Rod Case ?

Any recommendation for a decent hard side ice rod case on the cheap?

-J.

On the Cheap NO. If you have the $’s in reels and rods that a lot here do I’d go with the Otter Box. I got one last year and I’ve beat it around a ton and so far so good.

I’ll 2nd the Otter rod box as a worthy investment, but if you want to go cheap you can probably find an inexpensive arrow case or cheap rifle/shotgun case that will work.

Jon Jordan wrote:

Any recommendation for a decent hard side ice rod case on the cheap?

-J.

How many rods Jon? I have 2 of these … each fit 3 rods nice.

They also have pin hinges not just a plastic hinge, 2 locks on front and one on each end.

http://www.amazon.com/Plano-Pillared-Take-Down-Case/dp/B000P3YSO6

Find yourself a break down shotgun case. Only disadvantage is having to break down the handles of the reels when putting them away

For sure. Go to Mills or Gander and look at their gun cases. Plano makes nice hard-sided gun cases that work fine. Check those out online. I just did a quick search and you can get them for under $40. Bow cases are also an option.

Walmart double rifle case – padded for about $25. Holds 5 rods up to 40″. I’ve beaten the crap out of mine, rolled in the back of the truck, dropped on ice, stepped on, banged around on the ATV………. no broken rods. Just have to watch the thicknes of reels or break down the handles
Last years debate:

http://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/community/forums/topic/ice_1313580/

Frabill has a couple options but the Otter case is basically the same case as the Heavy Duty Frabill but it’s about 30 bucks cheaper.
http://frabill.com/new-products/ice-new/heavy-duty-ice-rod-case.html

http://www.rapala.com/otter/general-ice-accessories/sportmans-rod-case/sportmans-rod-case/200065.html?id=1

Otter Box is awesome. I also have an AR-15 hard case I got from Rock River for $40 that works well. But the otter box is the way to go!

On the cheap – yup. I bought a Plano takedown shotgun case last year and have had it riding around in my Otter since. I have no worry about broken rods, as long as I am careful to not shut them in the hinge or something.

I do have to fold the handles down, which is a minor inconvenience but not something I really notice. I have fir 5 rods in mine before. That’s tight, but 4 24-28″ rods fit pretty easily.

An Otter box would be nicer I’m sure, and maybe I will have one someday, but the little Plano case does a pretty nice job for not a lot of money.

Oh, mine is loaded with up to 3 Thorne Rods too and like I mentioned, I have confidence that case will keep them safe.

I picked up a flambeau tactical rifle case for an ice rod case and it works awesome. Got it for $45 at farm and fleet. nice hard plastic outside and nice foam padding on the inside i have about 5-6 rods in there at a time and theres plenty of room in there. i see no need to spend $100 on a rod case that has a name on it

Otter Box speaks for itself, especially if you have a number of custom rods in tow. – QB

For sure Otter Box is a worthy investment. With durability and space, you can’t go wrong.

another option is the expedition case, its aluminum outside and not bad for weight as well.

if you want the cadillac of cases, look at icefishing innovations case…..

In addition to the Otter box, you may want to consider Plano’s AR case. It will take sticks to 42″ and is even more solid than the Otter…cheaper too. I have both and while my Otter is my primary box in most cases, the Plano is used when I’m using my longer laker rods.

I have this rod case…..By far the best out there. I got 6 custom ice rods all @ 36″ in there with tons of room to spare. There is loads of tackle tray storage in this thing as well….is it pricey? Yes I paid about $125 at the ice show for this, but I know for a fact that none of my rods will ever be damaged when in this case…..When a person spends 600-800+ on rods, reels, tackle, why not protect the investment. My $.02

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For the otter case, do you have to fold reel handles down? I’m trying to fit some 2500 sized reels in.

ec1 wrote:

I’m trying to fit some 2500 sized reels in.

500 sized reels can fit without folding the handles, it’s a tight fit. I’ve never tried, but I’m fairly certain any larger reel would require the handles to be folded to close the case

Tonka wrote:

Frabill has a couple options but the Otter case is basically the same case as the Heavy Duty Frabill but it’s about 30 bucks cheaper.

http://frabill.com/new-products/ice-new/heavy-duty-ice-rod-case.html
http://www.rapala.com/otter/general-ice-accessories/sportmans-rod-case/sportmans-rod-case/200065.html?id=1

I must say I looked at the otter case long and hard side by side with the frabil heavy duty rod case the frabil is so much more well built and solid compared to the otter box! And I’m not a frabil guy at all but had to buy the better case!

Was just at Fleet Farm and they had a Lakes and river hard sided case that looked nice. They also had a gray Clam unit that was soft case with hard sides that looked nice for the money.

bigstick56 wrote:

I have this rod case…..By far the best out there. I got 6 custom ice rods all @ 36″ in there with tons of room to spare. There is loads of tackle tray storage in this thing as well….is it pricey? Yes I paid about $125 at the ice show for this, but I know for a fact that none of my rods will ever be damaged when in this case…..When a person spends 600-800+ on rods, reels, tackle, why not protect the investment. My $.02

what brand is it?

yummymuskie wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>bigstick56 wrote:</div>
I have this rod case…..By far the best out there. I got 6 custom ice rods all @ 36″ in there with tons of room to spare. There is loads of tackle tray storage in this thing as well….is it pricey? Yes I paid about $125 at the ice show for this, but I know for a fact that none of my rods will ever be damaged when in this case…..When a person spends 600-800+ on rods, reels, tackle, why not protect the investment. My $.02

what brand is it?

Ice Fishing Innovations

Yes this is a Ice Fishing Innovations rod case. I like it because you can fit 6 + 40″ rods and reel combos without having to break any reels down. Also like I said before it fits at least 6 plano tackle trays in here as well. I am a big guy, and I can jump on this case and it has 0 effect on the rods. I had an otter case but wasn’t able to fit all my rods in there and to get them to fit in there nicely you had to break down the reels. This rod case allows you to simply put the rods in the case without doing anything. Again, why not get the best to protect your investments.

bigstick56 wrote:

Yes this is a Ice Fishing Innovations rod case. I like it because you can fit 6 + 40″ rods and reel combos without having to break any reels down. Also like I said before it fits at least 6 plano tackle trays in here as well. I am a big guy, and I can jump on this case and it has 0 effect on the rods. I had an otter case but wasn’t able to fit all my rods in there and to get them to fit in there nicely you had to break down the reels. This rod case allows you to simply put the rods in the case without doing anything. Again, why not get the best to protect your investments.

Looks pretty big though. Can you fit it in a two person sled (along with a flasher, heater, bucket, etc.) and still get the travel cover on the sled?