Okay, so I’ve been wanting to get into fishing for a while now, and I finally took the plunge and bought all the gear. Rod, reel, tackle box – the whole nine yards. But then I ran into a problem: how the heck was I supposed to get my fishing rods to the lake without them snapping in half in my SUV?
I started looking around online, and boy, is there a lot of stuff out there. Some of it looked super complicated and expensive, and honestly, I just wanted something simple that wouldn’t break the bank. I saw some that go on the roof, some that go inside, some that you can even build yourself. Too many choices, you know?
Tried to DIY it at first
First, I thought I could just rig something up myself. I saw this one post online where a guy used bungee cords attached to the grab handles in his car. Sounded easy enough, right? So I grabbed some bungee cords and tried to make it work. It kinda held the rods, but it wasn’t very secure. I could just picture my rods bouncing all over the place and getting damaged. Plus, it looked pretty janky.
Looked at some ready-made options
After that, I figured I should probably just buy something made for this. There were a bunch of different types. Some were like these fancy cases that held your rods all snug and protected. Others were more like racks that you could mount inside or outside your car. I even saw one that was specifically for trucks, that went in the bed of the truck.
- RodBunk Deluxe: This one seemed okay. It can hold up to 7 fishing rods and has a built-in something. But I was worried it might be a hassle to install.
- Thule OnShore Rooftop Carrier: This one looked pretty cool, all sleek and made of ABS. And it says it can hold four 12-foot rods! But it also looked a bit too fancy for what I needed. And probably expensive.
- Portarod Inshore System: This one is adjustable and lightweight, and it says it fits any truck. I don’t have a truck, but maybe they have one for SUVs? It sounds promising, but I need to do more research on this.
Ended up with something simple
I finally found this one simple strap system that seemed like it would do the trick. It’s basically two straps that go across the inside of your SUV, and you just slide your rods into them. It holds up to 7 rods, which is way more than I need, but hey, extra space, right? And it’s made of this strong nylon stuff, so it seems pretty durable. Plus, it was way cheaper than some of the other options I saw.
So, I ordered it, and it arrived a few days later. It was super easy to set up – just clipped it onto the grab handles and the clothes hangers in the back of my SUV. I put my rods in, and they felt really secure. Took it for a test drive, and everything stayed in place. I think it’s gonna work out great!
Now I can finally head out to the lake without worrying about my rods getting busted. I found some good-looking spots around Dayton, OH, but there were so many, not sure which one to go to, maybe just pick one randomly, haha. Can’t wait to catch some fish!
