Mystery Ranch Superset 30: Review

Mystery Ranch is a name that is synonymous with amazing packs, made for the great outdoors, including rock climbing. That sport has spawned many fun ways to experience it, both outdoors and indoors. Either way, there’s gear to haul.

That’s where the Superset 30 comes in, as a pack designed from the ground up specifically for climbers to carry – and commute with – their gear. Since I got back to climbing, I found myself needing a bag with the potential to carry more than just my gym gear, and what better way than with a pack designed by a climber, for climbers?

Tech Specs

	Metric	Imperial
Length	28 cm	11 in
Width	27 cm	10.5 in
Height	50 cm	19.75 in
Weight	1.0 kg	2.3 lbs
Volume	27.8 L	1695 cu in

Primary Materials: 1000D Cordura, YKK RC zippers

Quality and Comfort

The quality of the Superset is great. Starting with the main material choices and hardware, they are the adventure standard of 1000D Cordura Nylon and YKK Reverse Coil zippers. The admin area and document/tech sleeve uses a bright 200D nylon liner to serve as contrast – the shoe/clothing compartment uses the same liner to keep contents separate. The pockets featured throughout have a really interesting transparent, rigid, mesh-like material that allows contents to breathe, but feels significantly tougher than the standard mesh pockets

Comfort is also a strength of the Superset. While it does not use the fabled Futura harness, the straps are nicely padded and contoured so they are able to hug the body and keep the loadout. The straps are also stowable via swivel clips and two pontoon-like slots on the back panel padding. 

The back panel of the pack is very interesting but very comfortable as well. The panel comprises the main access to the whole bag, so the zipper splits the panel into two really padded vertical pockets for the straps. Consequently, the back is not rigid and will not have a frame sheet, but it works out really well. The flexible nature, and the almost gel like padding make it so that the bag hugs the back really well. Combined with the straps that do the same, the weight of gear is not felt as much. It almost feels like the bag is a part of my body, with a reassuring hug that I’ll do great climbing those new routes. 

Access & Organization

Despite the Superset being a cavernous gear hauler, there is a pretty good amount of organization to take advantage of. The main compartment is accessed both by a drawstring on the very top of the pack, or through a zipper on the back panel that gives access to everything inside. This access is very helpful, enabling the user to have everything on hand and be able to pack and unpack everything quickly. In fact, the cavernous nature works really well, since the vertical zipper that gives access to everything. I found it very easy to get in and out of the bag to grab a Nalgene in between routes, or having quick access to my climbing gear dopp. 

The inside of the pack has two zippered pockets that run the entire length of the panel. While narrow, they can store some flat items or pouches that could get lost in the cavern. The inside also features a simple laptop and document sleeve if you have the need to carry either; perfect if you want to get some work or studying done but also do some climbing after, the Superset can accommodate that. 

The very bottom of the pack has a separate pocket for shoes or extra clothing. It held my Scarpa climbing shoes easily. This shoe area is part of the overall volume, so it will use up that interior volume when full but still leaves so much usable room within the bag itself.

The front of the pack has a nice admin panel that serves well for a pocket dump. It was great for anything I didn’t need while climbing or wanted to separate from the rest of my gear like a phone charger, keys, etc.

The sides of the pack have some handles to be able to carry the pack or to attach some carabiners. Additionally there are stretch pockets on the side for stashing gear, especially helpful for longer and taller water bottles like Hydroflasks.

What’s Perfect

• The Superset is cavernous and has very easy access to all of its cargo. So grabbing and putting away equipment at the crag is a breeze.
• The separate shoe compartment is probably one of the best features; It keeps smelly, chalky shoes away from the goods in the main pack.
• Tech Sleeve and admin pocket are very helpful for commuters and non commuters alike. The admin pocket is especially helpful to have certain items on hand like a headlamp, pen and notebook, spare batteries, etc.  
• Significant value with a price tag of $165 USD

What’s Not

• The 1000D is a very appropriate material for this bag. However the larger yarns means that it holds onto dirt and chalk more. While not a con of the bag, it’s more of a forewarning to have a brush on hand if you like to keep the bag very clean. 
• The duffle opening means that there is little rigidity on the bag, so make sure to keep everything packed well inside to ensure a comfortable ride.
• Positioning both the laptop sleeve and the admin panel away from the wearer’s back could make the weight shift back and out during a commute. However the flexibility of having a full gym loadout and being able to carry tech may outweigh the cost.

The Mystery Ranch Superset 30 absolutely sends it (that’s climber for really good). It’s very much a purpose driven pack for climbers, especially us indoor bouldering enthusiasts, but the Superset is still very friendly to gym goers or other active folks who may need to carry a fair amount of equipment around. The Superset will be available in Q4 of 2022, with a price tag of $165 and will be able to be bought direct from Mystery Ranch here.

Disclaimer
The Superset 30 was provided by Mystery Ranch as a sample for review purposes, the content of this review was not shared with Mystery Ranch before publishing. Our reviews are unbiased and never modified to keep a brand happy.