Ice Rod cases

[BlackBetty]

Anyone have any suggestions for ice rod cases? I have a ready rod case, but rods/lines tangle.

[Eric Wettschreck]

BlackBetty, welcome to FM!!!

I'm a huge fan of my Stone Bros Revolution. No line or rod tangle. It will easily hold 4 rods and even more if the reels have folding handles. Nice storage area for jig boxes and stuff like towels and playing cards, too.

[blueroof]

You might try buying some tubes used for holding golf clubs ($1.25 ea.) and sliding them over your rods when inside of your current rod case. I use them inside an older model Lakewood rod case and I can get more rods than I ever imagined in it without tangle issues. The golf tubes are better than the rod slicks for protection too.

Aside from that, the marcum cases and the Revolution, are pretty nice for keeping rods separated.

LB

[ameyers41]

Last year I used the Ready Rig Triax. Three rods with reels fit, but were too tight. I bought a Thorne Bros. bag made by JR's. The thing will hold the 4 rods I usually bring and has removable rod sleeves, so don't worry about tangles. I haven't had it out on the ice yet, but it seems like it's pretty well made.

I have the 4 rods, 4 little tackle trays (the size that usually come with vexilars), GPS, and I still have a ton of room left over. I'd give them a look. I got mine on sale at the ice show, but I think they're normally $40, which still a great value if you ask me.

[BlackBetty]

Where did you pick yours up...online?

[Eric Wettschreck]

Yes, online. Actually it was a gift from my Mrs. who picked it up online.

[ameyers41]

I picked up mine at the ice show, but you can get them at Thornes. Not sure if they have them online, but you could call them and ask if you can order them online/over the phone. Not sure.

[TimBuck2]

Anyone pick up the new case from Marcum? Storage in the bottom for your Flasher too. I haven't actually laid hands on one, but they look good on their web site. Any opinions?

[Northlander]

The new Marcum bags are nice bags. Only thing is longer rods in the 28" and over have tips hitting the bottom of the bags before the reel touches the top of the tubes. Im in the process of cutting down some old rod tubes I have to slide in the current sleeves so my reels handle hits the tube before the tips hit bottom. They sure are sturdy and should protect smaller rods really nicely.

The tips hitting bottom may not even be a issue but Im not chancing losing a tip on a custom rod.

The golf style kickstand on the larger bag is a nice idea.

[blueroof]

I've got mixed feelings on the Marcum ice pak. I picked one up at the ice show. It holds four combos easily without breaking down the reels. Because of how the plastic sheaths inside the pack are designed, you can only carry rods under 32". A 32" rod with a standard cork handle is a tad too long unless you prop something under the reel to hold the tip from banging into the bottom of the case.

That being said, I put a couple of 36" into mine by sliding the rods into golf tubes first, then putting the rods/tubes into the Marcum ice pack. I like this option for two reasons - two longer rods with a couple of shorter rods gives a good staggering of reels, making more room for the reels to lay out without getting tangled. Also, with the tubes placed inside the plastic sheaths, you actually have room for another tube and rod to fit into each sheath if desired. I put in four rods with reels, and then was able to slide a couple deadsticks without reels attached into the case very easily.

What I didn't like about the case was the fact that it took four of them to find one without a blem out of the box. My first one had some rivets that were missing from the top. The second had a tear in the stands pivot point velcro attachment material. The third one had a torn seam on the guides for the leg retraction cable. The fourth one looks good still . I did get a free hat and sticker out of the deal. I'm a bit worried about how they will hold up being toted around the ice. Time will tell.

LB

[picksbigwagon]

two years ago I went to Dick's sporting goods and spent 9 bucks for an arrow case (like for bow hunting) holds 4 rods, 2 boxes of jigs and I love it. I will probably get another this year for a couple extra rods I have and tip ups.

[Wild Willie]

I still believe the ReadyRig Ice Pro case is still the best tried and true ice rod case on the market. It's 38" long, provides breakage protection and can hold up to three ice combos for under $20. A little care when loading the rods into the case is all that is required.

