vehicle rod holders

[grizzly]

well my old ford transmission finally saw it's last mile, so i bought a 95 pathfinder. i'm looking for ideas on rod storage. my old truck had a camper shell and i built holders on both sides to hold 12 rods total. not much space in my new pathfinder, but would like to be able to store about 6 rods without taking them apart, especially since they dont all even come apart. right now i'm thinking about short pieces of pvc pipe attached to the center ceiling area next to dome light, and more pipe in the rear for the butts. would really like something that looks good, as this is probably the nicest vehicle i've ever owned, but if i cant haul a few rods easily then what good is it. any thoughts would be great, i'm sure someone here has came up with a few good ideas

 

[Bubba]

I know they make ceiling racks for SUV's and Vans. They make some that attach to the little hangers most vehicles come with for hanging clothes. Here's an image of one I found...

You could also just run two straps along the ceiling from side to side to hang them from.

 

[grizzly]

yeah i tried the straps, and things just get too tangled. that setup looks good but i'd like to build something similar. thanks for the help

 

[Bubba]

yeah i tried the straps, and things just get too tangled. that setup looks good but i'd like to build something similar. thanks for the help

Another idea that would be simple, and still stick with the straps is you could use some straping to go from side to side. Then sew on some velcro loops every few inches(to wrap around each rod handle) to keep the rods positioned, that way they wouldn't slide together and should keep them from getting tangled together.

 

[angry Bob]

Here's the one I use in my trailblazer

https://web.ivenue.com/rodmounts/RodLoftPRO.ivnu

 

[grizzly]

thanks guys, that is the style i was thinking. but to save me the 50 to 200 bucks those things go for i have built a system of my own design that is sure to revolutionize the rod holding industry as we know it. step aside Neil Armstrong and Bill Gates, the man known as Grizzly has arrived. anyway, i'll try and get some pics up this weekend.

 

[Captain Ahab]

I am going to build one as well - I purchased a crappy Rappala system but I am not happy at all with how it works

 

[grizzly]

i took a 2' piece of 1.5" pvc pipe, drill pressed holes not quite half way across using a 2" forstner bit, so it kind of looks like a flute. this will have a small rope running all the way through it, and attached to my rear seat belt mounts by the ceiling. i put one of those small squeeze stops you see on back packs on it, and it has enough slack to lower down to the tops of the seat. you can then pull up some rope from one of those holes and slide your rod butt in, so it's on top of the pipe and under the rope. then a quick pull of the clamp thing and up it goes to the ceiling. then there is dowel up by my dome light that has dividers on it to keep the tips from getting tangled. hard to explain but that gives you an idea i think. i'll get pics up sunday or monday. total cost= only the stuff i had laying around my garage.

 

[Bubba]

i took a 2' piece of 1.5" pvc pipe, drill pressed holes not quite half way across using a 2" forstner bit, so it kind of looks like a flute. this will have a small rope running all the way through it, and attached to my rear seat belt mounts by the ceiling. i put one of those small squeeze stops you see on back packs on it, and it has enough slack to lower down to the tops of the seat. you can then pull up some rope from one of those holes and slide your rod butt in, so it's on top of the pipe and under the rope. then a quick pull of the clamp thing and up it goes to the ceiling. then there is dowel up by my dome light that has dividers on it to keep the tips from getting tangled. hard to explain but that gives you an idea i think. i'll get pics up sunday or monday. total cost= only the stuff i had laying around my garage.

Sounds like a neat setup! Using the rope tension to keep your rods seated in the grooves in the pipe. Can't wait to see pics. :beer:

 

[angry Bob]

Spendy, I agree. I got mine free as a field test item from the NAFC. Good luck with your project. Look forward to seeing the pics.

 

[Popeye]

angry Bob,

How do you like those rod holders? Any serious limitations or downfalls to them? How did you rate them in your review?

 

[angry Bob]

I like mine. I made one small modification. I drilled a hole through the shaft and bent a wire through it because it would come apart every now and then. The only downside is that the rods are held in by a rubber strap that has holes in it that slip over the top of a nipple, and if there is enough weight they'll pop off. The rods won't completely fall out, they just sag a little. In the front the rod tips will tick on my sunglasses compartment so i put little foam caps on them to stop the irrirtating noise. My car sets up well to use the hangers for the system. I doubt highly that the suction cup holders that are designed to hold onto a window would work very well. I haven't found a suction cup yet that holds very long. Hope that helps.