Now that we have threads going on fishing vehicles and on inside the vehicle rod racks, I’m interested in what suggestions you guys may have for the best roof top rod/reel carriers.
I’d like something lockable that I could affix to the roof rack on my Jeep where I would be able to transport fully assembled rods and reels.
I’ve seen the ones available from Sportube, and while they seem to partially fit the bill, they do have some drawbacks from my perspective: they are relatively costly, and can only hold 2 rods up to 9’ in length – I’d like something to hold 4 rods up to 10’ long.
Well, I’ve though of doing that, but it seems like it would be a bit of work to do the job right.
I wouldn’t want my rods and reels rattling around inside PVC pipe without some type of padding around them – I’m a bit of a nut when it comes to trying to keep them from getting banged around any more than necessary, and I do a lot of dirt and gravel road/off road driving during they’d bounce around a lot if not protected inside some type of tube. Then you have the locking issue to figure out with PVC pipe.
I made two different systems using pvc…neither of which meet your requirements…but I will mention that I delt with the protection issue on one system by using pipe insulation…you know the long foam tube with the open center holes that you slip pipe through or have a slit to put it over the pipe.
We met a couple on our last day in Idaho who had made a pvc rod carrier for the top of their Chevy Suburban. They used several layers of felt inside the pvc tubes to protect the rods during transport. All four rod tubes ended in a metal, lockable tool box sized to hold the butts of the rods and the reels. The tool box was padded with foam rubber to protect the reels and the padlock was usually enough to deter would be thieves.
Pretty slick set up that has VEE and I looking for the parts to build our own.
I saw a very nice new rack at the FF Retailer Show in Denver earlier this Fall.
It’s actually a bit more pricey than the Sportube, but it’s all aluminum and holds 3 rods. The tubes are expandable; you can add sections to fit whatever length rod you need.
I’m probably going to invest in one soon. http://titanrod.com/default.aspx
DANBOB
I bought a set of rod holders on ebay last year. They are the suction cup type, will hold 4 rods, and the length doesn’t seem to matter. For the past year and a half I’ve not had any troubles with them. Seems they cost about $45-50. I like the convenience of moving from one location to another without having my rod in the back of the truck bouncing around or breaking the rod down just to drive a mile or two.
Yes, at almost $400, the Titan’s are 2x the cost of the Sportube’s. Plus, there may be some added cost for the mounting brackets to affix them to your roof rack which is alluded to on Titan’s website: “We do recommend that the initial installation of the TITAN ROD VAULT be performed by a professional installation establishment” - or whatever that implies. I’d be interested in seeing one of them though, for sure. They sure look nice on their website.
This seems like a conterdiction to me. If you’re driving over that rough of terrain, and you don’t want them banged up, I’d just break down the rod sections without unstringing and put them in the vehicle where they are protected. And If you park where theft is possible, sounds like you’re fishing in the wrong neighborhood?
I don’t mind breaking my rod(s) down and putting them in the vehicle, and that’s what I have often been doing until now. Actually, I routinely put my rods (I use mostly 2 piece ones) in my DB Dunn rod/reel case in the back of my vehicle when transporting them from place to place, and at the end of my fishing day (I stay right on the Yellowstone River from June to October, and fish there or elsewhere in that region practically every day during that time).
However, I also fish with other guys who do not like to break down their rods, and when they put their rods inside my vehicle (I have a Jeep Wrangler - see my picture of it and post on the recent fishing vehicle thread) we often have several rods practically poking us in the face when we’re driving from place to place.
You also have to appreciate that many times (when I’m not floating the river in my driftboat) we fish places along rivers or streams where we may be driving and stopping to fish numerous times during the course of a day, and if we were to break down our rods and put them inside the vehicle (say, for example) 20 times during the day, you’d loose an awful lot of fishing time.
I’m not paranoid about theft, but I’m very concious of it, having worked my entire career in a field involving white color crime, and security related issues. I’m not fishing in the wrong neighborhoods, so there’s no need to change. I doubt I’d leave a rod inside a locked case on top of my vehicle during the day while I’m off fishing on the river or lake for an exended time someplace out of sight. However, I’d want to have them locked on a rooftop carrier if I were transporting them to or from my daily fishing destinations. Even if I were to stop for gas or groceries, I wouldn’t want to leave my rods in an unlocked roof top carrier.
John
p.s. I can’t think of ANY fishing place where theft is NOT possible.
Fished with a guide who had one off those magnetic rod holders that go from the hood to the roof top…it worked quite well and on some rough terrain…but we only used it to hop from hole to hole along the river
I’ve seen and tried them too, and they work great for those times when we’re playing hopscotch up or down the river in open terrain, stopping numerous times to fish, with relatively short distances between stops.
However, there are plenty of other days when I drive 100 or miles to fish, and I don’t what to keep my rods exposed on a magnetic rod holder. Nor do I want rod tips sticking much higher than the top of my vehicle in many places I fish, because I’d begin with 9’ rods which would end up as 7’ rods by the end of the day.