Monday, January 21, 2013

Rod holders for your SUV...for 84 cents.

If you know me, then you know that I almost always keep a rod with me. You never know when you'll get a chance to fish. I hate to admit it, but my rod tubes and reel bags collect dust. I usually keep a rod strung up in my car, just sitting in the trunk broken down to two pieces.

 And if you know me, you also know I'm a cheap bastard. I'll do anything to save a few bucks here and there. I've been looking at rod holders for the car since I was sick of taking up trunk space and getting my rods banged up all the time from sitting in the back, bouncing all over.  Sure, the Sumo holders are nice if you're driving from spot to spot, but not ideal for my 45 minute drive to the nicer streams. I looked at those holders that allow you to mount your rod to the inside top of your car. My problem is my SUV isn't quite long enough for a 9 foot rod. It's poking the windshield. I was in Walmart the other day and came up with a solution. I found an 84 cent pack of generic Velcro, which I was originally going to purchase for brushing dubbing. It's called "Sew-On Hook & Loop Fastener" (Whatever the hell that means...)


I then had an idea.

I took the strips of Velcro, and stuck them right to the back of my back seats. They held perfect to the carpeted surface. I can now fit up to 4 rods in the back, and still have all my trunk space free. Problem solved for less than a buck! Let me know if this works for you. I think it's a pretty sweet and cheap idea.

19 comments:

  1. Clever young man. You should go into the hook and loop fastener business.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amazing genius. I'll be picking some up tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice. I know it won't work for everyone with leather seats, etc, but it definitely did the trick for me.

      Delete
  3. This day and age anything a man can do to save a buck, especially in the fly fishing arena, is a sweet idea. Being an ol' feller on limited income makes it even more important. Thanks, Mike!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let me know if you try it out and send a pic! I'd love to see it.

      Delete
  4. For those with leather (not me), loop them round the head rest bars, invest another 84% of a buck and buy two 'hook and loop' setups and run them off each other to get the 4 rod maximum...

    ReplyDelete
  5. That's great. I like it. As a guy with the fly rod banging around in the back of the car all year, this solves all of my problems.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hate to admit it, but I've snapped more than one rod tip by slamming it in a door.

      Delete
  6. I use the Velcro from romaine lettuce for the same thing, kinda. I superglued it to the bottom of my saltwater fly box so it doesn't slide around banging up my rod in the trunk.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Any scratches on the finish of your rods from the velcro?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not that I've noticed, and it can't be any worse than rolling around loose in the trunk!

      Delete
  8. I love this idea. As someone who also keeps a rod banging around the back of SUV, this will make life much easier. THANKS!!!!

    ReplyDelete