To me the ranger typifies the classic "lone wolf" character. And that has been a popular stereotype with adolescent males since humans gained speech... who doesn't like the idea of the lone hero, surviving the elements with just his whits and skill and occasionally kicking butts? But... that idea has many, many variations... thus there being so many versions of the class... I like the idea of a spell-less Ranger with better combat style options, terrain expertise and a better animal companion (if he has one at all...)... maybe a Ranger/Scout gestalt without spells would be good...