Mystery Ranch Coulee 25 Backpack Review
I've been using the Mystery Ranch Coulee 25 for 2 to 3 months now and recently accompanied me on my second 14er this season - Quandary Peak. The Coulee 25 is a midsize day hiking backpack that comes fully equipped for almost any day hiking or adventuring I can think of. Mystery Ranch has one of the best harnesses in the backpacking world. The Futura harness and yoke system - This alone makes their packs top tier and can make or break your experience on the Mountainside.
PURCHASE THE COULEE 25 HERE
When I took the Coulee 25 with me to Mount quandary I had everything I needed for a full day of hiking plus some. Insulated jacket, rain jacket, hiking poles, 2.5L water bladder, multi-tools and flashlights/headlamp, first aid kit, Camera, and GoPro gear, snacks, and a few other things. Although 25 L is not a lot of room the Coulee does a great job at organizing your gear and giving you multiple quick-access pockets.
If you want to watch my video review of the Coulee 25 for more of a walk-through click the video below.
KEY ATTRIBUTES
SPECS
US Metric
Weight
2.9 lbs
Volume
1526 cu-in
Dimensions
22"x10.5"x12"
Harnessing Style
Fixed Harness
Internal HDPE frame sheet for rigidity and support.
The patented Futura Yoke easily micro adjusts to the torso length allowing the proper amount of stand-off between the back and frame.
Features a removable, Redirect waist belt system that secures in a natural, forward pull direction that requires less effort to tighten.
Featuring our classic 3-ZIP design for easy, rapid access to the interior.
FEATURES
Front and side stretch woven pockets on exterior
Top-zippered lid compartment to organize essentials
Two tool carry loops with secure straps
Side compression straps for load stabilization and lash on options
Hydration reservoir compatible
MATERIALS
330D Robic nylon fabric
YKK® zippers
3-ZIP DESIGN
Right away as you can see the Coulee 25 is not your typical hiking backpack. The Coulee 25 takes notes from many of Mystery Ranch’s hiking/hunting backpack lineup. The Tri-zip design that Mystery Ranch has is amazing for these types of bags. The three zip design is comprised of obviously three zippers. Two going diagonal on the top lid portion of the bag, followed by one vertical zipper along the front of the bag. This allows the user to not only use the bag like a normal top opening zipped bag but gives the ability to almost filet the face of the bag open to give access to items at various depths inside the main compartment. At first, it almost looks a little gimmicky and does take away front storage options, however, the Coulee 25 has overcome that. I absolutely love the three zip design and it is an amazing feature to put to use especially on longer day hikes where you have your heavier or warmer gear at the bottom of your pack that you need to get access to. The zippers making up the Tri-zip design are also heavy-duty Aqua guard YKK zippers that do a great job at keeping water out of your pack and will undoubtedly last a very long time.
FUTURA YOKE
The carrying system on the Coulee 25 is also second to none. I've used many midsize day hiking and hydration packs over the years and can safely say that the Futura harness/yoke on the Mystery Ranch Coulee is the best I've used. It is very well padded while still maintaining breath-ability. The shoulder straps curve from the backplate seamlessly with a pre-curved to them. They also have different sizes of yokes, and with every yoke, you can also adjust to your liking. There is an Internal HDPE frame sheet for rigidity and support as well. Between the layout, comfort-ability, and adjust-ability the Futura harness is one of my favorites. The pack comes with an included sternum strap which worked just as intended and is able to be moved up or down the Torso. The Coulee also comes with a padded hip belt that can be removed if you don't think you need it for the day. This is a great feature as quite often I find myself using these bags for just a day trip and don't need the hip belt dangling around my waist. I did use the hip belt when I climbed quandary Peak and it worked very well Distributing the weight off my shoulders. There are two pockets on the hip belt, however, they are very small but can still be used for snacks or trash.
POCKETS AND LAYOUT
The Coulee 25 is very simple compared to a lot of other packs when it comes to organization and compartments. On the very top of the pack, there is one small pocket that can hold all of the quick access items you don't want in the main compartment. I used this pocket for my keys, phone, wallet, portable chargers, and sunglasses.
On the outside of the pack, there are four additional stretch mesh pockets. On either side of the bag, there is a full-size water bottle mesh stretch pocket that can hold a full-size Nalgene easily. On the front of the bag separated by the front vertical zipper, there are two additional mesh pockets. This could have just been blank wasted space but Mystery Ranch did a great job adding these Pockets. They're very large and can be used to hold additional water or gear. In one of the pockets, I held my tripod for my camera along with the camera. Inside of the other pocket I held my beanie and gloves with my first aid kit. Next to these front pockets, there are hiking pole attachment loops which worked extremely well during my hike. I also used them to put over my camera and tripod while in the main compartment to keep the camera from moving. This was one of the best ways I have ever carried my camera set up while hiking so far.
The large main compartment has no internal organization or zippered pockets which is fine by me. With a couple of stuff sacks, I was able to organize this main compartment easily for my all-day hike. I had my larger bulkier items in this pocket with the heavier ones towards the bottom. Again, with the 3 zip design, these items were not too hard to get to if I needed to pull them out while on the trail. On the backside of this main compartment there is a hydration bladder sleeve along with a hydration hose port that allows you to add your own hydration bladder. I used my Osprey 2.5L bladder and it worked perfectly. I think that the Coulee 25 has plenty of room for a full day's Load-Out and possibly an overnight trip, anything more than that I would suggest something to the 40 or 50 leader range.
ALL-IN-ALL
All in all, I think the Mystery Ranch Coulee 25 is one of the most well-built, well-organized, and versatile hiking bags I've used in a very long time. The only thing that is really missing to make it to complete day hiking pack would be hydration bladder, which thankfully I have plenty. There are multiple color options along with size options on Mystery Ranch’s website which allows the user to get exactly what they're looking for. I think the price is a little bit higher than most they hiking bags but well worth it. The three zip design saves much time and effort while on the trail, and the Futura yoke will keep you going for miles and miles.
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3 Zip
Futura Yoke
Different Colors
YKK Aquaguard Zippers
4 External Mesh Pockets
Small Item Lid Pocket
Great Mystery Ranch Warranty
Hiking Pole attachments
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Price is a little more than most day hiking packs
No bladder