Creating Case for Rod, can’t find End caps!

[DGoggins]

OK, I recently purchased a 12' Iwana to finally fish the mountain lakes and streams where I hike here in Idaho. I am wanting to make a case like the one mentioned here ->

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Fluorescent tube protector, 1.25"OD (the small one), 4' long, with chair leg caps for the ends.
$2 at Home Depot. Cut with a utility knife. Add a little tape to the tube for a tight fitting cap.

This one is 16" long and weighs under an ounce.
One that is 22" long weighs 1.15 ounces.

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I was able to find the 1 1/4" tube at Home Depot (for $3.50), but I'm having a hard time sourcing some end caps.

Home Depot and Lowes have rubber end tips (heavy) in a wide range of sizes, including 1 1/4" diameter, but finding plastic chair tips in 1 1/4" is harder. HD had 1" and 1.5", but not 1.25". I did see these on amazon ->

http://www.amazon.com/Shepherd-Hardware-9769-4-Inch-Plastic/dp/B000FKDG4M/ref=sr_1_4?s=hardware&ie=UTF8&qid=1434848766&sr=1-4&keywords=1+1%2F4+plastic

And…I'm not crying if I have to buy $8 caps, but I like MYOG a lot better when the materials are just dirt cheap. Anybody know of a good source of caps for the fluorescent tube?

[Mark Ries]

I have some 1-1/4" leg tips a package of 2 they are kinda heavy though at 4 oz in package but they are yours if you want them

[DGoggins]

Thank you for your generosity…though at that weight it would defeat the purpose of making the case. Are those rubber tips?

I was also thinking of trying to find pvc end caps though I would assume those would also be too heavy.

[Marko Botsaris]

The wonderful thing about a telescoping tenkara rod is that it IS is own, already super ultralight and strong graphite case. The butt section of these rods are pretty damn tough and make the ideal case already. The most expensive conventional fly rod nowadays sometime have actual graphite cases. LOL This is much more protective and strong than any DIY case you can come up with that will be of reasonable weight. What you probably need is just one of the ripstop bags that have a shoulder string (if that). These make very simple DIY project too. This would protect it against minor abrasions, which short of a bullet are its only real vulnerability. I store mine (with nylon bag) in the side pocket of my pack, and a loop in the cord gets snapped into a tiny carabiner to hold it in place. The way it is stored, even if my backpack were to roll down a cliff it would be unlikely to get damaged. My Iwana used in this way hard for more than a month of backpacking days still looks perfect.

If you are supper cautions you could line the ripstop "quiver" bag with bubble wrap to cushion against any sharp sideways blows. Or if you don't care about the shoulder strap or how it looks, just make a case/cover out of bubble wrap. But I don't think the plastic tube is going to necessarily add much protection under the vast majority of backpacking scenarios. You are FAR more likely to damage it when it is telescoped out and you are using it.

On the other hand I get the aesthetic part about having your own bit of DIY kit. Nice looking tube anyway!

BTY, the lenght is also about right to wrap in your sleeping pad, if you use one.

[DGoggins]

Yeah… I'm only going to make a case if it can be around an ounce. I'm protective of my expensive gear (I always use polycryo under my Internet or bivies) and do care about looks so the case mainly guards against abrasions. I walk through a lot of Boulder or scramble through talus fields and that granite is sharp! Mainly protecting against gouges and scrapes.

[Marko Botsaris]

A lot of people might even say a few abrasion just add authenticity and show you are a "real" fishing backpacker. Like the finger burn marks on the neck of Eric Clapton's Fender Strat! :-)

Or purchase used for that pre-authenticised look!

The "Ebira" case, such as the ones sold on Tenkarabum, are about 1/2 oz. You can make your own (or if you go crazy lite, or are just crazy) get a cuben tent pole sack (perfect size) from zpacks. I found the added utility pouch attachment on the Ebira to be more or less useless, and leave it at home. The super heavy grade ripstop might also be a bit of overkill. But essentially is a long thin stuff sack with a light cord – easy DIY project.

I do really find the shoulder strap cord very useful as in addition to providing a secure way to attach the rod to your pack, it is great if you are going to be climbing down to fishing areas where you need to use both your hands.

[DGoggins]

I didn't see the Ebira before…..a dyneema X quiver might not be bad. I still like the idea of having a more or less "hard" case to protect the hard rod from rocks (a rock will still dent up a rod with a dyneema X quiver….of course, a fluorescent tube case doesn't offer much protection either.

I do like the idea of a shoulder strap though. I'm thinking I could easily use a hole punch to make a hole on the side towards the bottom and top and string some Lawson glowire for a strap.

[Marko Botsaris]

In that case I hope you protect your noggin as well as you protect the rod. :-)

If you want to go harder the "classic" BPL solution are the tenite butyrate tubes you can get from US Plastics. They are hard, light and reasonably strong, and available pretty cheap with matching caps you can purchase. I experimented with then for glasses cases, and a lot of people swear by them. Since the weight goes down by the radius squared getting one just wide enough could pay off. These are actually very hard and tough – but their failure mode is to crack.

But probably you already saw them in your research: http://www.usplastic.com/search/?q=Tenite+butyrate+tubing&view=g

[David Thomas]

I've gone to plumbing and electrical supply houses and asked to buy the protective end caps used to ship threaded pipe. They are very similar to patio furniture end caps – a little squishy. Usually, they'll peel a few off pipe in stock. Rarely do they want any money if I'm asking for 1 or 2 – there's no part number or price for that in their system.

