News New Canyoneering Backpacks

I am wary when heavily muscled/ultra-fit canyoneers opine on how 'comfortable' a pack is.
A bit like some 20 year old model selling anti-aging cream

"Rapterman "Them Euro peons jus' keep churnin out perforated pillow cases. Durable! Cheap! Comfortable? Give me a break. If there was any suspension worth doodoo they would be proud of it and show some pictures! Is there an anatomic curve (human) anywhere on these SILLY-SACKS?""

Yes, comfort is nice luxury. However, it is not everything. We should consider weight for instance...Edelrid Guide (50L) weighs 46 oz = Imlay Heaps (48L) weighs 74 oz. 60% more weight. Not knocking Imlay packs, just sayin'.

FYI...Tom...we love your packs! I have friends, myself included, who would lie, cheat, and steal to get a new Imlay pack!!!

Other innovative pack options:
Norhex
Gear Perspective
Amphipak

Not to mention all the European Canyoning bags. No, the Colorado Plateau doesn't have the same environment, but that is not to say the euro packs aren't good.

I for one and proud of the folks at Slot for building these packs. Past products spur innovation. Nice work guys!

Here’s my review from the short time I’ve used the Slot 50L guide pack: The one thing the pack has is room. There’s a surprisingly large amount of pack space in the top. I keep my hammer, drill, 60 feet of webbing, headlamp, neoprene gloves, pretzel ascenders, hooking devices and map in the packs top. The bottom portion is where it gets interesting. It has a woven divider to separate your loose rope from your other year. I find that it’s useful in class C canyons, if you are quite literally guiding groups of people. For less water dependent canyons it does hold a XL silo by Imlay gear, but it’s ability to drain water is somewhat reduced.

For those of you who don’t want to read the top part, here’s my pros and cons:

Pros:
- lots of space
- floats really well (I’m sure it’s dependent on gear)
- works great as a anchor rigging station if there’s bolts due to its internal gear loops
- Everything is easily accessible

Cons:
- The backpack hip strap is removable but does not have anyway to secure it to the pack besides the webbing loops
- If you’re using a rope bag, it will drain slowly
- Odd back support for hiking in and hiking out
- White is surprisingly hard to see in canyons
- Hard to attach a helmet to if you’re running both a rope and a wetsuit in your pack
- Expensive

Would I buy it again? If I can’t find an Imlay pack, then yes. Although there is something to be said about it’s convince in class C canyons.

I'm working on bringing the whole line back (which will take a while) - at the moment the only Imlay Pack available is the new version of the Mystery - https://www.canyoneeringusa.com/rave//imlay-2023-mystery-pack-new and https://www.canyoneeringusa.com/store/imlay-mystery-pack