Mystery Ranch Catalyst 26L Travel Backpack with Tech Pocket - Durable Everyday Carry & Adventure Backpack for Hiking, Commuting & Business Travel - Stone Color

Really nice bagUPDATE: A few days laterI am correcting my capacity assessment: the bag is approximately 24L, as stated by MR. My error was innot knowing how best to pack it. Years of using squarish or rectangular packs predisposed me to useone method. Reorienting the pack horizontally, instead of vertically, allowed me to pack much morethen I had previously. As this is more than I would normally carry, I am quite satisfied with the capacity.The simple organization provided is very effective, as a whole. If you need a nook and cranny for a lot ofsmaller items, this bag may not be for you. I need quick access to: a cell phone, pens, and a pad of paper.There are pockets for each of these items in the admin section. The internal "water bottle" pockets(for me at least) work best for softer items. So, in one I keep some snacks. The other I leave open. Thezipper pocket hold flavor packets (on one side), and small wallet (on the other side). Lunch, in a hardcontainer, at the bottom. Pouches fill the main interior. This works great for me.The two outside water pockets are ideal for one liter plastic water bottles. A 24oz HydroFlask easilyfits, as well.Finally, I have a much greater appreciation for the trip-zip design. This is being used, primarily, as anoffice bag. Being able to filet the bag, instead of flipping open a clamshell, saves a lot of space. YMMV.Access is easy. More importantly, for me, the bag naturally compresses itself. As long as the externalwater bottle pockets are full, and there is something solid in the bottom of the pack, there is very littlemovement of objects inside the pack; at least, with my load out.One common gripe, is that the bag won't stand up (vertically) on its own. This is true. However, this isreally a nicely designed duffle bag with a very well designed backpack harness. It sits nicely on the lap,and is very easy to access that way. This works well for me.Another comment I've seen, is that the shoulder straps tend to create a harness. This makes it easierto put the backpack on. The complaint has been that it makes it more difficult to store under anairplane seat. This is easily fixed: loosen the load lifters, and the straps will lay flat against the backpanel.One last note, the pack has not molly webbing on the outside. Aesthetically, this is pleasing, but oncein a while, it would be nice to place a small item on the outside. Simply place a Grimlock, or smallcarabiner, on one of the two upper pull tabs, and you are set. It works well, in a pinch.Hope this helps.--------------------------------A little background. My normal EDC bag rotation includes a Hazard 4 Watson sling pack, and a Tom Bihn Empire Builder. The former is describged as a 9 liter bag. This only describes the main compartment. In terms of actually filling the bag (all compartments), it is closer to ~14 liters. It was good enough for many years. The problem is that I needed more capaciaty, and the single strap was inadequate for longer distances.The Empire Builder is a beast. It is well organized, and easily swallows my required load. Tom Bihn is known for creating products that are more capacious than advertised, and this is true in this case. The bag is rated at 23 liters. It holds more. It is a little bigger than I need, but that is not really and issue. The "problem" is that it is a shoulder bag, single strap. So, heavier loads are a problem for longer distances.This leads me to the Mystery Ranch UA24. This is different freom the previous bag in two main areas: (1) it is more tubular in shape; and (2) it is a backpack, with two straps. Two straps and a wonderful harness system makes the UA24 incredibly comfortable. A definite plus in my case.The narrower profile generated, resulting from the tubular design, makes it very easy to navigate. A second plus.The organization is simple, but very effective. I don't carry a laptop everuy day/ However, I do carry a lot of papers, and these fit quite nicely in the laptop compartment. The location of the compartment makes accessing the papers very easy. A third plus.The interior and exterior water bottle pockets are a mixed bag. The outside pockets work best for 1 liter plastic water bottles. However, this depends on how the main compartment is packed. More on that later. In any event, this is not a deal breaker for me.The interior water pockets are more flexible. I was able to slide a 40 oz Camelbak Chute with no problems, with the pocket. A large water bottle negatively affects how the main compartment can be packed. I've chosen to use a 24 oz insulated bottle instead. This makes it easier to pack the inside.The shape of the bag makes it easier to store softer objects. Harder rectangular objects results in some wasted spaces. This means that (assuming the bag is actually 24 liters) that the effective capacity is more like 21 - 22 liters. A slight negative.Moving the items stored in the Empire Builder into the UA24 confirmed that the former is significantly larger than the latter. Based on this observation, the Mystery Ranch 2DAP would probably fit my needs a little better. The main problem with the 2DAP is that is has too much molle, and IMHO reminds me of the backpack equivalent of "the mummy". So, it was a no-go from the start.Despite the capacity being smaller than expected, the benefits outway that deficit. The bag well mostly be used in an office setting. For me, the tri-zip works perfectly in that scenario. I like working out of my bag. A top is difficult to access. A clamshell takes up more space.I'm very pleased with this purchase. The bag is tough, easy to access, with sufficient organized. I'm going to "retire" the Watson, and my other bags. I will retain the Empire Builder as part of my rotation. I can recommend this bag to anyone who can accept its unusual characteristics.