Meet the Maker: Dana Gleason of Mystery Ranch

[@Arizonaskyshades]

Dana and the team at Mystery Ranch create the finest backpacks available, bar none. Their first rate quality, exceptional attention to detail, and solid integrity as a company should be an example to all. Great video! Thanks to Mystery Ranch for setting the bar high for superior manufacturing in the U.S.

[@jayonez137]

90% of their packs are not made in the USA. Only their Berry Compliant packs are made in the USA. All the other backpacking packs are made overseas. My Dana packs from the 90s. They were all made in Bozeman Mt. Night and day difference compared to the ones that are being made overseas

[@MichaelScheuenpflug]

Great guy. Was a pleasure to meet him in Nuremberg Germany. Thanks for these great products you create.

[@xurxinhoo]

I love this kind of stories of success. For sure I will have a Mystery Ranch pack some day. Their products are designed to fit the users and quality is their best feature, both in raw materials, in manufacturing, in design and in customer care. Good to know about the origins. Fortunately Dana Gleason made a career as a designer and manufacturer of gear.

[@apexshootingandtacticsllc7597]

I feel in love with Dana Design packs back in 1993. I own 3 Dana Design packs, pre Mystery Ranch, the last Dana Design pack I purchased was in 1999 and all three are still going strong despite years of hard use to include 3 long distance thru hikes. Someday I will own a Mystery Ranch pack.... That is if my old packs will ever die.

[@jayonez137]

The only good packs that Mystery Ranch makes is there a Berry compliant packs that are made in USA. All of the other ones are made overseas nowadays . They are nothing like the good ol’ Dana packs that were made in Bozeman Mt.

[@JD-hs7ib]

Dana after owning a Dana Designs Terraplane for about 4 years. I purchased a Dana Designs M-80 Overkill in 1995 i carried it to work everyday for over 20 years working for 2 different ski resorts. Best piece of equipment i ever owned. TY Dana

[@bkdesignr]

i have 2 Dana packs that are invaluable. one of them has been through hell and back again and is just now getting broken in. thank you

[@vintagebikes4215]

This company and products are everything he says and more. Used on many trips.

[@rmkvisions]

Great video, love all of my Mystery Ranch products and Cordura

[@stockholm1752]

Well, I've had one of your packs for 17 years and I will attest it has been to Yosemite, CA, Kodiak Island, Aspen, Vancouver, Canada, Spain, Sweden, England and France, where I live now. There is nothing better. "Humbug Spire" daypack. I love it.

[@camdenrose9381]

“We’re building tools here not building toys or fashion”

[@guypaul5497]

Just ran across an Astralplane at a used gear shop for $90. Got it of course and will get many miles out of it. My old UL couldn't take the canyons of Utah last year

[@jayonez137]

I still have my early to mid 90’s Dana Astroplane and my Terraplane. And my 2 bang tails. All made in Bozeman Mt. can’t beat them. The inside of the packs are getting a little sticky. I heard that could be fixed easily with corn starch application. Any opinions?? Cannot justify buying a mystery ranch when my Dana packs are still running strong.

[@rchristianwooley4870]

Hows the foam in the backpad holding up? Mine disintegrated, other than that my Dana Astroplane overkill looks brand new after 25 years of use.

[@jayonez137]

@@rchristianwooley4870 Everything is still in tiptop shape. Not sure where you store yours but my Astroplane always hangs in my closet with zips open. The only issue I had was the inside of my pack was getting a little sticky from the waterproofing treatment they used on the backside of the nylon starting to break down. But I treated it with a little bit of powdered cornstarch per Other people’s recommendation and that completely fixed that issue. That is the most comfortable pack I’ve ever owned. It has a lot of miles on it. I recently bought the Kifaru Stryker XL pack. Made is USA 🇺🇸. That is a top-notch pack also.

[@rchristianwooley4870]

@@jayonez137 I've stored mine pretty much the same with the belt removed and inside the main chamber. The only real de-laminated issues I've had were with a Dana accessories pouch that fits across the stomach. It attaches to the lower part of the shoulder straps. It kinda looks like a deflated football with a zipper on top.

[@secourismeenmilieuhostile4785]

Ce gars fabrique aux USA un sac MEDIC juste incroyable le MYSTERY RANCH RATS. Il s'ouvre à une seule main si on doit utiliser l'autre pour faire un point de compression ou tenir son arme... J'utilise le MYSTERY RANCH RATS JUMP en MULTICAM et je l'adore...

[@petersaler731]

What a badass! I trust your gear with my life.

[@OutdoorAesthetics_org]

Thanks for the video!

[@tom_olofsson]

Made in America and worth it.

[@peijae1]

I love my 95 Dana Design Bomb Pack!

[@davestadnik8739]

Great video can u send a metcalf pack to Ontario please👍

[@theguyinmaine]

I just need a large hip belt for my Terraplane I bought in the 90's and is still going strong. Why can't someone build belts and shoulder straps for the vintage packs that are still part of peoples memories so they can continue making memories? I'll trade a medium in great shape for a large, and extra large shoulder straps for large. let me know where I can get them. It's a sin to toss a perfectly good pack.

[@rchristianwooley4870]

Honestly in my opinion some of these Companies that morphed from other Companies should support the "Lifetime Warranty" that was part of the outrageous price of 90's gear. DanaDesign=Mystery Ranch MOSS Tents = MSR... Everyone went out of Business right around the time all the foam degraded and fabrics de-laminated.. lol

[@theguyinmaine]

@@rchristianwooley4870 I had a Moss winter and a Moss summer tent. They were made not far from my home. Nice equipment.

[@rchristianwooley4870]

@@theguyinmaineI have a Moss too! Amazing Tents! The fly is starting to pimple but not actually de-laminating yet. Mines the Big Dipper, people thought I was insane when I bought it. It's 12-14lbs.. but I've had a dozen people huddled in it when there was a severe storm destroying their tents. 40-50mph winds, just a breeze in a Moss...

[@jayonez137]

100% true. My 90’s Dana Astraplane and Terraplane are still going strong. No De-lamination. Foam still good to go on both

[@rchristianwooley4870]

I've never seen that coral/porous like foam, except in small squares as a filter. So I replaced the back foam with dense eggcrate and it's work well.

[@losteden]

nice, i hope my new vanquest trident is made from this stuff here

[@shadowdance4666]

If only Cordura would use Aramids in their fabrics

[@fanooch1]

That cordura used back in the seventies sucked. I have an original gleason pack from the 70's. Its unusable today because the of delamination of the water proofing. Its smells horrible and the coating is a sticky, pealing mess.

[@douglaslong2837]

The waterproof coat on the inside of my pack has turned sticky, nasty. The company has no warranty for me. For $480 this pack sucks. Really sucks!

[@rchristianwooley4870]

I sprinkled baby powder in a pack that did this and it helped a lot.