Moving to a new factory has allowed me to re-work details of the product line, including the Rope Silos. In many ways, they are the same as the previous Silos, but with a few subtle changes that I think make them considerably better. Here are the changes:

1. Top Rim: I have taken out the nylon wire around the top of the rim. When I originally designed the Rope Silos, I focused on making them very stiff so they were easy to stuff. But the wire gets in the way, making the whole thing very stiff, and hard to pack, etc. I have found other ways to make the top rim stiff enough for one person to easily stuff, while getting rid of the obnoxious nature of the super-stiff wire.

2. Dimensions: the original silo was a mesh bag with some Cordura/foam to hold it up. Over the years, the Cordura has increased and the Mesh decreased - and the new version is perhaps the culmination of this trend. The Cordura is wider, the mesh narrower.

3. Zippers: there was some talk of making a "dry canyon" rope silo, without the bulk and weight of the foam. I considered making a separate product, but the separation would have been minimal, so... So, the 2014 Silos have a zipper holding the foam in place, so it can be removed. I consider it unlikely most canyoneers will end up removing the foam from time to time, but... Additionally, when making these in the USA, it means we can load the foam here in Mt Carmel, and don't have to ship the foam from here to Winslow Arizona and back - a significant savings of cost.

Made in USA and Made in Shanghai China: for the last couple months, we have been having some made in Winslow Arizona, right there on Route 66. Current Colors are Shimmering Sand and Loden Green. Our factory there is small, so most of the Silos produced ship out as soon as they come in. WHEN we get the big shipment in (July 10?), there will be ample supply, and our Winslow facility will concentrate on PotShots and SandTraps, but I intend to also make a larger rope Silo for a 300' 9mm size rope.

I hope you will find the new version of our primary rope-handling tool to be even better than past versions.

Tom

Imlay Rope Silo 2014 Changes

Canyoneering USA