Rod Holder for Topper

[jwhjr]

I purchased a used topper about a month or so ago and I want to be able to transport my rods without worrying about them sliding around and having things fall on them etc. Does anyone have any recommendations for any rod holders that don't require any drilling? Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!

[Nate McVey]

I had a topper a while back and I used some PVC pipe to build a rod holder and then I attached it with zipties. I had some 2 in. for my rods and then connected that to an 8-10 in. piece (a piece big enough for what ever reel I had on). I perminently capped the 2 in. piece and put some foam in the bottom to protect the tip and then capped the 8-10 in. piece and drilled a hole into the cap and the PVC for a padlock. It worked really slick and even had a couple guys modify it for the tops of their Jeeps. I have since taken the 8-10 in piece off and use them to transport while flying. I put them under the straps of a G-Loomis bag and it counts as one piece of luggage. If I can dig up some pics I will post them.

[MJCatfish]

My brother had a system similar to the rod saver vehicle rod carrier. I think he liked it. Do a search for said item and I think you'll like the concept.

MJ

[PerchJerker]

At work we're considering selling a product called Rod Loft Pro that does what you're looking for. I don't know anything about it myself but we've had it in product surveys and it's done well. Might be worth a look. I think it might be kind of pricey though. Good luck.

[jwhjr]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, I'll take a look at all of them.

[Chubby]

The Rod Loft Pro rocks. I picked one up on hsolist for a good price. I can switch it between vehicles in about 2 minutes flat.

[jwhjr]

Chubby - Thanks for the hsolist tip, I was able to find a new one for a good price. Now hopefully it comes before my trip this upcoming weekend .

[Scott M]

Anybody have any pictures of do-it-yourself systems that have worked? shiner? Did you have to drill into your topper?

[Nate McVey]

Dachise, I did drill into the topper since it was an old one and I was more concerned with keeping my rods safe than wrecking the topper. I searched for pics but came up empty handed.

[polarsusd81]

Hey guys, depending on the type of topper you have, instead of drilling into the topper you could use some 3M VHB tape. It is a double sided tape that really sticks. I used to use it all the time to hold panels onto the outside of high rise towers in Chicago, and it was used extensively on the Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA. As long as your surfaces are prepped right, you can make that stuff work on just about anything.

[Scott M]

Hmmmmm. I have a friend that works at 3M, might have to support MN Mining and Manufacturing's adhesives R&D Picking up my truck on Thursday including a fiberglass topper. Pretty nice rig. Don't want to drill and wreck anything quite yet. Getting pretty excited since its my first truck and I'll finally be able to haul decoys, boats, and all the gear we all deem necessary for outdoor pursuits. A hanging rod rack would be pretty nice as well.

10 years of driving and my car finally bite the dust, appropriately it happened on a lake. At least she could die in a place where we got so much satisfaction together.

[polarsusd81]

Yeah, if you want the rod rack removable though, VHB some kind of bracket that you set up. The thing I forgot to say about it, is once you stick it, it is stuck, for good. It is 1/32" thick, and wont let go.

Ideally, you could get some small steel scrap squares, say, 1/16"x1x1, just little squares, and tack on some weld studs. Attatch the brackets for your rod holders via a lock washer and wing nut on the weld stud. Easily removeable, and secure with the lock washers.