fly rod tubes... DIY

Well folks..... finding a fly rod tube for your old fly rod isn't as easy as I thought.

I thought I would use PVC and DIY. So off to; Lowes, Home Depot, Wally World...etc.. nobody has thin walled PVC, only the the thick walled heavy schedule 40 stuff.... By the time you buy fittings for the ends and glue it gets kinda pricey...

I'm not cheap but, looking on line, you'll pay $25 - $50 or more plus shipping for a fly rod case. And I need two!

What to do? These finished bamboo rods need a case. I don't need heavy duty, just a firm and sturdy tube for storage and for riding in the truck to and from fishing....

I happened to look in a messy corner in my wood shop and saw two 1/4" thick very sturdy cardboard tubes. Shipping tubes... Yeah, I can do something with those...

Not the prettiest result, but they will serve the purpose and the price was right.

Here's how I converted them to satisfactory fly rod cases....

For the case: I cut the tube to length, used a piece of stretch cord, tied knots at each end and secured the strap with zip ties. 

For the cap: I used foam, cut to fit and glued in place and then cut two notches in the edge.
I also installed a plug in the other end of the tube.


Secure the cap with the cord in the notches. This prevents any chance of the rod sliding and pushing the cap out.



Comments

  1. Doug, I like the mini bungee aspect of that. It is hard to find the thin-walled PVC. And with standard PVC they get too danged heavy too. You can get the thin-walled in "In house Vacuum" PVC, but they don't have usable end caps. I may try your bungee cap style?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, ... Ralph these 1/4" thick x 2" dia. card board tubes worked out great... And the carpet stores or home supply stores might have some laying around in the back room for free... Hint hint...

      Delete
  2. Improvise my man...well done.
    Summer tag sales can find you a tube or two.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good thought. Will check that out.

    ReplyDelete

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