Packing up the SUV for fishing trips I notice that the fly
rods take up a lot of the precious floor space.
Keeping all the camping gear, cooler and other supplies from falling on
top of the rods is an issue. Also
fitting two piece rods in the SUV when the tent, cots, portable table and
camping chairs are taking up the space right behind the front seats is
difficult. It would be nice to have rods
on a holder near the ceiling so I can stack everything else in the back without
worrying about the rods getting damaged or only being able to use half the back
for equipment because the rods are taking up the rest of the floor space. Searching on the internet I found a few
options.
The RodLoft Pro by RODMOUNTS seemed
the best option with the best reviews.
When Tackle Direct sent me a coupon for 20% off during the month of my
birthday I decided to order one and to give it to my wife to give me for my
birthday.
They also sell them on line at
Cabela’s, however they don’t carry them in the store and they are more expensive
than Tackle Direct.
The RodLoft comes with six options for attachment.
I ended up using the Grab Bar mounting option
for the front set of holders and using the Topper Bracket option for the rear
set.
The other mounting options are
Suction Couplers, Garment Hook, Oversize Garment Hook, and Molding Bracket.
Telescopic rods snap into swiveling holders
which is best to put together before attaching the attachments to the inside of
the SUV to avoid getting pinched.
The package comes with two rod holder sets
which hold three rods each.
There is an
option to purchase more sets.
Using the
Grab Bar mount in the front I was only able to make the front holders fit in
the down position.
For the rear rod
holders, I tried the holders in the up position and in the down position. It worked both ways but I could see out the
back better with them in the up position.
Extra rod holders are available for purchase. Adding a third set would allow you to carry
nine rods. Adding extra holders for the
top and bottom positions, I could configure enough to carry 18 rods in my SUV,
allowing me to only leave a few of my extra rods at home.
For this last trip I took to the Wind River, the RodLoft
worked like a charm. I took six rods all
assembled and ready to fish. I took no
rod cases and rods took up no space on the floor. When I got to the river I just pulled
whichever rod out I wanted to use without having to take time to string the fly
line through the guides because the rod had already been assembled at home. Switching from rod to rod was easy and made
it so I was willing to switch from one style to another because I knew I didn’t
have to take the time to rig up with another rod and presentation.
