Hi. As a “rookie” fly fisher I have used this site to gather enormous quantities of information. I love this site. I appreciate the respect you have for all opinions, and the deep love all have for fly fishing. Although I have fished most of my life (starting in South America) I only picked up fly fishing 3 years ago. I now have a couple of rods and reels and the list is growing. This might be a stupid question, but all my rods came in a “sock” for storage. Does it really matter which end of the fly rod section is put first into the sock? Does it really make a difference? I want to maximize the protection I give to my equipment and if it does make a difference I would like to do it right. 
I always put my rods in so they come out handle first, this reduces the possibilty of the tip hitting the ground and breaking if I drop the rod. Also, I always lay the rod down and pull the sock onto it. This keeps me from breaking anything too.
Otherwise, it doesn’t matter, personal preference dictates.
.
Dear caribe,
I honestly don’t think it makes a difference. Having said that out of habit when I put a rod in a rod sock I put the handle section of the rod in the sock with the handle up and remaining sections have the thinnest portion pointed up. For example, on a two piece rod the tip top section would be at the top of the sock.
I think it is more important that you consider some sort of hard sided rod tube in addition to the rod sock. You can make them inexpensively out of PVC pipe that you can get at a Home Depot, Lowes, hardware store, or plumbing supply store. It comes in varying diameters and if all your rods are the same length and number of sections you can just get a large diameter tube and store all your rods together. Make sure you purchase two end caps for the tube. Glue one on permanently and just press fit the top on. You can glue some foam in the caps for protection. You can also get a threaded collar for one end of the pipe and buy a threaded cap that will screw on one end.
Best Wishes,
Avalon 
MO…I’m a little confused …isn’t he talking broken down rods?
Avalon makes IMHO a very good suggestion…besides it’s fun to make them…I’ve got all kinds of lengths.
As far as how to slip the broken down sections in…some where along the line in those many years I was told to store so that the narrowest part of the section is next to the thickest of the other…the thicker[heavier] section can protect to weaker…
Makes sense to me. 8)
Sorry Duck…
Both my rods are 2 piece, I put both pieces into the sock small end first.
That way they come out cork first and tip last.
Fly Dots (Sponser) has changed the way I store (some) rods. I bought a “Lady Angler” (made in Montana) two rod , nine foot , two piece rod holder. these cases are very inexpensive and very well made. She stands behind her products 100 percent. Lisa@ladysangler.com The case allows me to store two rods with reels afixed, line on and Dot’s on reels to secure the tippets. This outfit is in my truck with a numbe 5 and a number 8 rod with approiate reel and lines. They go in still afixed and ready to fish at a moments notice. I see no wear, issues or problems with this settup. Give the Dots a try and a case like Lisa’s , you will be impressed, Jonezee
Assembly/Disassembly
To store the fly rod in a case, there are two way to assemble and disassemble your fly rod, it all depends on whether your fly rod has metal ferrules or does not.
Metal Ferrule Fly Rods: Join the the ferrules , hold the sections parallel to the ground, pushing the male ferrule into the female ferrule. To disassemble, hold the fly rod parallel to the ground, place with the reel seat to the rear and the tip top to the front. Place one hand on the rear section with the hand next to your body. Place the the other hand on the next section of the fly rod. Holding the rear hand in place, pull the forward section away from you (straight pull, no twisting).
For all other ferrules, the same steps for metal ferrules apply, but with a twist. During assembly and disassemble, you do a quarter turn on the front section of the fry rod.
I like applying a little soap to the male ferrule on the sections, instead of using wax (or other stuff). Reason is it is easier to remove buildup of material that accumulates over time inside the female ferrule, with a Q-tip soaked in hot water. Grit gets embedded in the soap (wax and other stuff too), and will cause abrasion to the ferrules, so they become worn. The reason for application to the male ferrule, is that any excess material will exit the female ferrule to be wipe clean. If applied to the female ferrule, any excess material would be compacted to the bottom of the ferrule, making removal difficult.
Storage
To store a fly rod in a tube or case, the rule is…
Lay the tip pf each fly rod section, so it is aligned with the butt section of the reel seat on the base section of the fly rod.
Place the fly rod (all sections at the same time, as a bundle) with the tip section of the base section of the fly rod (grip-reel seat), being place into the case or tube with the reel seat located at the opening of the case or tube, when finally inserted. This will protect the tip section of the rod, and protect damage to the guides on the fly rod section. To remove the fly rod from the case or tube, slide all sections of the fly rod out of the tube as a bundle, again to protect the guides on the sections.
The butt section can go in the sock ferrule first and handle last. This is easier and yet allows the ferrule to withstand any bumps. The actual top section of the rod goes in the sock ferrule first and tip last. The sock is then put in the tube handle up. This is also the easiest way, and means that the two ferrule sections (which are quite strong) are on the bottom of the tube and can take any shocks. I have seen a couple of rods which had been put in the tube tip first (for the top section) which then had the tip bend into an “L” to the rod when the tube was accidentally dropped. My 2 cents.
Wow, You guys are full of wonderful info. Thanks for the responses. I’ve fly fished for 3 years and I have broken 3 different rods. I have never broken a rod due to storage but I want to be as careful as possible. I now have the PVC tubes as well as the sock. I like the idea of storing the weaker tips with the stronger handle end. The instructions on care, assembly and disasembly will be followed. THis is my first post and thanks for the wonder results.
caribe
Hey, Steven M, I never heard of using soap on the ferrules. How often do you apply it and are any brands better than others?
Greg H,
Thanks for your post. Your 2? is worth more that 2?, and make good sense to me. Forgive me, I just recently learned how to make the ? sign.
But still a good post just the same. 
God Bless,
Jonezee…Lisa’s address doesn’t work…and I’m curious about what she has…
Lotech…that was at least the third time it was stated…petty ,huh… :twisted:
I’m waiting on Greg H’s response to the soap question also. I have greater access to soap than I do wax…
duck,
:lol:
Yeah, you’re right. BUT, his post did make great sense. I’ve seen a lot of tip tops bent over at a 90 degree angle. It took till now for me to realize how that happened. Especially with older bamboo sticks. So his 2? makes great sense to me.
God Bless,