Wondering what others use, and where you get it.
Cloth sleeve? Hard case?

Usually when we go on a long trip and take several rods, we would bundle them tightly together with velcro to prevent them abrading themselves against one another. A couple of years ago we decided to buy a bunch of those nylon sleeves (Stik Jacket is a brand name) and put a sleeve on each rod before we bundled them all together. Found out last year that the nylon sleeves were rubbing the finish off the guides, and other guys were having the same problem. So, I wouldn't recommend the nylon sleeves. We are looking into either getting cloth bags for each rod, or something similar. If I can't find them, I'll probably go to a fabric shop, buy a suitable material, and have somebody sew them up for me. All that said, if you're only using one rod, hard cases are good, but awkward. They're a pain to fly, too.

Dan,

I agree with David's assessment of the nylon Stil Jackets. They are hard on the guides....burnish off the coating on the outside of the rings. Bass Pro sells some soft cloth rod bangs and I think they are the way to go, unless you make your own rod bags.

Don Campbell
don@sensorfishingrods.com

Hello Dan.

I get my socks from a local sporting goods store, $1 each, when I first started building rods he gave them to me free, now a buck each, well worth it, of course the writing on the sock won't fit your rod but these are for my own rods for customers, I buy them from different places Jann's used to sell "rod bags & tubes", I just looked at their catalog and all I could find was "plastic rod gloves", MudHole has a lot of stuff but none of the old socks I'm used to.

You could make your own it's just sewing two pieces of cloth together leaving a flap and sewing a shoestring to the flap for tying.


Tight Wraps & Tighter Lines.

Bob,

New Bern, NC.

Dan,
When transporting rods - I never have the reel on them.

I bundle them all together - interlacing butts and tips of the rod to make a compact bundle. Then, I insert them in a 4 inch pvc pipe with end caps on each end. They fit reasonably well into the pipe so that they don't move.

Many many trips and no issue with wear on the rods at all.

Take care

Thanks fellas.
Yes I had an odd hunch about the nylon net jackets and so never tried them, despite their low cost. Good to have that hunch confirmed here.
I've looked online everywhere for a cloth sack/sleeve for a 2pc 8'6" rod... no dice. Will now check my local sport store and then, that failing, head to the fabric store.
The broad diameter PVC tube sounds like the way to go when camping, etc with a few of my own rods.

I've seen some very nice rod cases online intended for rod with reel attached. Some allow for multiple rods and their reels. Again, none I've found will accomodate a 51" length..

Dan

Cabela’s offers “Rod Socks” which are a thick, soft knit fabric in a couple different lengths. While I am pleased with the sock’s performance, I am not so with Cabela’s in general though.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.