Roof Rod Rack Opinions

[hooker-of-men]

Steeltrap,

It's the cheapest (~$8) ammo box they had at Harbor Freight. It's got a rubber seal around the lid to keep out rain and a slot to put a padlock, so it gets the job done.

I would, however, advise that folks going the DIY route seek out and pay a little bit more for an ammo box with thicker gauge plastic. This cheapy was pretty thin, and I ended up needing to reinforce the bottom (where I drilled the rod tube holes) with fiberboard to make it stiffer. It had a little too much bend once it was supporting its own weight and the reels and just looked (even more) janky.

 

[CRB]

sew a long rod sock and place the rod in that to protect the guides.

 

[JohnPowers]

Length of pvc. First Plano ammo box on Amazon. Drill hole in the bottom of the box, push pvc through, flare with heat gun, push back in box and secure with pop rivets or screw and nuts. Thin wall pvc. I’m retired….got time for this stuff.

 

[DaveKile]

GeneBeam wrote:

I've been looking at roof rod rack's for my fly rods for pretty much the last 5 years.

Here is one and that stores the rods with the reels up.

https://www.trxstle.com/products/crc-system-v2-0

Is anyone using or familiar with the Trxstle carrier? Videos show to seem pretty secure?

 

[Biggie]

I am afraid some ***** with a battery powered sawzall will availl the oppertunity while parked at a motel or in the bush. But he might leave me my cat. converter.

 

[DaveKile]

Biggie wrote:
I am afraid some ***** with a battery powered sawzall will availl the oppertunity while parked at a motel or in the bush. But he might leave me my cat. converter.

Biggie I have to say I never saw that coming. I am familiar with a sawzail, but never figured them one of those into the fly fishing experience.

 

[tpn]

I did the DIY version as above. Really like it. I ended up running these neoprene 2” rolls on the bottom of the pvc for the guides. So far so good

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07WTRK3LW?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

 

[DaveKile]

I just ordered the Trxstle CRC System 2 and should be arriving later this week. I'll be heading out the first part of April for a multi-day trip. We'll see how it goes. One of the reasons I pick this unit was the way it place the rod and reel upside down so eyelets are not resting downwards on the tube.

 

[Steeltrap]

I just ordered the Trxstle CRC System 2 and should be arriving later this week. I'll be heading out the first part of April for a multi-day trip. We'll see how it goes. One of the reasons I pick this unit was the way it place the rod and reel upside down so eyelets are not resting downwards on the tube.

Yeah. Those are really nice. But they are pricey. I'm likely going to just build the PVC version as I'm not concerned about theft. (Well...if someone steels the rod carrier...that's what they got....rod carrier with no rods in it)

I'm either moving on my cart to another spot...(hence the need for a rod protector) or fishing with the rod.

 

[DaveKile]

@Steeltrap I've learned over the years that most of my DIY projects turn out to be epic failures for me. I spend my money and time to only learn I should have just bought the product, to begin with. Envious of those that can pull off that kind of project.

 

[Steeltrap]

@Steeltrap I've learned over the years that most of my DIY projects turn out to be epic failures for me. I spend my money and time to only learn I should have just bought the product, to begin with. Envious of those that can pull off that kind of project.

Yeah.....I'm still debating. I'm looking at it like.....do I spend $400 to "insure" a rod worth $500?

 

[Nymph-wristed]

You asked for opinions....You don't need one. Just another over priced gadget. We have been carrying assembled rods in our cars for years. Never a single problem.

I know guides rolling Nissan Sentras that pop down the back seat and push 10 footers through the trunk to the dash. Unless you need to drive a pickup, for example, I don't see much value vs price in those "stocker lockers"! I keep my 10'6" together and stowed in an old Outback. A 10 footer fit fine in an Imprezza. My one luxury is a knotted bungee cord between the headrests to keep multiple rods from tangling.

I do respect the homemade one though, hooker! btw, contact me if you want to mass produce them under the patent pending name, Stocker Locker

 

[GeneBeam]

Annoying and I'm too short for one...

