I am thinking of a better way to transport several rods on airplanes now that it's required to check them as baggage. Anyone have a favorite large multi-rod case that you feel confident enough to hand over to the bag tossers?
I have used 6" PVC and it worked, but it is a little brittle. I have had good luck with the Abel, JW Outfitters, and the Sage travel tubes. So far so good.....
I used the Abel square tube on a recent trip (a multi-plane, multi-state marathon) and it held up very well. Also, though it may be like using belt and suspenders, depending on how many rods you are taking, you can even fit your rod tube inside of the case for added protection. That said, the pvc seems very stout.
Though I love my Abel case, it is too short (by just a little bit) to fit my four piece, 14' spey. The next size up in the Abel line, for 2-piece rods, seems too big. Does anyone have a fovorite carrier for their multi-piece spey rods?
It is 4" dia drain pipe. White on the outside, black on the inside, looks like it is glass reinforced. PVC end fittings and glue work with it. All available at Home Depot,,,cheap .
has one called the Bazuka, it is lockable and it expands so you can put any size rods in it and it is airline approved. I used a buddys two years ago for a trip to B.C. and took two spey rods and two single handed rods it worked great. It has foam on both ends inside to protect your tips and the new ones have a molded-in handle to make it easy to carry. It is very nice to use and i would highly recomend it. The one thing i did add to it was a piece of packing foam i inserted in side just to stop the rods moving around and i had no problems with it. Tight lines,brian
Nowadays, I prefer to put my 4-piece single handers inside a big duffel bag (or suitcase) but for 2-piece or 2-handed rods things are a bit trickier.
That Bazuka or KIS case with the rods in their own tubes should be 98% safe. However, once a friend of mine showed me how his KIS case (PVC) had been broken and two rods which were inside it in their aluminium tubes were badly damaged. The alu tubes were squeezed like a beer can. The case must have been run over by a truck. Luckily, the airline paid him $400-500 in compensation (maximum) which covered one of the rods and the other was covered by Orvis' guarantee.
So, nothing is 100% safe, and if you have to travel with 5 spey rods worth $700-800 each, you might consider additional insurance.
Sometimes I just put two 2-piece rods in one rod tube and duct tape the zipper end. For this, I choose less expensive rods, so that even with bad luck, the damage is not catastrophic. (And I always have with me a couple 4-piece rods in case the checked tube doesn't show up at my destination.) It's of course sad if you can't have your favourite rods on a dream trip but on the other hand, that way most of my rods get to be used at least sometimes.. Also, I think a more fragile looking thin tube just might get better treatment by the luggage handlers than a sturdier case.
For the most durable cases, I would look for a heavy aluminium case designed for transporting a rifle.
•The KIS [Keep It Safe] case available from www.Melton.com, $99. It is made in England and is widely used. I have used it for six trips with no rod breakage. It has foam both ends to protect tips, but I think breakage is possible.
KIS has two lengths available, the shorter of the two is right for spey rods. The longer, I assume is for one piece salt water gear. Max capacity is 8 spey rods.
I put in spey rods, a one piece wading staff, and backup single hand rods [boo!].
In the future I will put in a piece of small diameter plastic pipe to prevent crushing damage from well meaning TSA security people who might open the case and close it incorrectly. This is a potential problem with any variable length case.
It has wheels one end, a carrying strap and well designed handles.
• Bass Pro Shops Spring 2003 Master Catalog, page 84 show three cases that appear to be suitable, including the "Bazuka Pro" mentioned above. Prices range from $30 to $40.
After working for a few different airlines for over 35 years I have come up with the only way I will ship my Speyrods.
Take a 8" piece of pcv pipe and insert a 6 inch pcv pipe wrapped in foam and Use the screw type ends.
Then this is the important part send the rods air freight day or two before you depart.
You can track you rods from home before you ever leave.
When you get to your destination you may claim your rods at the Airfreight terminal.
On a very recent trip I brought two rods. Packed each manufacturers tubes with a little foam to prevent sliding and taped the two tubes together with duct tape to give the package significantly more rigidity than separate single tubes and then put the whole thing in my luggage surrounded by clothing.
This all depends on the rod being carried. My 5 piece, 6 wt made it through the airports as a carry on twice in the last week without a problem strapped to the outside of my carry on. Oh the lock can be put on luggage by you AFTER its checked by the TSA. For a longer rod I like Speybums idea.
Now the the checked luggage got xrayed and unpacked both ways. Seems the combination of a pedestal base vise and a wiring harness for an instrument sets off all the alarms. :tsk_tsk:
On inspection it I have a KIS - not the Bazooka. Its done a lot of trips and looks like it will last forever.
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