Mystery Ranch — Carryology No Escape (the Dragon) Review
Mystery Ranch and Carryology are back at it. Last year the two teamed up to create the Mystery Ranch x Carryology Assault. The Unicorn. An evolved form of Mystery Ranch’s Beams Day Assault. This year, they’ve set their sights on evolving the Mystery Ranch Scape Artist, another ever elusive backpack. And the result of their efforts is the No Escape. The Dragon.
This backpack was designed with a “nothing held back” mantra. From the features to the materials, Mystery Ranch and Carryology went all out in finding whatever would please fans and integrating it into the pack. As such, the backpack may feel superfluous to some people. But others will revel in this indulgence. We’ll try to stay unbiased in our review and you can decide afterwards.
Access
The No Escape is a front panel-loading backpack. I.e., the front panel of the pack can open up all the way via a U-shaped zipper, but it’s just the front panel, not a clam shell opening. This provides a really broad view of the contents and makes it easy to pack.
However, the No Escape also has a beaver tail, or the “stick-it” as Mystery Ranch is calling it. The beaver tail isn’t completely removable but can be stowed and hidden inside a small pocket at the bottom of the bag. When you take it out, it has a couple G-hooks that easily hook onto some hypalon loops on the sides of the backpack.
When the beaver tail is attached, you can’t open the front panel all the way and the No Escape essentially becomes a top-loading bag with a zipped lid. It’ll be a little bit harder to find things at the bottom of the bag, especially since the bottom of the main compartment is black (though the sides and the inside of the laptop/hydration bladder sleeve are orange).
Aside from the main panel zipper, there is also side zipper access to the laptop/bladder sleeve, which is very convenient if the main compartment is pretty packed and you don’t want to go through the trouble of digging through things to get to your laptop.
Organization
The main compartment has a pretty good amount of organization:
- Laptop sleeve / Hydration bladder sleeve — As mentioned above, there is a side access zipper to this sleeve. It also has an eyelet for your hydration bladder’s tube and a little lash point at the top to hang the bladder.
- Internal well pockets — Two massive well pockets on the sides of the main compartment’s interior, close to 12 inches deep and wide enough to easily fit a 1L Nalgene bottle. I think these are 200D nylon and while they help keep things a bit more organized inside, they also tend to get in the way when you’re not using them. They are not elasticated so they’re kind of always there, which I found a little annoying.
- Internal zipped mesh pockets — At the top of each side in the main compartment are zipped mesh pockets. Each is roughly 6 x 6 inches, though not perfectly square. On the bottom half of the front panel is a vertically zipped mesh pocket, about 12 inches in height and 6–7.5 inches across (it’s wider toward the top). When I’m out on the trail, I keep a small first aid and emergency survival kit in the vertical zipped pocket. However, while the mesh used feels durable, is also abrasive on your skin.
Outside of the main compartment, the No Escape has a number of other organizational components as well:
- Top pocket — At the top of the backpack is a 7 x 9 inch pocket, an ideal place to toss any small items you might need faster access to. The interior is just a layer of the mesh that separates it from the main compartment. Inside this pocket is another zipper mesh pocket in case you want to keep anything more secure, like your keys or wallet.
- Two external water bottle holders — While these have gussets and the tops are elasticated, the pockets tend to stick out even when empty. This is good in that it doesn’t take away volume from the main compartment, but on the other hand, it makes the bottom of the bag look really wide. Another thing I really like about these pockets is that the tops aren’t too high up the sides of the backpack. I can keep the backpack on my back and still reach behind my back and grab my water bottle. Furthermore, since the pockets stick out a little, I can also put my water bottle back without taking the bag off or swinging it around on one shoulder. While I do like the look of water bottle pockets that are fully elastic and keep a flat profile, it is harder to put the bottle back in without taking your bag off.
- Hidden side pockets — Behind each of the water bottle holders is a hidden pocket, which could be a nice place to store a small wallet, phone, or keys. These are the true quick-access pockets on the bag. You can get to these pockets by swinging the bag to your front on one shoulder and don’t need to take the backpack off. Though a water bottle will push against the contents of these pockets, I am still able to easily fit in my phone even with a 1L Nalgene in the bottle pocket.
Additional Features
Adjustable Futura yoke — The Dragon has an adjustable yoke system. It’s a bit complicated to explain how to adjust, so I’ll just leave you with this instruction video from Mystery Ranch.
Stowable waist belt — Nice that the hip belt can be stowed away. I’m not likely to use them since this pack is only 25L though, so I’d actually prefer to have them be removable. That would also reduce the overall weight of the bag, though just a tiny bit. But regardless, it’s a very innovative design to have the wing of the waist belt fold upward into the pocket space behind the water bottle pockets.
Sternum strap — Considering how overbuilt everything in the Dragon is, I’m surprised that the sternum strap isn’t a Fidlock magnetic V buckle. In any case, the sternum strap is adjustable and has web dominators on both sides as well.
