Light but durable fly rod carrier?

[Joe Witt]

I thought I remembered seeing a write up about this but I cannot find it now. I am looking for a lightweight fly rod carrier approximately 27 inches long.

I am looking for something fairly durable but not as heavy as the factory made rod tubes and something I can lash to a pack but have fairly easy access to.

Any information is appreciated.

Thanks

philos

[Ken Thompson]

Fluorescent bulb protectors? Rubber end caps. Home Depot.

[David Thomas]

Very cheap and durable would be ABS plastic of the appropriate diameter and length. But that's not very UL.

I snagged some plotter-paper rolls (like the cardboard tube inside a paper-towel roll, except it's plastic, stiffer, waterproof, longer and wider). 2" I.D. 36" long. 180 grams. So 27/36*180 grams = 135 grams / 4.5 oz in your length. I'd glue a test plug (translucent plastic disks with an indent sold in the ABS fitting section to be glued onto rough plumbing to accommodate a leak test and then be cut off) on one end. For the other, operable end; I'd use one of those flexible plastic caps found on a 6-inch-long tube marketed for storing screws/nails in.

PM me if that is of interest. If your garage doesn't have a zillion glues, epoxies, etc like mine, I could cut it to length and glue it up for you.

[Richard Cullip]

I use the lightweight fluorescent bulb protector tube from Home Depot but I keep it tucked away inside my pack to give it a bit more protection while on the trail. I'm not sure it would give enough protection if it was only strapped to the outside of a pack. At least I wouldn't want to use it that way to carry and protect my $700 Winston fly rod.

[Mike Farrell]

I bought 2" diameter clear plastic tubes from US Plastics. They have a lot of different thicknesses. I made a tube for my 8' bamboo 3wt. It weighs 4oz with the end caps.

[Greg Mihalik]

"… the lightweight fluorescent bulb protector tube from Home Depot "

+2

Add the plastic caps used on chair legs and you are set. I carry on the outside, bash and thrash, and do just fine. After all, they are made to protect fluorescent tubes from errant impacts.

[Michael K]

I don't carry my super expensive gear when I backpack, but I obviously still want my gear to arrive in good working order. I carry my rods wrapped in a tube of my 1/8 foam pad that I use as protection for my inflatable pad. This is mounted on the side of my pack with the reel end going in the cup holder/ski pockets on the bottom of the pack and the compression straps keeping it upright. The reason why I like this system over tubes which are probably a bit more protective is that the rods (2-3 because I'm crazy)are all rigged up with the reels on the rods and line through the guides ready to be used. Each rod combo (spinner in 2 sections and fly rods have 4 sections) are velroed together with two hardware store velcro straps to keep things neat. Then, as soon as I see a spot that I want to fish I just pull out one of my pre-rigged combos take the velcro off and put the lure/fly on from my hip belt pocket and then I'm fishing within 2-3 minutes. Then, when I'm finished I just take of the hook and slide the combo make into the foam "tube". The foam stays rolled either with velcro strips that I attach or you can use stretchy cord.

This way, the way I justify to my self for bringing the 2nd or 3rd rod, because I don't actually carry the extra weight for a rod tube because my pad "needs" protection :)

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