Any advice on how do you carry your rods in or on your vehicle?

Any advice on how do you carry your rods in or on your vehicle?

For certain trips, I need a better solution than just throwing them in the car.

There are different types of roof racks (Yakima, Thule, etc.), DIY PVC pipe options for the roof, different storage options for inside the car that tend to hang above your head, etc.

What do you guys do? What works well?

I'm thinking about getting an adjustable tube style extendable rod carrying case, and then figuring out the best way to attach it to the roof racks. They are lighter than PVC pipe, have a handle, are expandable (so they can be smaller for storage), and will probably be cheaper by the time you factor in the effort and time it would take me to make one out of PVC. Flambeau has a nice looking one, Plano has one, and there are several other brands as well. And some pricing is pretty attractive.

Appreciate any perspectives!

Best,
Stewart

Seen people use these and lock in their rod. I have a pair for sale, tho they’re pretty large at 36”. More suitable for winter sports.

What kind of car do you have?

For trips with no other passengers, I can fit a 7' rod in the cab of my truck - much longer than that I need break it down and lay it on the floor board.

Before I had a truck, I would break the rod down either lay it across the backseat or put the butt end on the floor and lean it against the seat.

I've seen folks use ski/snow board style roof racks to carry rods - they just clamp it down on the rod.

If you have roof/crossbar space, you could get a big roof box. We use ours pretty often for all kinds of random stuff. Then you can carry a lot of gear plus your rods. They come in a bunch of different sizes, but you'd probably need a pretty wide roof rack to fit both a kayak and a roof box.

Most of the rod holders I've seen for roof racks seem kinda expensive for what they are. Large diameter PVC is getting kinda spendy too, so you are probably right that it might make more sense to just buy a rod carrier rather than make one.

Seen people use these and lock in their rod. I have a pair for sale, tho they’re pretty large at 36”. More suitable for winter sports.

Ha, you posted this right as I was making my post!

I either put them in the kayak (Stealth), or fold the back seats on the Crosstrek, net first, paddles, rods, and then pack everything else in around.

I put one of these in my mini van. Worked well sold van won't work in my Pilot, don't know what to do with them

Thanks all!

I normally just throw them in my Subaru or SUV, which is fine for almost all of my needs. I was looking for a solution for when I go on vacation with my family AND get to go kayak fishing. Which isn't very often. But one can dream, right?

I think the Flambeau Bazuka™ Pro Rod Tube - 73"-102" looks like a good solution. It's massive (6" interior. 8" exterior), so I may be able to keep one reel attached to the rod, if not two. I just need to figure out how I want to attach it to the cross bars. I could just use my a normal strap I think - I'd just have a lot of left over strap.

Unfortunately, the interior storage options won't work well for me because 1 car only has 3 interior handles (not 4, which is what most need), and in the other car with four handles, the handles are so low down in the front I think it'd be annoying to drive with (I could see my head almost hitting them, and imagine the rods would be distracting).

for our occasional needs we just bungee the heck out of a bazooka tube to the roof racks.  we share one tube, so all the reels come off and into baggage.    works.  we run a cable and padlock thru the holes to get some security.  not much, but some.  easy enough to take off to take into a hotel room.

thanks!

In the hull of my kayak seems to work good if I need to save space.

Also I 2nd the Bazuka being a good purchase. Besides it being really awesome for transporting rods on a vacation I see no problems with strapping it to your roof rack. It's likely less abusive than whatever they do to the tube at the airport when I am not looking.

I use rod covers and usually stow rods inside the kayak (T13) if on a trip where i need the space inside the truck bed.

You can also get a contractor conduit kit for either 6" or 8" PVC tube that will bolt to a roof rack with U bolts provided. The spring doors are lockable and you can make a custom size for say, mooching or surf rods.

It took me about 4 min to make one out of pvc. It looks kinda ghetto but it works. I just ratchet strap it to my roof rack. Cost around $50 for mine.

thanks all!

I have a 7’8”x4” tube with locking end cap and a 9’x8” tube without end caps I’ve been hoarding for a while and willing to sell. Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll send photos.                                   Kevin                           

I have a 7’8”x4” tube with locking end cap and a 9’x8” tube without end caps I’ve been hoarding for a while and willing to sell. Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll send photos.                                   Kevin                         

Thanks Kevin - I just saw this. Thank you for the offer, but I already pulled the trigger on the Bazuka! Best, Stewart