Customer Reviews Mystery Ranch 3 Way

I love this bag, I've had multiple people ask me about it. I travel a lot for work so it doubles as the perfect carry-on with the backpack straps. The only downside is the shoulder sling strap, as the primary carry position I use in the office, it's a real shame that it squeaks like a dying rabbit. The pocket layout is great, tons of different options and even has a velcro patch on the inside to add any 3rd party accessories you choose. I went for a EDC organizer. Overall it's great, but eventually I'll snap and buy another shoulder strap.

I've owned and carried this bag for about a year or so, and have carried it on a ton of intl work travel (I got the bag at a discount from a local retailer for whom I do gear testing and reviews). High quality convertible bags are hard to find, esp at this price point. The magnetic front flap is clutch, and works very well. I think the size is spot on - I can load it down with all the essentials for a day of travel or work. Bose headphones, laptop, Nalgene, notebook, and all the small accessories (keys, passport, pens). I've also used it as a flight bag on occasion. I prefer shoulder bags for travel because it's easier to have quick access to documents, drinks, etc., but I also like being able to put it into backpack mode if I am on a long walk across town. That said, I think it could benefit from a couple improvements: Different shoulder strap. I've found that mine squeaks when walking with the bag in shoulder bag "mode." The squeaking will stop if I put my hand on the strap, but I think swapping out the swivels to avoid plastic on plastic would eliminate the noise. Slip through back panel for stowing on a carry on handle. I've found a lot of shoulder bags made for travel - as this one is - have a slip-through panel on the back so the bag can be stowed on the handle of a carry on. Workaround I found for this is either to just put the bag in backpack mode and carry it that way, ORI just wrap the shoulder straps around my carry on and tighten them down. Understand this is kind of nit picky, but I don't think adding the slip through back panel would add any cost and would provide a big benefit to the utility of the bag.

MYSTERY RANCH, I travel around the world for work and am a bag connoisseur. This is an amazing bag. It's clearly well built with great features. I'm begging Mystery Ranch to re-design with these 3 features in order to make this the most perfect bag: 1. Add a luggage loop so that the bag can be slid over luggage handles and carried on top of a carry-on luggage piece. 2. Add an exterior water bottle pocket. 3. Add lockable zippers so that a small lock can be utilized. If you add these features, this will literally be the industry's best EDC bag.

Love the 3 way briefcase. Many pocket choices. Would be cool to see an outside end pocket to snug in a water bottle with a place to clip to secure as an option.

I bought this bag a few weeks ago and so far it has been ok. This has held more things then it probably should have. This last trip I found myself rethinking this purchase. I found it was missing a few things that would make this bag great. it is missing a side handle to pull it out of the overhead bins on a plane. It would also be great if it had a luggage pass threw to put it on top of roller luggage, water bottle side pocket would be nice. Lastly it needs a better shoulder strap with some padding and clips that don't make a squeak while carrying.

The bag is great overall! There is more room that I had initially thought and has worked out well. I did mark it 4/5 stars because the shoulder strap/sling is quite uncomfortable and it's low quality. For a bag of this price point, I would have expected to see something a bit nicer. With that said, I tossed that strap in the trash and replaced it with something nice.

The briefcase is the ideal size. I also like the color. It needs a couple minor fixes to make it great: padded shoulder strap and make the handles longer for when the briefcase is full.

