My 3 wt rod is my most favorite rod. Granted, I fish mostly smaller streams and ponds, where wind isn't a huge factor. It's a simply 3 piece Cabela's Three Forks rod - and it casts like a dream! I made the mistake of getting their combo when I got mine. At the time it came with some crappy plastic reel (I think they called it a "Prestige") and a really bad line. I had to throw the line away immediately, as it was kinky and generally worthless. The reel never saw water either, as when I did some lawn casting, it seized. I mean seized to the point where the spool would not turn forward or back.

But the rod is a real gem! It packs easy, being a three piece, and only 7'6" in length. I can lay out a 50 foot cast fairly well with it as long as there's not a heavy wind. It really shines tho on the 30' or less casts.

My next favorite rod is a 7'6" 4 wt. Another super small stream outfit, and it'll lay a 50 foot cast easier than the 3. I had a 9' 4wt that I loved a lot too, but for personal reasons wound up selling that one. I'll replace it eventually.

For general purpose fishing I'd opt for the 4 over the 3 wt, and I'd probably pick an 8 footer. It'd do better in the brush than a 9 footer, but would still give you extra height on the back cast for more open areas.