Rod Vault

[JeffEwing]

I've very interested in what others think of Denver Rod Vaults. I have used one for several years. It is very convenient. However, I recently noticed scuffing to the guide banding on my rods. One very experienced local guide suggested that it was caused from the rods bouncing inside the rod vault PVC tubes. I've traded emails with Denver Outfitters and have been told that they have not heard of that being a problem. I fish North Park in Colorado and travel dirt paths to get to several spots. I drive carefully but I am on rough tracks at times. The same guide suggestd I use tubular conduit insulation to pad the rods. That would be a pain but may be necessary. I love my rod vault but not if it is damaging my rods.

I'd like to hear what others think.

Thanks

 

[Ard]

Hi Jeff,

Welcome to the forum, I do not have one of these rod carriers but can fully understand how there could be scuffing damage when the rod is inside a PVC tube during transport. The tubes our rods come in with the cloth sleeves are what I've been using ever since I first bought a rod that came with tub & sock. I'm in Alaska and travel great distances to reach destinations and once there still launch a boat and travel more. I keep those rods in the tubes and assemble when I've reached the destination point.

I know we have folks here who have the rod vaults and this post will serve as a bump. Me? I'm just not in enough of a hurry I guess. For many years the rigging of rods has become as much a part of my fishing as the catching of the fish. Someone will post soon so hang in there

 

[coug]

Hi Jeff, I researched rod carriers over the summer and communicated with some owners. I was told by an owner that he had the same problem with rods in his rod vault; they also traveled a lot on dirt roads. Demand sure seems high though for the rod vault and the big sky rod box, based on the google reviews. Dave

 

[Blackstonefly]

I have also had damage to two of my rods that was definitely caused by the Rod vault. I was not a happy Camper after spending that kind of money to protect my rods it did just the opposite..... I sold mine after the damage and the new buyer said he was going to have three 10' rod sleeves made for the three tubes.....

 

[spm]

Welcome to the forum, Jeff. I've never had a Rod Vault, either. I always thought I wanted one, but as I read more and more posts like yours, I'm not so sure, anymore. I wait to assemble my rods when I'm ready to fish. I did, however, rig up a carry system inside my 4Runner for assembled rods when traveling between spots.

steve

 

[el jefe]

I assume by scuffing to the rod banding of the guides that you mean the epoxy finish over the guide wraps. If so, that is an easy fix; however, you still don't want that happening in your Rod Vault. Depending on your vehicle, you try the Rod Loft Pro, which fits inside. I use that, and despite some worries about the whole apparatus falling from the ceiling, I have never had a problem with it. And the rods stay separated so you don't have them clanging together and scuffing up the finish or banging up against the inside of a tube. The rods are held securely in place at both the butt and tip ends. If your vehicle has clothes hanger hooks, the Rod Loft Pro mounts pretty securely to those, and should be fine on dirt roads. It's the suction cup mounts that concern me. Oh, and don't forget that your rods are hanging from the ceiling as you and things go in and out of the vehicle.

 

[JoJer]

All my rods except one are two piece. I bought a BW Sports two-rod caddy years ago in Sportsman's Warehouse. It's served me well and protected the rods nicely, although I did have to replace a zipper. I have no qualms from letting the rod caddy ride in the back of the open pickup even on rough roads (though I do tie it down: We do 80+ on the interstate here). The tubing in these is lined with fabric. I've since bought a couple of cheaper Cortland cases for when I bring more than two rods. Those are not lined so I use sleeves in those.
I used to take the reels off and carry the rods in the original tubes, or build PVC tubes for them. I'd keep the reels in my vest. Once or twice I arrived on the water and had no reel. Once, my vest was stolen and I was out two reels along with the rest on my gear.
BW Sports Fishing Gear: Fly Vest / All Weather Gear
You can see the padding between the reels and there are gear pockets on the outside. When it rides in the pickup bed, I unclip the shoulder strap and run it thru the tie downs in the bed, then clip it back on the caddy.

