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mystery ranch hip monkey + in-and-out 19

mystery ranch in and out + hip monkey

according to the keepers of the cog at velominati, rule #29 expressly forbids the use of so-called european posterior man-satchels, which, if i have correctly understood the implications thereof, means such items as 'bum-bags' and the packs commonly seen 'neath the rear of the saddle. despite the fact that we tend to find either of the above highly pragmatic for the carrying of multi-tools, mini-pumps, spare inner tubes and the like, velominati contends that the three rear pockets on a cycle-jersey are specifically designed for the carriage of such objects, and to resort to 'man satchels, is surely to sully the purety of the sport.

mystery ranch in and out + hip monkey

except, as included in yesterday's feature on the forthcoming fermain clothing brand, not everyone views riding a bicycle as an apprenticeship for potential sporting victory. the greater number of cyclists across the world hold arguably more mundane, yet practical reasons for riding a bicycle, and are rarely to be seen clad in a jersey or jacket possessing three rear pockets. admittedly, many of the cycles owned by this category of cyclist are likely to have racks affixed above the rear wheel, specifically placed to carry luggage, the likes of which would never be carried by the likes of mathieu van der poel or tom pidcock. nor is a team car to be seen following each and every ride.

mystery ranch in and out + hip monkey

yet, in between the two mentioned categories of cyclists, are those riding in no-man's land, quite literally in several cases. and no matter how independent and rugged the professed individual, there's often the not inconsiderable problem of having to carry stuff. and under those particular conditions, velominati can go rattle themselves. many are the rucksacks or backpacks designed to ease the carrying of cargo on the daily commute, or the occasional venture into the hinterlands, the majority of which have one, often insurmountable problem; stowage.

mystery ranch hip monkey

though not specific to the above scenario, if i might postulate the following quandary. on each and every alternate friday afternoon, i have the pleasurable task of carting a package of our local newspaper the 14km from bowmore to debbie's in bruichladdich. though each individal copy of the paper is hardly an item likely to be part of a weight-training regime, the size and weight of several dozen is more than can be accommodated in the average rear pocket of a jacket or jersey. not unnaturally, i have been undertaking this onerous task by piling the pack of papers into a backpack. the more alert amongst you may see what's coming, but having delivered the newspapers, my appreciation of the aesthetics of cycling advises against the ignominy of returning with an empty backpack across my back.

fortunately, the clever folks at the eccentrically named mystery ranch are one step ahead of me. their even more eccentrically named in-and-out comprises a sturdy backpack that effectively folds inside itself, arriving in the manner of a zipped pouch. the squishing technology is quite brilliant, and even if you're as absent-minded as yours truly, who paid almost no attention to the un-squishing process, getting it all back in again is pretty simply achieved. unlike many foldable rucksacks/backpacks, the in-and-out is remarkably well-specced, fabricated from 100d rip-stop cordura with numerous adjustable loops, padded straps, and including a stabilising chest strap. it weighs less than half a kilogramme and offers sufficient internal volume to carry two 3kg bags of training porridge.

mystery ranch in and out + hip monkey

but, i hear you ask, assuming it all squishes back into its own integral pocket, isn't it still too big to fit in a jersey pocket? i can but admit that you are not wrong, which is precisely where the similarly branded (and in this case, similarly coloured) mystery ranch hip monkey plays an important part in proceedings. comprising an eight litre capacity zippable mini-pack, it's fabricated from 500d rip-stop cordura and weighing much the same as the in-and-out. internally, there is a separately zipped pocket, easily accommodating an essentials pack with coffee money, while the larger portion comfortably swallowed my mini-pump, tyre jack and spare gloves with ease.

the adjustable strap by which it is worn, is several centimetres wide, with a proportionally sized fastener and can be worn around the waist or over the shoulder, depending on which you prefer. but best of all, added to the cargo described above, the compacted in-and-out fits inside with still more room to spare, allowing the non-velominati adherent to ride home without the embarrassment of having a completely empty back pack in full view of a less than adoring public. mystery ranch may have a bizarre name (they're based in bozeman, montana), but their 21 years of experience in fabricating carriage systems for the military, fire departments and mountaineers, has been put to good use in favour of the velocipedinally active. assuming carrying stuff is part of your day-to-day, once-a-month, or porridge-training-regime, it well behoves you to investigate further.

the mystery ranch in-and-out is available in nine colours (lemon reviewed) at a cost of £79. the hip-monkey is available in seven colour variations at a retail price of £50. mystery ranch products are distributed in the uk by edinburgh's 2-pure, who would presumably able to advise of uk stockists.

2-pure | mystery ranch | mysetry ranch uk

saturday 24 april 2021

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