Pack Your Gear in Half The Space

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Orvis Safe Passage Carry-It-All Rod and Gear Case Review. Photo By: Louis Cahill

Terminal Fishing Packing Checklist

  • Fly Rods & Tubes
  • Fly Reels
  • Leaders & Tippet
  • Fly Floatant
  • Split-Shot
  • Nail-Knot Tool

This list goes on and on with what I need to pack for my guide trips and fly fishing travels. It’s astonishing how much room all this gear takes up in your vehicle once you’ve packed it all in, and the list above is only a partial list of what I need for my days out on the water. I still need waders, boots, fishing packs, net, camera, and enough room to transport my clients. Anyway I looked at it, I was in desperate need of finding a better way to organize all my gear. It was taking far too long for me to strategically load and unload my truck every day.

Recently, I ran across and purchased the Orvis Safe Passage, Carry-It-All Rod and Gear Case, and it’s completely blown me away with it’s ability to safely store an insane amount of gear in half the space. Everything I need is right at my finger tips and that keeps me organized and saves me a ton of time rigging up. From one fellow guide to another, since I’ve started using this gear case, I’ve no longer found myself turning around and heading back to the cabin for a critical piece of gear I forgot to pack. Below is a break down of what the Orvis Carry-It-All gear case can handle and I why I love it.

No more Fly Rod Tubes

I know longer lug around multiple fly rods in their metal tubes on a daily basis anymore. They’re difficult to manage in transit and end up rolling around in my vehicle all the way to the river. With this gear case I leave the tubes at home and can safely stow up to six fly rods in their socks with no problems. I love that at the drop of a hat, I can quickly outfit four clients with fly rods for the day, and still have plenty of room to carry two back up rods in case we encounter any foul play during our fishing. Orvis sells two different sizes in this Safe Passage gear case series. I opted to purchase the large size for the extra room, but mostly because it can accommodate up to 11′ rods. That’s a nice feature most rod cases can’t offer, and that’s a plus since I’ve been known to break out switch rods for my big water fishing. Just relocate one velcro divider and you’re ready to load up the long rods.

Keep Your Reels with Your Rods

I used to have a separate reel bag that I toted around with all my fly reels. The need to have both left and right hand retrieve reels on hand is a must for guiding, but even more importantly I usually like to carry a couple larger reels with intermediate and sinking lines in case I get advanced fly fishermen that want to pound the banks with streamers. I can easily pack 4-6 fly reels in this case if I need to, and that was a big selling point for me.

While Your At it You Might as well Throw everything else in there.

So we’ve got a boat load of rods and reels packed up in the case but we still have plenty of room for other gear. What else should you pack? I tell you what I do, I take it a step further by packing a generous stash of leaders and tippet, extra split-shot and fly floatant. Next, I make sure to fill the rest of the case up with fly boxes I must have for the day. Take a close look at the photo at the top of the post and you’ll see I’ve stowed away two large C&F fly boxes, as well as, two other smaller fly boxes. Right there I’ve got at least 200-300 flies that should handle just about any situation I encounter on the water. Seriously, don’t waste your time looking for other product alternatives, this gear case has it all and then some.

Orvis Safe Passage Carry-It-All Gear Review Results

I’ll proudly be showing off this gear case to all my clients and friends, and I’m positive it will serve me well for many years to come. Plain and simple, this product allows me to do my job better. It keeps me organized, saves me a ton of space, and allows me to rig up quicker than ever before. I absolutely couldn’t be happier with the quality and functionality of the Orvis Safe Passage Carry-It-All Rod and Gear Case. It retails between $149.00-169.00 and I would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a “Holds Everything” gear bag that’s suitable for airline travel. When I run across a product that blows my socks off, I feel it’s my duty to spread the word, and this gear case did just that. Let us know your reviews on this product if you have one. It’s great to here opinions from other anglers.

More Gear Review Posts

Keep it Reel,

Kent Klewein
Gink & Gasoline
www.ginkandgasoline.com
hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
 
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16 thoughts on “Pack Your Gear in Half The Space

  1. Been thinking about getting that exact case for airline travel so I can free up space in my other carry on from reels and make better use of my half full rod case I use as my “personal” bag.

