A New Outdoor Brand Just for the Desert

Meet Slot—the authentic outdoor brand with a focus on desert adventures that we have always needed.

Moab local Dave Schipper has been a big friend of this magazine over the years: He’s been there at the end of epic rides to pick us up in a shuttle; he’s set us up with guides; he beat us down on the singletrack; and he’s even given us essential beta on the backcountry. Now, after decades working as a product designer for big brands including Black Diamond, The North Face, and Salomon, he’s launched his own venture: Slot (slot-usa.com). So far, the highlight is award-winning packs made for canyoneering and featuring the ability to set up a single-rope system (a canyoneering godsend) straight out of the pack. But Schipper has bigger plans to grow Slot into a full “desert brand,” something that—surprisingly, considering just how many of us get out and play in the desert—doesn’t really exist right now. Slip on Slot’s Cataract shorts and cozy La Sal fleece, and you can tell they were designed by folks who spend a lot of time playing in the red rock. “Eleven million people came to Utah’s desert national parks last year,” says Schipper, “and we are here for them. We’re just a desert brand. Doing desert things.” —Doug Schnitzspahn