 

[JeffEwing]

Yes, the scuffing is to the epoxy finish over the guide wraps. It's not a structural issue but I plan to hand down my Scott Radians to my grandsons ... many many years from now . Thanks to everyone who has contributed. I have emailed with the owner of Denver Rod Vault. He said my complaint was the first he has heard of the issue. That is true no longer. I hope they come up with a solution. The vault is so convenient. But for now I'm returning to the original tube and sock. I will check out the Rod Loft Pro but I drive a short bed Dodge Ram so it may not work.

 

[sweetandsalt]

We have a running joke in Montana, if you want to look stylish, mount Rod Vaults on your rig' roof and put a Yeti sticker in your window...but keep your rods inside the truck and use an Igloo as it holds ore ice. (The Yeti is good if you are going off-shore for tuna and need ice to last for several days but fishing in Montana we wind up buying more ice every day...not because it melt but we use it up for cocktails).

 

[myt1]

We have a running joke in Montana, if you want to look stylish, mount Rod Vaults on your rig' roof and put a Yeti sticker in your window...but keep your rods inside the truck and use an Igloo as it holds ore ice. (The Yeti is good if you are going off-shore for tuna and need ice to last for several days but fishing in Montana we wind up buying more ice every day...not because it melt but we use it up for cocktails).

Very funny.

I hate having anything on my truck, be it a rod vault or a sticker, that might tip off a thief that there is something inside worth stealing.

 

[coug]

Very funny.

I hate having anything on my truck, be it a rod vault or a sticker, that might tip off a thief that there is something inside worth stealing.

Yeah, I looked into the rod vaults and big sky carriers because I thought they would be more convenient, and I do not like the magnet/suction cup holders for the hoods because I am driving on dirt roads all summer with their dust and rocks. But I have decided that what I have been doing works just fine. I buy rod carriers from Harding and Sons in Oregon that hold each hold two rods broken down into halves. They ride in the in back of my truck with the dog kennels under a cap. They even built me one that was 8' long for my spey rods. Not as convenient as grabbing a rod and walking away, but a lot more secure and saves the wear and tear on the rods.

 

[wthorpe]

I bought a BW Sports two-rod caddy years ago in Sportsman's Warehouse.

i bought two of these type carriers a few years ago, and I find them very helpful in transporting rods about "half broken down." I wind the fly up to the tiptop, cut off any dropper, break the rod in half and drop it in the tube. Each carrier holds 2 rods with reel attached. Sometimes i remove all flies, wind the line and leader up on the reel, and then each half of the rod has its own separate compartment. My wife and i each have our own 2-rod carrier for the two main rods we use, and we often keep rods in those carriers for months. i am about to buy a third carrier for house guests and fishing friends to use.

I also have installed in my suv a strap system across front and rear of the vehicle which will hold five or six rods with reels attached and flies buttoned up however you see fit. I use this for short rides, with full rod/reel stored in the vehicle without breaking down rod or reel in any way. I cannot recall where i got this, perhaps Cabelas or LLBean, but neither seem to have it any longer. Main downside is the rods are hanging close overhead, but this is offset by fact i use them for only short rides.

Have thought about the rooftop rod carriers but worried that a. they are expensive, and b. they shout out "steal me." And now i hear they dont work well sometimes?

 

[sweetandsalt]

I have no work related requirement for a pick-up truck so every vehicle I've bought as an adult has been an enclosed wagon/SUV format measured pre-purchase to assure 9' rods will fit straight down the middle...this is my solution to carrying assembled fly rods.

 

[clsmith131]

I've heard a lot of criticism about Rod Vault, both their service, and their product. However; I don't have any experience with them personally. I just know that they are not cheap, which tells me that you probably don't want to get rid of yours. I would suggest finding a one-piece rod sock to fit over your rods before putting them in your Rod Vault. If you can't find one, maybe you can make one, or call in a favor from someone you know who can sew. Or maybe you can use some foam pipe insulation or something similar... just spitballin here.

