- Written by Will Rice |
- Blog
- It Ain't Pretty
- | August 23, 2012 |
- 10 Comment(s)
How to secure your rod in an ultra-cheap tube for less
These days you can burn upwards of $200 on a space-age rod tube, or you can just toss your stick in a sack and hope for the best. I’ve been on the road and in the air quite a bit this summer. The people, places, and species vary but my one traveling companion that remains the same and that does not falter—my invincible rod tube.
Over the course of those trips I’ve heard many comments from anglers and civilians alike:
“Dude, that looks like the biggest dirtbag rod tube I’ve ever seen.”
“What is that thing?”
“Is that some kind of rocket launcher?” (five year old kid on a Southwest flight, who looked real skeptical when I answered “no”)
“Nice... where you going fishing?” (TSA agent)
“Hey man, do you want another sticker for that thing?” (Master Brewer)
“That rod tube is sweet, how’d you make it?”
Here is the skinny. Six years ago I was headed for Belize. I had grand fishing aspirations. I also had a stack of rods I wanted to bring but no way to transport them—and there was no way I was going to check them in my luggage. Without a blueprint and with only a vague idea of what I wanted, I made my way down to my local True Value Hardware store. The test tube I built was not pretty, but it worked. It can hold a 6-, 8-, 9-, and 11-weight rod (9’, 4-piece) snugly. It also fits an an overhead bin without any airline attendant altercations.
Total cost in 2012 dollars: $33.37
Required materials:
One 4” PVC/ABS tube cut to 30” in length
One 4” PVC/ABS hard cap (once this end goes on, it doesn’t really ever come off again)
One 4” PVC soft/Qwik cap (rod ingress/egress point)
Two 1/4”X3/4” X 1-/12” U bolts (8X nuts - 4 per U bolt)
One 3’ piece of rope/cord/nylon webbing
One power drill and a 1/4” drill bit
Step 1 - Clean tube as best you can
Step 2- Drill out the holes for the U bolts - make sure to allow for enough room so the caps can be fully attached - 4” from end of each side of tube (four holes total)
Step 3 - Tighten in the U bolts - 4 nuts each bolt. It doesn’t hurt to add some type of adhesive like liquid nails or epoxy at this point (not necessary but you don’t want these coming out - your call)
Step 4 - Loop rope through one end of the U bolt. Tie Knot.
Step 5 - Loop second end of rope through U bolt. Tie knot.
Step 6 - Affix hard cap to one end of tube.
Step 7 - Add in four piece rods
Step 8 - Affix soft cap
Step 9 - Apply for passport, purchase plane tickets, maybe apply a sticker or two
Step 10 - Get after it
is a freelance journalist and a contributing editor for the Drake Magazine. He's written for the Denver Post, Salt Water Fly Fishing (RIP), FlyFish Journal, and he is a regular contributor to Angling Trade Magazine. Will grew up fishing for small mouth and large mouth bass in upstate NY but has lived in Colorado for the past 15 years.
"I have always had one guiding philosophy for my outdoor writing: I am not alone," said Will. "If I think something is cool or have a kick ass experience, there are a ton of other folks who will be interested in hearing about it and best case entertained - and possibly even inspired to get out and do something new. Pretty simple stuff."
If you want to send any hate mail directly to the author he can be reached at williamhrice72@yahoo.com.
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Discussion
Nobody's ever made a rod tube from PVC.
The "U" bolts are stupid.
Drill one hole, slip the rope through, tie a knot on the inside, save ten bucks.
No chance of the bolt end or the nut breaking a rod...
...Freelance writer, I'm looking forward to more of your stuff.
Where does Tom find these idiots?
Texas.
That is where idiots come from, right Scott?
Keep on douchin' big guy.
Sorry I was a little harsh on your buddy but I was expecting more...
Like the stuff you do, it's awesome.
I'm sorry, but I don't think this article was worth opening...
Also, I would have edited my comment it if i could, I've never met the dude, calling him an idiot was in poor taste...I apologize for that.
Design could have been thought out a little better.
Again, sorry for ruffling feathers.