I like how Marcum, or is it, Stone Legacy, tried to address separating the rods with plastic sleeves. I thought the sleeves were just a bit on the heavy side. One flaw, in my humble opinion, is that the most delicate part of the ice rod (the tip) is pointing down, fighting the laws of gravity. That's okay if all the weight of the combo is being held-up where the reel is attched to rod. But, I'm not sure if I would trust my rod tips with just a inch or two of clearance. I can also see how the rod length restriction will create a lot of rod tip breakage issues down the road for a lot of folks who don't know how long their rods actually are. I saw a couple of IcePacs out of the box, laying on the floor at MFF and it looked like some webbing/strapping was tearing loose and the metal stands were all twisted up in the elastic cord and both were missing some plastic clips and strapping. I also find the name IcePac kind of interesting as it is really close to ReadyRig's IcePack product which has been out on the market for over four years now.

So many options from which to choose: cases with tubes, cases without tubes, rod locker style, arrow cases, backpack style gear bags, all plastic chair options, folding chair gear storage options, bags that hold rods/electronics, etc., etc., etc.

All I can say is there is no substitution for quality and no one perfect solution. Good luck with your rod case search.

[harvey lee]

I use one Ready Rig bag modified as I placed pvc tube in the sections ansd then golf tubes and you could run it over with a 4-wheeler without damage to the rods. The other case I use is a Otter Outdoors hard case that will hold 4 rods and protexct them very well. I personally like the hard sided cases as they offer tons of protection for expensive ice rods.

Who wants to dust a $50-$80- rod?

[hotrod1]

Is there any retailer that carries the stone legacy rod bags or are they only available online?

[DzNuts]

What do people do about there spring bobbers when putting the rod back in the case? I have a popper bobber (or whatever they are called) and would take that off and let it slide down the line but now with the St.Croix I'd like to be a little more careful.

[looneyducer]

I have a hard case for a break down shotgun that looks pretty cool and keeps three rigs set up and separate in theory, and two in practice (have you ever noticed how very separate those two things are?), but I'm still not convinced it's any better than tossing a few combos in a bucket and just dealing with the ensuing disaster, unless of course you happen to own a jigging rapala. My God.

[Northlander]

I found out at the Ice Show that Stone Legacy has been sold.

I did a little searching and did find out that if you go to their HSOforum you can still buy Revolution bags and most of the ice fishing line of products so thats good news. I really like my Revolution bag.

[beaver11]

got the new marcum icepac and the strap broke the first time out

[blueroof]

beaver11- did the cotton strap that retracts the leg snap? That would be my guess on the failure point. When I was at the Marcum office in Anoka exchanging the third one, that is the part I mentioned as being an obvious weak point. Cotton string supporting electronics is pretty stupid idea. I already switched mine to nylon rope...

LB

[hanson]

Quote:

---

I found out at the Ice Show that Stone Legacy has been sold.

I did a little searching and did find out that if you go to their

HSOforum

you can still buy Revolution bags and most of the ice fishing line of products so thats good news. I really like my Revolution bag.

---

Northlander... good research man!

The Stone Legacy site is new and updated with online shopping as well. Couple weeks ago, I was looking for another Revolution and their HSOforum was totally different and you couldn't browse products or purchase anything.

I really like my Revolution. I keep my Thorne Perch Sweethearts in one end and my Thorne Deadsticks in the other end. Ice cleats, Little Dipper Ice Scooper, Today's Tackle Ice Well all go in the zippered compartment.

[fishinalot]

Revolution!

[beaver11]

the strap that is sewn on the rubber material down where the sonar unit goes..the stitching ripped right outta there.there isn't much there holding it on and to me that ain't the best material to be sewing on..i had to modify it a little but now im just waiting for the other side to rip out

[Hookmaster]

I have a revolution which is my main bag and two of the Gander green bags. The Gander on will hold 3 rigs easily and quite a bit of tackle in the two side pouchs.

[rockman]

This post is about a week late, but I picked up a Deluxe Rod Bag from JR's Tackle at the Ice Fishing Show.That bag is absolutely killer.JR redesigned it with better zippers,more pockets on the outside, and added 4 rod covers? that were already in the bag.I already have an older model of this bag from JR's. I like that one and still use it.This new bag is better.The new bag will hold,or is supposed to hold 8 combos.Nothing against the other offerings from other companies, but this rod bag is the real deal.

[brittlab]

I also bought one of those jr bags . I used it yesterday and had 6 combo's in it with room to spare. zippers worked well in the cold air. very nice bag