The Guide 50L started it all. Seven years of testing and refinement landed this bag as the perfect blend of carrying comfort and durability. Engineered to optimize rope management in multi-person guided canyoneering situations, this pack proved to increase the pace and optimize safety. At 50 liters, it has room for daily supplies, extra belay ropes, and group safety gear.

In non-guided applications, this backpack is a great choice for multi rope routes, overnights, or when more than the essentials are needed. It is equally at home rock climbing at the Creek, technical pack raft portages, or any other big desert objectives you scheme up with your sandbagging friends. Gone are the days of carrying a separate rope bag or hanging your rope over the top of your pack. The Guide 50L has more than enough room for rope and gear with a divider to keep the two separate and organized in any situation.

SRS Rope Management

Rope management is separated from gear by a physical fabric divider. Gear goes into ‘Gear Side’ compartment, rope flakes into ‘Rope Side’ compartment. 

Hung from lid loop or grab loop pack serves as a rope bucket for fast, reliable rope management.

Comfort

Contoured back panel fits to the shape of your back.

Removable padded waistbelt distributes load to hips for comfortable approaches.

Most accurate blend of carry comfort and durability.

No sharp ends or hard edges to suffer under sandstone’s abrasion.

Canyon-ability

Pack construction and materials are blended for maximum durability. Wear area seams protected with webbing armor.

Shoulder harness webbing extends behind back panel, bar tacked into additional 1.5” webbing under padding.

Lid and opening edges finished with load bearing seam binding. Rope deploys smoothly in rappels and bag can be pulled thru narrows by lid.

Bottom has 17 water drain eyelets. Water moves thru bag quickly, keeping weight to a minimum. 

Quickly strips down to canyon-streamline. Removable padded waistbelt, webbing waistbelt, sternum strap, and wetsuit bag.

Lid closes with carabiner. Durable construction and webbing quality is NOT intended for any part of rigging.

Suspended by lid or grab loops pack deploys in bucket mode for easy rope or gear access. 

Two exterior lid pockets for water, hats or gloves.

Two interior pockets for maps, headlamps, or nutrition.

Front loops fit removable wetsuit bag. Upper loops made for hauling with grab loop.

Hydration

The Guide does not have a hydration sleeve system. In field testing bags this size routinely stripped the bite valve off the end, sharing the day’s water with the parched desert landscape. Instead a water bottle holster is recommended for approach and exit. When it’s time to rap remove the waistbelt and holster. Put the bottle in the lid and the waistbelt holster in the gear side. The softer bike-style bottle plastic will be less prone to abrade the pack. 

Capacity

Ideal for gear intense canyons and outings. 

Wetsuit bag (removable) puts this bulky item on the exterior until it is required. Once the neoprene is on, bag is removed and stowed in gear side compartments. Keeping bag as small and nimble as possible in canyon.

Removable padded waistbelt can carry 2 water bottle holsters, insuring hydration momentum is on track when the canyoneering begins.

weight: 4 lbs, 4 oz

If you purchased a product and aren’t satisfied for any reason, simply submit our return form within 30 days of original purchase. Then we'll send you a prepaid return label and issue a refund for the product once it's been received and inspected by our team. Items must be in new condition with tags and original packaging.

How long will my order take to ship?

Orders placed before 12pm MST will be shipped out same day.

Why do your packs not have shoulder strap load adjusters (or load lifters)?

From Dave, our designer:

Load lifters are an integral part of many packs. I usually design packs with them. Bigger packs (bigger than 30L or carry more than 20 lbs) use load lifters off the top of shoulder straps to pull the load into the back. This requires a back structure of stays or a stiff panel to transfer ‘pull’ of load lifters down the back.

These packs are intended to be the best canyoneering packs available. Which means they have to carry well on the hike in, while scrambling, and stand up to the ‘teeth’ of being tossed, pulled and thrown through sandstone slots.

If a back panel stay or anything that creates an edge is designed into the pack it will isolate a wear area and blow thru in too short a time. 

Our design statement, all those years ago, was to build a bag that carried like a backpack with the durability of a haul bag. Our pack reviews rate our packs as ‘very comfortable’ and years of testing shows them to be durable.

What length rope fits in the Guide 50L?

The Guide 50L was designed and tested by guides. It carries two 60m lines or combinations similar. In addition to personal guiding gear, it has room for group rescue, first aid, safety and food. More pockets in lid help organize navigation items and admin items.

Are there different sizes in this pack / will it fit me?

We currently only have 1 size. The packs work best for people with back lengths between 17.5” and 22.5”. However, just because you are outside the bell curve, you may still find them to be more comfortable than alternative canyoneering packs. 

SLOT Canyoneering Packs are designed to meet the demands of sandy canyons of the desert southwest. This sport and its environment holds life-threatening aspects and varies dramatically with weather and conditions. NO part of these bags are intended to be part of rigging or Personal Protection Equipment system. It is the responsibility of the user to know and understand the use of all canyoneering gear and assume responsibility of the risks involved. Be safe, move well, and enjoy the trip.