Small town. I'm super polite and go at a slow time. YMMV.

[DGoggins]

That suggestion was just the ticket…..Home Depot has metal pipe in their plumbing department and one was just the right type (well…I'll need to add tape to the end of the tube to get a tight fit, but it should work). All I had to do was ask for 2…no problem.

They do have an open hole but I'll just put some tape over it or something.

I received my new Iwana yesterday too! My first tenkara rod and I got it off the swap. Its so pretty I definitely don't want to scratch it up….I'm not even sure I want to take the plastic wrap off the cork handle! (I'm a bit OCD sometimes)

It did come with a pole case (too heavy for backpacking though) and came with like a sleeve, kind of like felt though I'm not sure what its made of. Light though.

The package came with a tenkara usa line holder and 13' of furled line. Does that sound too long? Or should I buy level line to start with?

[NJ Drew]

I normally use a fluorescent light tube protector I bought at lowes, cut down to size. It came with plastic end caps which fit in the tube, that help to keep its shape. One side I crazy glued on and the other side is just taped on with one strip of electrical tape. That tube with the "sock" that came with my rod is all I use for protection on the trail and it weights 3.5ozs. It also fits snug in my GLoomis tube for airplane travel.

P.S. My rod is a 3 pc GLoomis 7'6" 4wt Eastfork

[Greg Mihalik]

Sorry – I was in the woods and missed your post

Edit: and then I didn't read all of your post to see that you HD doesn't carry 1.25 chair caps.

So I'm no help at all.

Sorry, again.

[Dale Wambaugh]

You might try art and drafting supply stores to see what is available. The Alvin Ice Tubes look promising:

http://www.alvinco.com/Shop/Products.aspx?GID=2077

[Jenny A]

Dan: congratulations on your new Iwana rod! I have one and have had tons of fun with it, very versatile whether catching small fish or larger ones, very nicely made. Enjoy!

Have you seen the rod cases offered on Tenkarabum's website? They are exactly what I was looking for when I was doing what you are doing, including looking at light tubes and Alvin Ice Tubes. I found Tenkarabum's plastic tubes and purchased the medium one. It weighs 2.6 oz and is 1-7/8" inner diameter (slightly different than the published diameter of 1-1/2") and telescopes from 16-24". Several sizes are offered. I think it is the perfect minimalist solution.

I, too, like to take care of my rods but have actually taken to just sliding them into the side compression straps on my pack. As others have stated, the telescoping nature of the Tenkara rods makes them pretty darn durable without any extra protection. I babied mine at first, even using the hard case that came with the rod, then decided it was OK to carry as is. I have broken several fishing rods over the years (not Tenkaras, thank goodness!), none because they were carried improperly. Mostly dumb things on my part that a rod case would not have changed. I use the plastic tube when I am worried about brush, like you, or when I want to carry two rods.

Your 13ft furled line is not too long. I actually like the furled lines, but others prefer the level lines. Both work, and the fish don't care.

I actually purchased Ice Tubes a few years ago. They are heavy and cumbersome, and I never carried them backpacking. They are used to store rods in the garage at this point.

Edited for typos.

[Dan Yeruski]

+1 with what njdrew said about the caps being furnished with the protective tube. Makes for a nice case.

[DGoggins]

Thank you for the suggestions. njdrew….I see the electrical tape on your end, but what is the orange stuff at the very end of the cap? I can't quite tell in the picture. And …I suppose you are just continually replacing the electrical tape every once in a while when it loses its stickiness from coming on and off?

[NJ Drew]

hjuan99, That orange stuff is just the lighting. I didn't use a flash. Below are some better pictures of the end cap. It has a hole in the middle for the light tube prongs, but the tape covers that. For tapping I find that the electrical tape works well and when its no longer sticky I have a whole roll to go ;). Its been like 3 years since I put that tap on there it stays sticky for a long time.

[Paul Lewer]

I am sure there are lighter, but these aren't too bad:

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23029

[Adam Klags]

Fishing rods are tools. I don't believe they need to be protected. A well used tool can still last a lifetime if it is scratched and damaged. Its function will not be affected by appearance.

I'm not saying that its totally stupid to use a rod tube, but I recommend not doing so to protect just from scratches and nicks… chances are that's going to happen anyway while you fish.

The butt sections of these rods are extremely durable and strong. It takes a special kind of pressure at a very specific angle to really break through the lower sections. This kind of damage is hard to do. I've only done it once when I fell right on top of the section directly above the handle.

I just strap my rods to the side of my pack with the butt of the rod in the water bottle pocket while hiking, and the rest behind lashing straps or the side compression straps if they aren't totally used for compression of the pack. I leave them in their rod sock/fabric protector to help from minor scratches, from, say, branches as you walk the trail.

I have never broken a rod from carrying it, only from being stupid or falling while fishing with it in my hands.

I don't think there's any harm to the weight of a rod tube, but I'm just offering the idea of minimalism and that it isn't even necessary.

The major benefits of Tenkara rods are that you can replace one piece of the telescoping rod. It isn't that expensive. I've had to replace sections on many rods in the past when I've broken them in other ways. Its easy. I find its so easy that I just don't bother with rod tubes.

On any given day that I'm not backpacking, I'm carrying the rods strapped to my zimmerbuilt guide sling anyway… never use rod tubes accept when trying to carry many at once in one tube, for the sake of carrying extra rods, not protecting them :)

Meanwhile, the boxes these rods come in act as perfectly good rod tubes. They are light, they are easy to open and close, and you can reuse the plastic instead of throwing it out. Sweet.

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