April 10, 2019
By Mud Hole Staff
Learn how to pack and protect your travel fishing rods while taking trips to the world’s wildest destinations and fisheries.
A Review of Rod Sleeves, Socks, Tubes, and Cases
From filling up the truck to flying with your favorite fishing rods, this blog aims to cover the different methods of protection that ensure your travel rod makes the trip intact.
***Keep in mind, you should always consult the rules and regulations of your airline prior to bringing any fishing rod or equipment along for the trip.***
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Whether you’re a traveling angler or a fisherman looking to getaway, use the following advice to choose the best protection plan to bring your fishing rods along with you.
1. MHX Spinning and Casting Rod Sleeves
Storage made stylish, the MHX Spinning Rod Sleeve and MHX Casting Rod Sleeve protect your rods from damage and look darn good doing it. Each sleeve is designed to protect the blank, the line guides, and the tip of the rod during storage and transportation.
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Not only can you easily store and shield your MHX rods, these sleeves are also engineered with a unique material that will neither mold nor mildew. Plus, the rubberized coating on the bell end is virtually impervious to hook penetration and greatly reduces tangles during transport.
Available in lengths for 6’6″ to 7’6″ rods, the MHX rod sleeves fit a wide range of fishing rods and come in two cool color combinations, black and gold or black and green.
Pick up your MHX Rod Sleeves right here!
2. Clear Creek Cloth Rod Sock
Designed for simplicity, organization, and value, the Clear Creek Rod Sock is a popular protection method for traveling with fly rods or even spinning and casting rods.
Starting with the material, each clear creek rod sock is made of an ultra-soft microfiber suede that keeps nicks and scratches away from your travel rods. Plus, with multiple compartments perfect for securing rods from 1-piece all the way to 4-pieces, these rod socks can hold just about any travel rod you own.
Each sock also features a flap and tie closure for added protection that can be used on its own or within a rod tube, but we’ll cover more of the rod tube method in number 5 below.
Check out the Clear Creek Cloth Rod Socks now!
*Since there are so many options to fit individual customer’s needs, these rod socks are special delivery items, so please allow for extra time on shipping.*
3. St. Croix Cloth Rod Sacks
The St. Croix Cloth Rod Sack combines a super soft cloth and separate sewn in compartments for a design that makes rods easier to pack up and more importantly, protects rods from damage.
This particular rod sack is made to fit most freshwater rods as well as many saltwater rods, excluding some surf rods.
The St. Croix rod sacks provide an extra layer of protection whether you’re traveling or storing your fishing rods.
See the St. Croix Cloth Rod Sacks for yourself.
4. Travel Fishing Rod Cases and Rod Tubes
As many anglers know, there is a bit of a difference between packing up your gear for a quick outing on the local lake, and preparing your gear to travel thousands of miles to reach your fishing destination.
So the question becomes, what works better in each circumstance, a rod case or a rod tube?
The St. Croix Traveler Rod Case
The St. Croix Traveler Rod Cases feature a durable 1000 denier nylon-covered P.V.C. with foam padded ends for rod tip protection and reinforced support for the handle.
The Traveler Rod Case also features divided nylon liners to separate and protect each section of your travel rod without having to add a rod sack.
There are two options for rod cases, either the Traveler Rod Case that fits the rod alone, or the Traveler Rod and Reel Case that includes a strategically designed pocket for the reel. The rod and reel case allows you to leave the reel in place on the rod and keep everything together in the same place.
The Clear Creek Rod Tube
Compact and durable, the Clear Creek Rod Tubes are perfect for protecting your individual rods whether you’re traveling locally or across the globe.
These rod tubes include divided interior liners that prevent scratching during transportation and reinforced seams that handle any rough-and-tough action along the way. With a crush-proof core, extra padding, and scuff resistant cap, each rod tube shields your travel rod while the rugged 1000 denier nylon water-repellent outer material keeps it nice and dry.
One key difference that makes the rod tube slightly better for flights and extensive traveling is that the tube’s flip top includes lockable zipper pulls. So while rod tubes and rod cases both work to protect travel rods from damage, rod tubes go above and beyond to keep rods safely concealed.
Clear Creek Rod Tubes are available in three colors; green , navy , and burgundy , as well as multiple size variations to ensure the best fit for your travel rod.
5. Combine Travel Rod Socks with Rod Tubes
If your fishing trip is taking you the extra mile, take the same precautions with your travel fishing rods.
In this case, the extra mile means beginning with a cloth rod sock, and then sliding your travel rod and the sock together into the rod tube.
Sure this may seem extra, but when it comes to protecting the rods you love, is there such a thing as too far?
This extra layer of protection is well worth it for extensive traveling or for trips where you don’t see who’s handling your gear or more importantly, how they’re handling it to begin with.
You can find all the rod storage and protection products above exclusively at Mud Hole!
Build Your Own Destination Travel Fishing Rod
With MHX Travel Rod Kits , you can build the same high-performance quality expected from MHX, but in the multi-piece construction that makes traveling much more convenient.
After all, what good is a travel rod, if the travel rod ain’t any good in the first place?
Learn more about building travel rods in our blog: Top 3 Destination Travel Rods
The MHX Travel Series allows you to build a packable travel rod without sacrificing its superior performance once you reach the water.