Mystery Ranch Rip Ruck Review

The Mystery Ranch Rip Ruck is built to survive the harshest commute, wherever that may be.

What intrigued me the most about this pack is the fact that it contains no velcro areas for patches or molle webbing to mount external pouches too. Also, there are no unnecessary straps and buckles dangling on the outside.

I like to remain low-key and not attract attention to myself when traveling for personal security reasons.

Although the pack does have somewhat of a similar look to the old-school small Alice packs, it really does blend in well with the urban landscape. To the casual passerby, nothing would seem out of place.

Outside Design of the Mystery Ranch Rip Ruck

We’ll start with the outside of the pack and cover the internals last. Although you can fit a 32 ounce Nalgene water bottle in the front pockets, I still prefer to keep my water bottles inside the main compartment.

I use the two front exterior pockets for medical and electronics accessories. The sides of the Rip Ruck are devoid of any pockets or pouches, which I prefer. When moving through a crowd of people or tight space, the less stuff that can get hung up the better.

Both the main compartment and two front pockets display the signature rip ruck zipper pattern. As the name implies, when you unbuckle the pockets you simply grasp the buckle of the loose flap and ‘rip’ it open.

At first, the zippers are a little stiff, but be patient as they get smoother over time with regular use.

Shoulder Straps and Carry Handle

The shoulder straps are simple, minimal, and extremely comfortable. Definitely a departure from the more rigid shoulder straps seen on many tactical backpacks.

This change enhances the comfort level for a backpack meant for more of an everyday urban carry backpack. I’m really digging the design of the carry handle.

There are many different designs, but I have to say the carry handle on the Rip Ruck is one of my favorites.

It’s a low-profile design meant to stay out of the way and give the pack a more streamlined appearance.

Internal Design of the Mystery Ranch Rip Ruck

The internal design is what really sealed the deal for me on this backpack. Wanting a backpack that had a separate compartment for a laptop, that is easily accessible and won’t get buried in a main compartment with the other gear. Well, due to the design, the Rip Ruck fills those needs perfectly.

The laptop compartment is actually separate from the main section which we will cover next. When you unzip the laptop compartment you have easy access to get to your laptop and then put it away when done.

On either side of the laptop sleeve is an elastic loop that makes for a great location for your favorite writing instruments.

Within that same compartment are two slip pockets for file folders, legal pads, or other important documents, keeping them organized and flat.

The main compartment of the Mystery Ranch Rip Ruck contains a small horizontal zippered pouch at the top to keep smaller loose items in such as pens, USB drives, and charging cables.

The main compartment is spacious enough though to store a packing cube for a two to three-day trip if needed.

Keep in mind though that this is a smaller pack (22 liters), so if you’re somewhat of a minimalist such as myself, you’ll have no problem living out of this pack for three days.

Just a tip when packing the Rip Ruck for a multi-day trip, try not to overstuff the main compartment or outer pockets as that will affect the usable space.

My suggestion would be to pack the main compartment first, preferably using a packing cube, and then load up the two outer pockets.

With a design nod to our Special Forces packs, the RIP RUCK has a rip-zip opening on the main pocket for on-the-fly access. It’s an ideal size to organize essentials for your daily missions.