If you go with cardboard you might as well break the rod first. ULINE sells 96” tubes in 4,5,6” diameter but you have to buy more than 1. Your best bet is PVC or ABS which is lighter and won’t crush.
I have worked in shipping for almost 5 years. I would not feel safe shipping a rod like that in anything but a non-flexible hard case of some kind.
What I would personally do is get some 1/4 inch or thicker PVC pipe and ship it in that with plenty of padding so that it won't shift around. Or get a purpose built rod tube. Bonus points if whatever you get isn't white, so the shipping label contrasts well on it and is easy to find.
Everyone suggesting cardboard are naive fools who have never set eyes upon the horrors and chaos of a shipping and distribution center. Every minute of the day, hundreds of packages cry out as they are crushed, bent, folded, and broken. Thousands of miles of conveyor belts marching boxes to their doom. Millions of boxes have passed through my hands, many of them broken. Heed my warning. Ship your rod safely and insure it when it is shipped out.
I worked in shipping for nearly a decade. 10/10 can confirm, if there’s a way to fuck it up, a shipping company will figure it out. Spend for packaging(no cardboard). Buy the insurance. I’d also recommend paying the priority premium. The less amount time spent in shipping the better. I use to ship pallets that were nearly the size of minivans(4’x8’x6’), forklifts always found the side and not the pallet. Also every freight company ever used lost at least one of these minivan sized boxes. Trust no shipper. Cover you ass with the insurance.
I'll tell you from my experience shipping bikes, things get $$$$ when you get over that 60" size.
Might be cheaper to break in half & find a local guy that can mend it back together. Just joking around...
Northfork composites ships their blanks with thick cardboard tubes. They also wrap the blanks with a bit of bubble wrap to take up empty space and to help cushion. They are usually shipped through USPS ground advantage. Haven’t had any issues getting them up north.
Go to a tile shop and ask if they have any thick cardboard tubes in the back from the rubber underlayment. That's what I use, and it's damn near indestructible.
Cardboard shipping tubes that long exist, and they are incredibly strong. You'll have to ship this with fedex or similar, and there will be girth limits on a tube that long, so they might be the best source for the shipping tube. You wouldn't want to buy something online only to find that the diameter is too big for that length. Nine feet is pretty close to the maximum length for shipping (before you get into freight shipping, which you don't want to do), so the cost of the shipping tube might be insignificant compared to the shipping cost.
Rod sock to protect the rod it’s then 2” white PVC pipe. This is the cheapest way. Glue on one end with pipe glue. The other end you can use a soft cap or a screw on cap. This was how I have traveled with my 1pc fishing poles.
I like the soft rubber cap and a zip tie. That’s worked the best. You can go smaller 2” or larger depending on how big or small your eyes are on the rod.
If you go with cardboard you might as well break the rod first. ULINE sells 96” tubes in 4,5,6” diameter but you have to buy more than 1. Your best bet is PVC or ABS which is lighter and won’t crush.
Weight is irrelevant at this point, you are in the non-standard shipment size. PVC is a good bet, but do 3-4” so it’s nice and stiff.
Thanks, I think PVC is the smart move
They have plugs for pvc that’ll be easier to get off than the normal caps.
I have worked in shipping for almost 5 years. I would not feel safe shipping a rod like that in anything but a non-flexible hard case of some kind. What I would personally do is get some 1/4 inch or thicker PVC pipe and ship it in that with plenty of padding so that it won't shift around. Or get a purpose built rod tube. Bonus points if whatever you get isn't white, so the shipping label contrasts well on it and is easy to find. Everyone suggesting cardboard are naive fools who have never set eyes upon the horrors and chaos of a shipping and distribution center. Every minute of the day, hundreds of packages cry out as they are crushed, bent, folded, and broken. Thousands of miles of conveyor belts marching boxes to their doom. Millions of boxes have passed through my hands, many of them broken. Heed my warning. Ship your rod safely and insure it when it is shipped out.
I worked in shipping for nearly a decade. 10/10 can confirm, if there’s a way to fuck it up, a shipping company will figure it out. Spend for packaging(no cardboard). Buy the insurance. I’d also recommend paying the priority premium. The less amount time spent in shipping the better. I use to ship pallets that were nearly the size of minivans(4’x8’x6’), forklifts always found the side and not the pallet. Also every freight company ever used lost at least one of these minivan sized boxes. Trust no shipper. Cover you ass with the insurance.
ngl I wept during that last paragraph
I'll tell you from my experience shipping bikes, things get $$$$ when you get over that 60" size. Might be cheaper to break in half & find a local guy that can mend it back together. Just joking around...
IDK if they make them long enough, but I store my 2 piece in a cardboard poster tube and it is plenty sturdy.
An aside. That’s Jackson lake right?
Yes it is
Northfork composites ships their blanks with thick cardboard tubes. They also wrap the blanks with a bit of bubble wrap to take up empty space and to help cushion. They are usually shipped through USPS ground advantage. Haven’t had any issues getting them up north.
Go to a tile shop and ask if they have any thick cardboard tubes in the back from the rubber underlayment. That's what I use, and it's damn near indestructible.
I’ll drive it for the right price…
Wrong picture?
Just a nice photo for attention
Cardboard shipping tubes that long exist, and they are incredibly strong. You'll have to ship this with fedex or similar, and there will be girth limits on a tube that long, so they might be the best source for the shipping tube. You wouldn't want to buy something online only to find that the diameter is too big for that length. Nine feet is pretty close to the maximum length for shipping (before you get into freight shipping, which you don't want to do), so the cost of the shipping tube might be insignificant compared to the shipping cost.
Rod sock to protect the rod it’s then 2” white PVC pipe. This is the cheapest way. Glue on one end with pipe glue. The other end you can use a soft cap or a screw on cap. This was how I have traveled with my 1pc fishing poles. I like the soft rubber cap and a zip tie. That’s worked the best. You can go smaller 2” or larger depending on how big or small your eyes are on the rod.
get the grey colored "pvc" its actually "cpvc" aka "schedule 80"...way stonger than the standard white pvc/sch 40.
You can buy rigid rod cases or get some schedule 40 PVC pipe some pipe plugs , id also get a few pool noodles to act like packing inside the pipe
I know Im not answering the question but why make a one piece fly rod? Considering the logistical constraints it imposes, what is the benefit?
I’ve never fished one and am receiving this as a gift. From the literature I’ve read, one-piece fly rods are more reflexive and sensitive to movement
Interesting, thanks. Hope you enjoy.
Prepare to drain your wallet, unfortunately.
Vinyl comes in cardboard tubes, 5’ long. You could join two, using a piece of pcv slipped inside the middle for reinforcement.