Rope Silo                 $ 54.95        

Small - for 60m x 8mm rope or smaller
Medium - for 100m x 8mm rope or 60m x 9mm rope
Large - for 60m x 10.5mm rope or larger

Never coil a rope again (almost).

The Imlay Rope Silo is a sophisticated rope management tool. With a very stiff, wire reinforced rim, burly flow-through mesh, and floatation foam on three sides, the Silo works great.

• The foam plus the stiff rim provides a fixed shape, allowing the canyoneer to easily load the rope into the silo.

• Two easy-to-grab handles allow for easy clipping and easy grabbing.

• Over-sized top folds easily down over the body, out of the way.

• A 1/2" bottom grommet allows tying the rope through the bottom - with the rope available for a full-strength connection.

• Two interior tie in points allow the bottom of the rope to be tied in high, for easy access, or low, to keep it out of the way.

• Adjustable shoulder strap allows easy carry between drops.

• Mesh sides and top allow water to flow through the bag.

• Floatation is enough to float most ropes.

• Three sizes to fit your needs.

Using the Imlay Rope Silo

The Silo is designed for use in canyoneering, where many drops of varying length make managing the rope a chore. Efficient use of a ropebag requires training and experience, but we'll hit the main points here.

Hiking to the Entrance

The rope stacked in the Silo may not be the most efficient way to carry the rope. When space is at a premium, coil the rope and carry the coil and the ropebag separately. Load the rope at the top of the first drop.

Loading the Rope

Clip the Silo to a biner at your waist. Clipping the Silo to the belay loop positions it too low - try clipping a biner directly to your harness's waistbelt, holding it at a convenient level. Fold the top drawcord rim out over the rim, to keep it out of the way.

Tie the bottom end into the bag with a secure knot.

There are three places to tie it:

A. the lower tie in point - this is usually best. Keeps the end and knot out of the way.

B. the upper tie-in point - if you might want to use both ends of the rope, the bottom of the rope is more easily accessed if tied in high.

C. through the bottom grommet - if you plan on using the rope as a pull-cord and will need to make a full-strength connection to another rope, pass the rope out the grommet and tie around the bottom strap using a secure knot.

Stack the Rope into the Silo.

Generally this can be done two-handed, with some resistance on the rope, perhaps running over your shoulder. The running rope can also be held high by a partner, or clipped to a biner on your helmet chin-strap.

The biner on the chinstrap doesn't do it for me. A sling doubled around the neck works fairly well. A little bit of resistance allows for faster stacking.

Push the rope down firmly every 15 strokes or so. Usually the rope will feed very neatly into the Silo.

When done, tie-off the end to either of the handles. Pull the drawcord tight. Tuck the knot inside the drawcord.

Setting the Rope Length with the Silo (Single)

For short rappels, the rope can be set single strand very quickly using the Silo. Clip the Silo to a sling on the anchor, untie the top of the rope, thread the rope through the anchor point and set the length. Biner-Block or Munter-Mule. The last canyoneer can rappel single strand with the Silo against the Biner-Block.

Setting the Rope Length with the Silo (Double)

Short rappels can be set up double-strand in much the same way. After setting the length of the first end, grasp the rope to keep it from sliding, and chuck the ropebag down the drop. Rappel.

Long Rappels with the Silo

On long rappels, it is often best to keep the rope in the Silo as long as possible. In the Silo, the rope cannot get tangled on vegetation or flakes.

Tie or biner-block the top of the rope to the anchor. Hang the silo from your harness with a shoulder-length sling, and put yourself on rappel. Open the drawcord on the top rim slightly. Rappel, pulling rope out of the bag as you go. WARNING-- the rope will come out of the bag with kinks in it. These kinks have a tendency to jump out of your brake hand if you do not pay careful attention.

If during the rappel, the bottom becomes visible and it seems appropriate, the ropebag can simply be dropped, deploying the rope as it goes.

From the bottom of the rappel, the rope length can be re-adjusted with the cooperation of your partner above.

Every Drop?

Generally, it works best to re-load the rope into the Silo after every drop. Try different things, and see what works for you.

Learn to use the Rope Silo, and you will never go back.

Sizing the Rope Silo

Imlay makes three sizes of Rope Silos for different lengths and diameters. Custom size are also available. When efficiently stacked in the bag, there should be about 1" of free space to the rim from the top of the rope. If the Silo is too crowded, the final 20 feet of the rope will be very difficult to stack.

How Strong are the Connections?

While sewn strongly, there are NO (ZERO, NONE) parts of the Rope Silo that should ever be asked to hold body weight. The handles and bottom cross strap are strong enough for holding the rope silo in most conceivable circumstances, but in no case should they be used in any anchor system, even for low-strength situations.

Specifications

Capacity: Small - for 60m x 8mm rope or smaller Capacity: Medium - for 100m x 8mm rope or 60m x 9mm rope Capacity: Large - for 60m x 10.5mm rope or larger Weight: Small - 18 oz (510 g) Weight: Medium - 20 oz (570 g) Weight: Large - 22 oz (625 g) Colors: Red, Tan or Teal, with black mesh. Colors on size Large may be different.

Imlay Rope Silo             $ 54.95