After looking at my situation I have come to the conclusion that I way too short also, so when I ordered my new SUV I didn’t order a roof rack. If it is too big that I can’t get it in my new SUV than it is probability too big for me to even, try to get it into a SUV let along on the roof. Besides I have a roof rack on my current SUV and the only time I use them is to pull myself up on a stepstool to wash the roof.

 

[poopdeck]

I keep my rods inside the vehicle so I would not ever have a need for a roof rack. I would never leave a rod locked in a rod carrier on my roof if I was away from the truck for fear of theft.

 

[hooker-of-men]

I am in the process of updating my Stocker Locker®️™️©️ to fix all the things that annoyed me last year (once it was on, I decided to just live with them):

-spay painted the PVC with a matte, textured grey for some classy bedliner vibes
-cutting a new ammo box to get it to ride higher
-maybe tinkering with the roof rack attachment mechanism to clean up the appearance

I will say, for the past few weeks I've been driving around with a rod sitting shotgun and have already been thoroughly annoyed with it jiggling all over on dirt roads, getting in the way of the dog/kids, generally being a pain in the ***, etc. No second thoughts about the benefits of the rod holder. Can't wait to get it back on.

 

[JohnPowers]

Hooker, it appears you anchored the tubes to the box using standard PVC fittings. Right?
any further enlightenment on that?

 

[tpn]

Hooker, it appears you anchored the tubes to the box using standard PVC fittings. Right?
any further enlightenment on that?

Be careful, you have to make sure the fittings screw all the way down to flush. I tried originally and they did not. Here is what I used (conduit fittings). Just make sure if you go this route to get the appropriate glue and obviously the matching female

Cantex 1-1/4 in. D PVC Male Adapter For PVC 1 pk - Ace Hardware

Cantex 5140106 is a 1-1/4 in. Male terminal adapter which is a connector used to transition from a spigot end PVC conduit to a threaded metal or PVC plastic female bell end.Find the ADAPTER PVC TERMINL1-1/4 at Ace.

www.acehardware.com

 

[hooker-of-men]

Be careful, you have to make sure the fittings screw all the way down to flush. I tried originally and they did not. Here is what I used (conduit fittings). Just make sure if you go this route to get the appropriate glue and obviously the matching female

Cantex 1-1/4 in. D PVC Male Adapter For PVC 1 pk - Ace Hardware

Cantex 5140106 is a 1-1/4 in. Male terminal adapter which is a connector used to transition from a spigot end PVC conduit to a threaded metal or PVC plastic female bell end.Find the ADAPTER PVC TERMINL1-1/4 at Ace.

www.acehardware.com

^^This is correct. I explained this earlier in the thread as well:

1) Male to female PVC plumbing connectors DO NOT screw all the way down to flush. This is necessary for trapping the ammo box/reel case securely against the PVC. However, similar connectors in the conduit aisle of the big box will work. Discovering this distinction required too much time wandering around in retail hell

The other thing I had to discover through trial and error (though it may be obvious to more functional folks...) is that the hole size you drill in the ammo box does not match the diameter of the PVC tube you are working with. Once you have a male-to-female connector that screws down flush and fits your tubing, measure the diameter of the threaded male end to determine the appropriate hole saw bit to keep the plumbing connector to ammo box connection snug (which is, in my experience, about 1/4 inch smaller than your PVC tube) .

Because I want the design modular, I do not use adhesive for the male to female threaded connection that goes through the box. I screw it down tight, and then I wrap packing tape around the connection inside the tube (i.e. where the rod goes). I never had any problems with the threaded connection loosening due to vibration, but I found that the tape was an important step because there is a small gap created in which guides can get caught as you're un/loading rods.

 

[JohnPowers]

So, the threads come through the hole in the bottom of the ammo box and the other piece screws down locking things in place. Pvc glue optional. I can carry my NRX and HELIOs, park at the SGL on the WB. I can take one down to fish and leave the other on the car. I can put a MK IV frag grenade in the box so when a thief opens the box….boom. Rigging a tarp over the hole in the roof of the CRV is another fun DIY project.……..I’ll leave the spare outside the room at the DRC.