Last year, Yeti partnered with Mystery Ranch on a limited-edition adventure pack called the Bozeman, which showcased both outfits’ various innovations in a single backpack. Yeti has since acquired Mystery Ranch and, unsurprisingly, they’re bringing the Bozeman back, albeit under a new moniker called the Yeti Ranchero.
Yes, it’s very much a reprise of the Bozeman, from the same three-way zipper opening for the main compartment and the high-abrasion nylon shell to the bounty of pockets both inside and out. Not only are they releasing it under a different name, though, they’re also updating it with a few choice changes that should make it more suited for everyday use.
The Yeti Ranchero is a 27L backpack that features Mystery Ranch’s signature three-way zipper system, which the outfit now calls the RipZip, that opens the lid from the left and right sides, then lets you open the whole main compartment using a zipper down the front. This enables full access to the main compartment, allowing you to easily organize all the stuff you’re putting inside, while letting you take out stuff without having to rummage through a pile. Inside the main compartment is an impressive amount of zippered pockets, making it easier to organize all the stuff you put inside. Heck, you can even put a packable backpack inside one of those pockets, so you can an extra bag in tow. Outside, it gets elastic side pockets and an external laptop compartment.
The shell is cut in the outfit’s TuffSkin nylon, whose water-resistant build combines with coated zippers to keep your gear dry. It’s not a waterproof backpack, though, so while it should handle light rain, you probably don’t want to use it in truly inclement weather. The shell is fused to a structured base that keeps the bag upright when you set it down on any surface. The bag ditches the harness system found in the Bozeman, by the way. In its place are more conventional adjustable straps designed to conform to your torso and sweep the weight away from your lumbar, which, the outfit claims, will enable freer movement, in case you want to bring the bag along when hiking.
Want one? The Yeti Ranchero is available now, priced at $275.