Load-lifter straps — Pulls the backpack closer to your body. Takes a bit of the load off.
Beaver tail — As described above
Daisy chains — The beaver tail has two columns of daisy chains.
MOLLE system — Along the back of the main compartment is a MOLLE system with 4 rows of PALS webbing. Similar to Goruck’s packs, the MOLLE can be a place to hang org kits or clip pens, etc.
Velcro patch — Of course, one of the key bonuses that comes with the No Escape is the Dragon patch. If you’re not into the Dragon patch, then at least you get to add your own flair.
Construction & Comfort
The No Escape is 22.75 x 11 x 11 inches and 25L in volume. It looks a bit larger than what you’d expect for 25L. Here’s a comparison with an Evergoods CPL 24 and an Able Carry Max (24L and about 28–30L respectively). It comes in at 4.1 lbs, which is on the heavy side for a 25L backpack. But the yoke and harness are comfortable enough that you don’t really notice the weight.
If you can’t tell already from all the features, the No Escape is a very overbuilt backpack. Mystery Ranch held no bars back. This includes all the materials too. This beast has Dyneema, VX50 X-Pac, 500D Cordura nylon, and 200D nylon. Most of the exterior is Dyneema while all the multi-cam black portions (including the beaver tail) are X-Pac. Even the water bottle pockets are made of X-Pac.
I didn’t notice any issues with the stitching of the backpack or cutting on the fabrics. The hardware also feels really solid and zippers are YKK #8 RC for the top pocket and internal zippers, and #10 RC for the main compartment’s primary access zipper. The zipper pulls are wrapped paracord.
One weird flaw I did find in the No Escape, however, is that one of the water bottle pockets is a little bit higher than the other one. It’s just a tiny bit (maybe 1 cm at most) and is barely noticeable, and it doesn’t have any impact on the functionality of the backpack. It’s just an oddity.
Overall, the backpack and Futura yoke are very comfortable. The back panel and the shoulder straps are well-padded and covered with a comfortable mesh. The shoulder straps are contoured and edgeless, so they feel great even on someone with a large frame like myself.
In-Field Usage
As mentioned before, the No Escape is overbuilt, but this was intentional on MR and Carryology’s part. No one really needs water bottle pockets or a beaver tail made of X-Pac. Some small tweaks I would make just to slightly improve the user experience would be adding elastic to the internal side well pockets. Since they’re not elasticated, they tend to stick out into the main compartment and can get in the way. I’d also change the internal mesh material to something that is a little less abrasive. A softer mesh may compromise the durability, but I think it’s worth the tradeoff.
One positive is that with the internal plastic frame sheet and all the sturdy fabric that went into making the bag, the Dragon retains its shape very well. Whether it’s completely empty or I’ve got it stuffed with a hoodie, snacks, sneakers, etc., it always looks the same.
Summary
The No Escape will last for many many years. It’s a very robust and tough bag. It’s not a backpack you’d typically use for the office but it’s also not large enough for overnight treks. So my main use for the bag is day hikes or outdoor days. On the other hand, because it’s so overbuilt, this bag won’t be for you if you’re looking for something that is lightweight or has a lower price point. Great backpack, but whether you really need something with these specs is up to you.
Features: 4 of 5 — The No Escape has all the features you’d need in an adventure bag. The secret pockets, stowable waist belt, and stowable beaver tail are pretty special.
Organization: 4 of 5 — Though this backpack doesn’t have an admin compartment, there are a handful of internal pockets, a few external zipped pockets, plus the water bottle holders and the beaver tail.
Construction: 5 of 5 — Just look at the list of materials used here. Dyneema, X-Pax, and Cordura nylon. YKK aquaguard zippers. Perfect stitching throughout the bag. Can’t really ask for any more.
Aesthetics: 3 of 5 — This is always subjective and some people will love the way the bag looks. I’m not a huge fan of the multi-cam black but I don’t hate it either. I think I would have preferred a clean black look. I appreciate that the MR x Carryology logo is smaller than it was in the Unicorn, though it’s still very bright and noticeable. The Dragon is a bit tall and boxy if you look at it straight on, which not everyone will love. Lastly, you’ve got the water bottle pockets that bulge outward.
Comfort: 5 of 5 — Very well-padded backpack, with nicely contoured shoulder straps make it very comfortable to carry. The sternum strap, load lifters, and waist belt all enhance the comfort even further. The adjustable harness/yoke are pretty key to keeping it comfortable for different people.
Life-Integration: 4 of 5 — The only thing to really learn with the bag is how to stow the waist belt and beaver tail, and how to adjust the yoke if needed. Everything else is easy to use and straightforward.
X-factor: 5 of 5 — Anytime you have a Carryology collaboration with any backpack-maker, there will be a lot of hype. Some people will also see it as being overhyped. But you can’t deny that there was a lot of anticipation built up.