  2. Orivs often gets the “walmart” treatment from anglers. I think because their old school design dosen’t appeal to the new generation. Looking at their new lines they seem to have caught on and stepped up their designs. I wonder if that type of case would be considered a carry-on at the airport?

    • Charlie,

      I think its important for all anglers to judge products unbiasedly. We all have brand favorites but that doesn’t mean we should ignore great products and not use them just because we have brand loyalty. I’m hoping an Orvis staff member will clear up your question about airline travel/carry-on. I am pretty confident the smaller version would be 100% fine, but my larger version may have to be checked.

      A great product is bottomline, a great product. You of all people understand this with your well rounded arsenal of branded gear.

      Kent

    • Charlie, by the TSA guidlines it is not “legal” but I carry mine on all the time and don’t get a hassled. My take has always been, if you can take a rod tube then you should be ok with this.

      Kent, Nice review.
      Thanks,
      Shawn Combs

      • Shawn,

        Thank you for promtly replying on the post. It great to hear that you have personally carried it on an airplane.

        FYI everyone. Your always at the mercy of the flight attendants at the gate and what kind of mood they are in the day you show up. Put a smile on your face and give them a compliment. It can make a big difference.

        Kent

        • Might just have to get me one of those, I would feel better knowing i could carry all the essential fishing equipment with me on the plane instead of just a few rods. Wasn’t knocking the orvis brand in performance just the look is a little aged I think, but this years stuff has greatly improved.

    • I have the larger version, and have carried it on for two trips out of Denver now, with no questions or even odd looks. I got pulled aside after the x-ray machine because TSA wanted to measure the pliers I had packed to make sure they were under the 7 inch limit. After that, I packed the pliers in a checked bag and have sailed through TSA. The bag is awkward for the overhead bin, but I’d rather gate check it than have it as regular checked baggage.

      • Paul,

        I really appreciate you dropping us this comment. I know there are several prople that were looking for this info. To be clear, will the large size fit in the overhead bin on your average plane?

        Kent

  3. I’ve had this case for over a year; it’s great. BC, Idaho, Mexico, Guatemala + local stuff at home. Orvis gets a bad rap for their waders, but their travel stuff is bang on.

    Sometimes gate agents & airline attendants look a little funny at it, but if you tell them it’s an oboe or clarinet, they give you no crap at all. They seem to trust tormented-looking musicians more than they do scruffy-looking anglers for some reason… 🙂

  4. Two quick amendments:
    1. my case is for 4pc-9′ rods, so the smaller version
    2> According to TSA’s website:
    “Fishing Rods are permitted as carry-on and checked baggage. However, please check with your air carrier to confirm that it fits within their size limitations for carry-on items. Ultimately, it is the carrier’s decision as to whether or not it can be transported as carry-on baggage.

    Tackle Equipment
    Fishing equipment should be placed in your checked baggage. Some tackle equipment can be considered sharp and dangerous. Expensive reels or fragile tackle such as fly’s should be packed in your carry-on baggage.”

    A good tip is to print that page off the website to show TSA agents if they start hassling you.

    Mexico is hit or miss; leaving Cancun, I had no problems at all; but while transiting through Mexico City a few weeks later, I dealt with some absolute tools & ended up having to check it. Fortunately the rods/reels made it through unscathed.

  5. Thanks for the info on what looks to be a great product; I’m wondering if this bag is easy to hike with? Does it have straps that make it easy to carry on your back or across your chest?

    • Mark,

      Yes you could wear the shoulder strap across your back but I think the case is better served as a boat, travel, vehicle bag. Hike-in trips would probably be vetter with a backpack syle bag. Thanks for your comment.

      Kent

  6. Excellent article and comments gents – thanks!! Sounds like just the item I’ve been looking for to help keep things simple and organized.

  7. Pingback: The Blog Gink & Gasoline reviews the Safe Passage Carry-it-All Rod and Gear Case | OrvisNews

  8. Pingback: The Blog Gink & Gasoline reviews the Safe Passage Carry-it-All Rod and Gear Case | OrvisNewsOrvisNews

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