Climbing through sandstone canyons in Moab, hiking through the Grand Canyon’s Havasu Garden, wading up the frigid, limestone cliff-flanked waters of Oak Creek, and hauled on a 120-mile bikepacking trip through a swath of Arizona high country — Mystery Ranch’s Gallagator 25 quickly became my favorite daypack for a wide swath of adventures.
Mystery Ranch is known for overbuilt heavy-haulers. But for a while now, the brand has expanded into progressively lighter-weight packs. Its latest daypack series, set to launch on January 3, 2024, apes the manufacturer’s iconic tri-zip design — but trades the more robust frames and hip belts of predecessors like the Coulee and Scree, for an ultralight build with a running vest-style harness that offers supreme flexibility in gear storage and access alike.
In short: Mystery Ranch’s front-man daypack series for spring 2024 is emblematic of its steady expansion into lighter-weight offerings to round out the brand’s heavy-duty heritage. With fantastic gear accessibility and a vest-style harness that offers a snug carry even sans hip belt, the Gallagator lineup makes an excellent budget alternative to some of Mystery Ranch’s other daypacks that it proved worthy of our list of the best hiking day packs.
- Material: 210 Robic nylon
- Pockets: 3+ main compartment
- Suspension Style: Frameless
- Hydration-Compatible: Yes
- Ideal Use: Dayhikes, travel, commuting
- Weight: 1 lb., 4.8 oz.
Pros
- Comfortable running vest-style harness
- Easy access to gear
- Frontal daisy chain and compression straps for external storage
- Hydration reservoir compatible
Cons
- Vest-style harness won’t be for everyone
- Mesh pockets only available on 25L version
- Narrow reservoir pocket