Am I right in thinking that within the same category of gear, an ATS RAID II vs. Mystery Ranch 3-Day is pretty much a 6 of one/half-dozen of another comparison? Sure, there are differences in suspension, amount of MOLLE (RAID has a bunch, MR has almost none), etc… and the MR has a very different zipper configuration but from the bit of reading I’ve done, they seem to get equally good reviews and are more-or-less the same capacity. The MR pack is a fair bit more expensive, but if that extra cost is worth it I’d like to hear what justifies the expense.
I would look at the Dragon Slayer. It doesn’t have the radio harness like the 3 day does, unless that’s what your looking for…Another good pack is the Eagle AIII pack, I have it with Molle
Hmmm–I’ll have to check that one out. One feature that does sound appealing about the MR 3-Day is their ventilation system since I am somewhat prone to perspiration (translated: a sweaty pig) and anything that’ll cool me off is a good thing.
I was in the exact same connundrum - the ATS Raid-2 is an awesome pack, and I got to use a Mystery Ranch 3-day (issue unit with gear), and fell in love with the design.
Answer: Camelbak trizip - it’s a copy of the Mystery Ranch, but it’s priced just above the ATS (but comes with a 102oz bladder - cheaper if you’re getting one anyway).
I got mine from SKD, I’m very happy with it. Worn it over body armor, taken it running at the beach - good pack.