Mystery Ranch Sweet Pea Review
Despite a good first impression, I didn’t expect the Sweet Pea to become my go-to backcountry skiing pack last winter. Initially, it seemed lacking in certain features I wanted. Like small, organizational pockets – this pack had none. I’ve always had a separate shovel pocket, this was also missing. Plus, the Sweet Pea is heavy for the amount of volume.
But looking back on my season, I can think of at least three treasured packs that saw not a day on my back. They missed a season of gentle flakes falling upon them. I never gazed upon them longingly, awaiting the moment we would venture into the backcountry together. No, three different packs were treated as lepers, heaped into a corner while another stole my heart.
Testing the Sweet Pea in Marble.
I kept going back to the Sweet Pea because after a few test days, it made a “sweet” second impression. Initially, I did a few summer and fall hikes before a backcountry skiing trip to Montezuma Basin in October. Immediately I was sold on the perceived size of the pack. It felt larger than it’s claimed 2000 cu. in. (33 L). This is largely due to its unique, Y-shaped 3Zip design which allows for both top loading and semi-front loading of the pack, depending on need and preference.
An external compression panel (the Stick-it Pocket) was the second feature to get my attention. One of my goals this past winter was to take a helmet into the BC more often than not. A big hindrance to this was my dislike of having a helmet swing around while loosely strapped to my pack as I climbed. The Sweet Pea held my hardhat solidly in place, fully cradling my huge army helmet (aka: Smith Hustle), so I didn’t notice it while climbing. The advantage of the Sweet Pea design over many other packs with compression panels is the ability to “accordion” open into a semi-dome shape around a helmet, climbing rope or extra shoes.
On the descent, I never felt unnecessary swing weight in the Sweet Pea. It hugged my back and was out of mind when skiing.
Mystery Ranch Sweet Pea with the "large" Smith Hustle helmet tucked nicely away.
View of the Sweet Pea's 3Zip fully opened up. The daisy chain in the back of the pack can accommodate a Flip Top Box sold by Mystery Ranch if you'd like more cargo division. Or just cut a few stitches like I did to keep your probe and shovel handle in place.
While not immediately obvious, the Sweet Pea has no problem carrying skis diagonally.
A feature that I haven’t searched out in a pack since the 90’s that came to use regularly was the external water bottle pockets. This was a huge plus as my current bladder developed a leak, and I was too cheap to replace it, so I defaulted back to bottles. The pockets have ski slots for your boards to slide in behind for an A-frame carry system, while keeping water available while boot packing. A hydration bladder sleeve is also available inside the pack, though I found it made a great extra pocket for gloves and radios.
When backcountry skiing on Independence Pass this spring, I ran into Bozeman native, Kate Howe, who lovingly referred to my Mystery Ranch pack as a “Pack of Doom.” I thought perhaps she was implying the pack would self destruct. But no, quite the opposite. Her take was pure praise. This burly pack is made of 500 Denier Cordura with a DWR treatment and Teflon coating in high wear areas that will not wear out anytime soon. It’s more likely to send you a postcard from Armageddon than see an early retirement. That being the case, I wish my old packs the best of luck in the future, and hope they can find someone else to make them happy.
Like all Mystery Ranch packs, the Sweat Pea has a removable yoke that can be shared with their other packs. This can make for some interesting "yo-yoing" options on hut trips and other adventures. See the Mystery Ranch Saddle Peak "side-country" pack latched onto the Sweet Pea sans-yoke.
Find Mystery Ranch backpacks here.
(Guest blogger profile: Dave Downing and his wife Jessica live in Carbondale, Colorado, where Dave is a freelance designer and owner of Ovid Nine Graphics Lab. Dave continues to hold the household Wii Ski Jump record.)
Dave “Snowman” Downing lives in Whitefish, Montana where Dave is a freelance designer and owner of Ovid Nine Graphics Lab Dave’s ski career began due to a lack of quality skiing video games for NES.
