Transporting fishing rods can be a difficult task, especially in the tight confines of a mid-sized SUV. I have rod racks on the exterior of my truck; when we take my wife’s RAV4, however, rod storage is much more difficult. While scrolling one day, I saw an ad for the Rod Rig. It looked like a solution that would let me transport rods without smacking passengers in the head, or making them sit with rods stretched over their laps.
I received one a few months ago, and have been using it ever since. In that time, I’ve found the Rod Rig Rod Holder to be easy to install and unobtrusive. It allowed me to free up space, and keep my favorite rods at the ready, safe from car doors and other hazards. And most importantly, it kept them secure, and out of the way, while I burned up the asphalt.
Putting It Together
Assembling the Rod Rig was easy. It didn’t come with instructions, so in my haste I just started piecing it together. I was almost done before I noticed the QR code that linked to a step-by-step assembly video. While I didn’t need it, it’s good to know it exists for those who might.
At the heart of the Rod Rig are the unique cradles that hold the rods from a single point, using a combination of fiber-reinforced plastic and an adjustable bungee cord. Assembling these is the first step. You’ll need to put each side piece onto the middle, using a press fit, and then tighten a few screws using the included Allen key — the bungee is pre-installed.
Once that is done, you attach the little metal shoe to the center piece using a thumb screw. This is what attaches the extruded aluminum bar that keeps your rods above everyone’s heads. When you’ve done that, simply slide it on the bar, pushing it into place and gently tightening the thumb screw just enough that it doesn’t move around. Repeat for as many of the five included cradles you’ll think you’ll need, and get ready to put it in your car. All told, I probably had it together in about 10 minutes.
The Rod Rig sticks to your vehicle’s windows via powerful suction cups. Find an ideal location, one that you reach easily towards the back of the vehicle, that allows the suction cup to be placed on the glass. Once that’s decided, clean the glass with the included alcohol wipe. Then, spread the aluminum bar and position the suction cups. To get them to stick tightly, use the pump on the bottom of each cup. Keep pumping until you can’t anymore, and the holder will be rock solid.
On The Road
I found that the RAV4 could accommodate three rods without getting in the way of anyone in the backseat, though you could probably fit more if you don’t mind inconveniencing your passengers a bit. And if the roof of your car/SUV is higher, or has a deeper trunk in which you can position the rack further back, you could definitely run the full complement of rod holders without bothering anyone.
Placing rods in the Rod Rig is easy as the installation. The unique cradles permit the rods to be held at a single point, without bouncing up or down. Just slide them in from the side, and secure them with the bungee cord. You can adjust tension easily by moving the cord to the different notches, increasing or decreasing tension as needed. I had to tweak the angle a bit to get the rods to lie the way I wanted, parallel to the headliner. But once it was dialed in, it worked with every rod that fit inside the SUV.
The Rod Rig securely gripped casting, spinning, and fly rods with ease. Though I didn’t bomb down any two-tracks, I did take the RAV4 off pavement plenty of times. Even while bumping around off-road, the rods stayed where they were supposed to. And they did so without bopping everyone in the head.
Final Thoughts
In the past, I’ve used all manner of rod holders to try to keep my quiver of sticks secured on the road. These often involved looms of webbing, suspended from the grab handles scattered throughout the car or SUV. Others involved glorified curtain rods that seemed to fail at the most inopportune times. And these all left something to be desired, as they allowed the rods to sway with each turn, drop onto passengers heads, or smash into each other.
The Rod Rig has eliminated all those issues. We’ve had a few 500-mile round trips with the Rod Rig now, and it has performed flawlessly. At this point, I’ve considered just leaving a few rods and some tackle in my wife’s SUV like I do in my truck, so I can be ready to throw some casts at a moment’s notice. (There’s a pretty good pond at the playground we frequent with our son.)
It works with any vehicle that has a pair of opposing windows in the back for the suction cups to stick to, and would probably work well in truck topper with a glass window or other smooth surface to attach to. If you need a way to transport rods in your SUV, give the Rod Rig Rod Holder a serious look. This might just be the best in-vehicle rod rack I’ve ever used.
(If you’re looking for a way to keep your rods organized at home, read our article on making your own rod rack.)