 

[sweetandsalt]

Carbon fiber fly rods simply do not sustain being banged about against a hard surface unsuspended within a tube without some risk of damage. Dillon's solution which I have poste images of previously, is a ceiling mounted rod rack within his Tahoe (I recall there is a long thread about this up under General Discussions). We can have three or even four rods fully rigged each suspended thus protected from the banging about induced by the unimproved roads many of us travel to get to our fishing. Some fellows posted images of home made solutions for the beds of their trucks too.

 

[unicoiboy]

Ive had a titan vault (now Denver outfitters) for around 3 years. If you really care about your rod epoxy, then I probably wouldn’t get one, but ill be down by the river while you are setting up your rod.

It does have a “steal me” factor, but I have never had a problem with that, even after accidentally leaving it unlocked with rods inside multiple times. I use trailer locks to lock the vault to my roof rack and it does well.

I dis have one buddy that had the brackets on his rod vault strip on a dirt road, so I am leary of that, but that was after close to 5 years and thousands of miles on rutted dirt roads.

 

[sweetandsalt]

Like I said, if the epoxy finish on wraps is showing signs of banging about, imagine the invisible carbon fibers just beneath the surface and the equivalent punishment they are taking.

As far as getting down to the river as fast as possible, it reminds me of the story about a young and old bull walking to a ridge line and looking into the green valley below full of a herd of cows. The young bull says, "Wow, lets run on down there and have our way with a cow!" The old bull responds, "No, lets walk on down and have them all." [No sexual misconduct analogies intended]

 

[Ard]

I use that old story a lot Richard

I hope everyone will excuse me for saying more, a sort of continuation of my earlier comment. Those of us who have been at this a while have the advantage of memory, in some cases many decades of memory. I used to fish with a senior citizen named John, John was a fishing partner of Harold (Pinky) Gillum and John A. Knight among others when he was younger. Of course John lived walking distance from a good trout stream and among many memories I have of our friendship are the line of wooden dowel sticks on the wall of his garage. He kept a very worn Fenwick 6 weight there, one of the early brown rods with a Pflueger reel on it. The rod was fully rigged with 3 wet flies always. That's all he ever used, wets, every now and then he'd tie on a nymph but generally wets. Keeping that rod rigged made sense and he had the perfect surroundings for having it always ready.

In a way I always had a slight envy for John because he could just go the garage, pull on his waders and pick up that rod then walk over to the creek. It made sense, but I never lived on a creek like that and had to travel to the streams. Because of that arriving at a location, throwing down a rug, pulling on the waders and assembling rods became a ritual. It was what you did, it was time to assemble your final thought process before you began clamoring down some trail to some creek.

It's a different world now Richard. Some folks view the things I do as a waste of time, time I could have spent fishing. The thing I dislike the most when fishing is feeling hurried. Having to hurry to beat someone else to a spot encourages me to find a new spot. Hurrying for any reason dampens the mood. I see guys pull in at famous river launches here with the rod carriers on the roof of the vehicles. 9 out of 10 have to get into waders before they get out the rods so the time saved is minimal at best. If you are using a $1000 Sage X or similar rod having them bouncing around in a rigid PVC tube attached to a rigid roof rack might not be the best thing for them.

I may be slow but I'm a whole heard type

 

[sweetandsalt]

There is a member of our small circle of multi-season Western based fishermen who is very efficient. Skilled and experienced though he is, he is one to get on the water early, whether morning or for the evening hatch/spinner fall. "Hurry up fellas, if we want to fish the Honey Hole we've got to leave now lest others get there first!" Good fellow though he is, we don't fish with him much anymore, rushing about impacts the quality of the experience.

If beginning at the un-set-up rod tube level, it is my habit to set up my rod but not rig it. Then I put on my waders and collect whatever else is going along to the river. Arriving on the river bank, I lean my rod against a willow and sit down to look around. What insects are on the water? Are and where are any other anglers? Any good fish sipping and is there a shadow I can wade out to to hide myself from them? Then I'll rig up, check my tippet and select, bend on and dress a fly. Assuming I have seen some rising trout, now I can slowly wade into position and...catch them all.

 

[myt1]

People seem to either love this guy or hate him.

Personally, I couldn't stop laughing as I was watching this.

Okay, I just re-watched this. I could've lived without the part about buggers.

YouTube