I don't find my GLoomis GLX Classic 10 ft 5 wt at all tiring. On the other hand an older Orvis 10 ft 5 wt was a beast because it was tip heavy. Keeping that tip up for nymphing is what tired me out.
As far as packing is concerned, a rod tube for a 4 piece 10 ft rod is only 3" longer than a 4 piece 9 foot. My Gloomis 9 ft rod tubes are 31" long and the 10 ft rod tubes are 34" inches long.
Regards,
Silver
"Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought"..........Szent-Gyorgy