I've used my briefcase for about two months after using the same Osprey Astro almost every day for about a decade. I switched because I own an older model pack made by the same group that I really love and I wasn't thrilled with the Osprey options. The pack is generally well built and designed. I love the storage capacity and expandability. It carries everything I need fairly easily, but my laptop does not fit in the laptop sleeve. I have not found that to be a problem overall. The front access panel is really handy and the space is well organized. I like the backpack strap option, but I almost always use the shoulder carry. In my view there are two issues that could be easily addressed. First, the shoulder strap could be improved. Overall the bag is quite rugged/durable, but the shoulder straps seem somewhat to be of lower construction quality, including the connectors to the bag. Compared with my older shoulder bag, and others that I considered purchasing, these are much more limited. I plan on working with a gear company to construct a stronger custom strap than was included with the bag. Improving the quality of the connection points and adding in a stronger shoulder strap would improve the bag a lot. There is also no shoulder pad on the bag (I simply added my old one to the strap). Finally, it would be better (for me) to have an external water bottle access pocket. This would make it more of a messenger bag than a brief case, but might be a nice feature. All that aside, I really, really like this bag and would definitely purchase it again. It is well made with lots of space. I'm hoping to get 10 years out of this one.

I have had this for a couple of weeks and checks almost all the boxes. A couple of inches in length more would make this so much better. Also another request for the next model, an external water bottle holder (one that doesnt take away interior space) would be much appreciated. Other than that it does everything I expect it too and the internal velcro pad is perfect for cc.

I wish I could give 4.5 instead of just 4 but this bag is awesome. The laptop compartment on the bag is very secure and the laptop does not contact the ground. My 15" laptop fits perfect but I am sure newer thinner models fit even better. There are just enough pockets for organization but not so many that I would feel overwhelmed with the storage offerings. The materials used, and zippers, are of the highest quality and work flawlessly. A few tweaks could have this bag be 5/5. First plastic hardware for the shoulder strap should be metal. This bag is so rugged but that plastic squeaks and overall feels a bit cheap even though it may very well be strong and durable. Second the zipper on the front pocket flap goes all the way past where the zipper can physically engage. It isn't a big deal but it's an aesthetic thing. Finally a loop/lanyard in the bag for keys would be nice. I don't necessarily need a luggage pass through but I would prefer that to the backpack straps. (although I know that defeats the purpose of the 3-way carry).

I purchased this about a month or so ago. While the bag may seem small I am able to fit all my items/laptop and still have space for more. I was using a traditional messenger style bag prior and this has more space (especially with the expansion capability). Very happy with the purchase... have not had an issue with quality, seems pretty bullet proof.

This would be a 4.5 if it could be, but here it is. I'll start with the FEW minor cons first: 1. The internal zippered mesh pocket behind the front cover is deep in a way which makes it difficult to access small items placed in it which may fall to the bottom. It's not exactly life stopping, but I think the pocket could be designed for better access to ALL of its contents. This is the source of the missing half star...that's it. 2. With all the room in the front easy access pocket, a dedicated pocket for 20 or so business cards would be nice. Just a suggestion. Pros: The bag seems SOLIDLY built! Seams are neat and straight, zippers are beefy and smooth, the handles are comfortable and flexible, and the look of the bag is professional without being pretentious. I have the tan canvas bag and I really like the low-key relaxed look. The bag carries well and stands on its own with a laptop and accessories inside. It's pretty roomy WITHOUT expanding it, though that's a nice option. Overall, if you're considering this bag, get it! Are there better bags? Maybe, but the price and quality meet at that magical point at which getting this one just makes sense. Cheers!

I like the look, size, and general design of the bag. I really wanted to love it, and here's why I don't. The strap isn't padded, which for a narrow strap on a bag primarily designed to be carried over the shoulder is a flaw. The strap clips also squeak relentlessly when walking, which is annoying. At least one end pocket for a bottle or other gear would make a huge difference. I understand it's also designed to be worn as a backpack and so an end pocket could be problematic in that configuration, but it would make the bag better. At least some of the inside pockets should have flaps/zippers for keeping things contained when the bag is in backpack orientation. I am surprised that there are no clips inside for keys or other tools. In general, I just feel other bags do a better job with internal pockets, pouches, and slots for holding different things more securely. While I am selecting that I would recommend the bag, I would recommend it with all of the above caveats.

Missing shoulder strap for crossbody. Had to buy a replacement from Amazon.