene with drink mix. cheers

Small world. Hopefully the rest of your trip went well. We really had a good time. I ended up returning the pack. I have a 20 year old Gregory that is still going strong and the mystery ranch just wasn’t that much of an upgrade. I think I’m going with a 50L mountaineering pack next. They can take a load in a more compact and simpler package. Not really into the ultra light packs. Seem expensive and somewhat disposable. Good luck

OK, wide spectrum there. For mountaineering where you are in the snow a lot I would not do the bridger. the padding fabric and harness would be a snow magnet. Cleaner lines and snow shading materials would be the rule. I would think the terraframe would be better here. Second, I would ask why you are looking at so large a pack. at 65L you are more into an expedition sized pack where you need heavier sleeping bag, 4 season tent, more food and fuel. For a 5 day back packing trip the 55L bridger had plenty of room to spare. Since you are thinking travel and mountaineering, I would look at the mountaineering packs such as the MR Septer 50 or the Gregory Alpinisto. You loose a lot of the bells and whistles, and organization but you have a cleaner, lighter pack that is better for checked baggage and as a climb pack. I ran an old Alpinist for years and it was adequate for long weekends in the winter, a week in the summer and much stronger construction than comparable backpacking/hyperlight packs. You can always add pockets and water bottle holders (see MR wingman) if you need them. I picked up a new 1st gen Septer 50L for $120 and will be using that this next season for backpacking and ski touring. I added a 5.11 skyweight pouch as a chest/belt pouch and a 3L hydration bladder, so all info under $190. Final thought, if you are thinking the Terraframe, look at the 50L version. With the load extension feature, you can easily add bulky items such as large tents outside of the pack for winter use. This would still give you a more compact pack for general use and somewhat better for climbing. Just remember, that the hip belt is going to be a pain in the butt using with a harness and is not easily removable. This would be more of an approach pack.

@@mtnboy123 hey thanks so much for the comphrensive reply! I really appreciate it. I currently own an FL 40 for my technical mountaineering sends. However, after speaking with friends it was recommended I get a 65L for shasta and baker. Based on your reply it seems that the terraframe is the better all rounder for these winter trips and other extended backpacking ones where I will be hauling my sleeping gear and food.

There is a 1” deep gap between the small of the back and shoulder blades that is for ventilation. I didn’t really note a huge difference but it wasn’t particularly hit on my trip. It’s ok but I’d prefer the style on the terraplane.

The pack straps are pretty much the same on any other pack, shoulder straps, load lifters hip belt, etc. what was unique are the sternum straps. Basically bringing a trail runners vest set up that hugs the upper torso more. Due to my height, I needed to lower their the back panel which brings up the. Vest higher on your chest. I ended up lowering the top sternum strap. The setup did provide a snug and stable platform, but I didn’t really like the pockets and found it kind of finicky. When you had anything in the pockets, they would twist the straps make on and off a bit of a chore. I ended up returning the pack and am looking at more of a mountaineering style pack.

@@mtnboy123 can you tell me what your torso length is? I have a 50cm torso and a 101cm waist. I went for the size Large, but I just can't seem to get it fitting perfectly. I'm curious if I should have got a size smaller.

@@frosty_soda hi, my torso was like 20 inches and waist is 38. I had the yoke right about in the middle of the adjustment range so I know the size was right. I didn’t like how the running vest part is fixed and goes up and down according to adjustment. I much prefer the more tradition yoke style that telescopes up and down

@@mtnboy123 whats your pack base weight? I think you've just helped me fit this thing correctly. I may have been pulling the dual shoulder straps too tight. Also, see the load lifting straps, is it best to just have them taught but not too tight?

@@frosty_soda 1. Loosen up everything. 2 put pack with about 20 lbs in it on. 3. Adjust yoke so that hip belt fits over pelvic bones and should straps cleanly engage your shoulders. No gaps. 4. Tighten hip belt to snug. 5 tighten shoulder and sternum straps to snug. 6 tighten load lifters to snug. They should form a 45 degree angle from top of shoulder to pack. If the don’t and you can adjust. 7. Hike a bit and repeat until you get about 80% load on hips, 20% on shoulders routinely.

Yeah, I own a couple mystery ranch packs and I did my due diligence with measurement. The issue with the Runners style chest harness is that the harness is fixed. I'd design it with a set of sewn in loops with the ability to adjust its placement independent of the shoulder strap adjustment. On the belt, not really sure what the problem was there. If I kept the pack, I was gong to switch it with another pack but never got around to it. Thank s for the comment

​@mtnboy123 there was a point that MR changed the Sizing and Padding Materials that causes some slippage. My One-Piece Waistbelt on my MR Pintler would slip off my waist. Specially in Winter. My 5-Pcs Waistbelt on my MR Sawtooth 45 didn't have that issue. I agree with the Runner Harness/Bottle Pocket was a no for me, as you have explained.

Thanks eco!

What are you going to replace this with?