I am relocating very soon (this month). Moving from the Chicago area to San Diego area. I will be using Fedex for shipping. What is the best way to pack rods? Schedule 40 PVC pipe?

Yes and the larger diameter the better. Lots of foam cushion on the insides and at the ends.

How many rods do you have to ship? Not sure I would put all my eggs in one basket. Maybe break up the shipment into several tubes. Of course more tubes equals more chance that at least one or two of them might go damaged or missing. But with all eggs in one basket, if that one tube failed to arrive to your new home, you're out everything. Just some ideas to consider.

Certainly that is one way. But, I personally would not use Schedule 40 pipe. Way way too heavy.

Nearly any container will work fine, as long as it does not get caught in a conveyor. If virtually any container gets caught in a conveyor, it will either bend or snap.

If I want to use a pvc pipe, I use the DW or thin wall Drain pipe. It is a fraction of the weight of the schedule 40 pipe and works just fine.

The other option is to simply use a cardboard box of the appropriate size. If shipping a lot of rods, say 20-500, the cardboard box works just fine. Most of the rods that sporting goods houses receive in bulk are shipped to them in Cardboard boxes.

Just use appropriate thickness cardboard for the box, its length and weight and you will be good to go.

If you don't have so many, the use of a triangle cardboard shipping tube also works very well. Cardboard, when bent to form an equal sided triangle is very strong and is not subject to bending.

As the others have suggested, how ever you pack the rod/s, use appropriate packing so that the rods can not bounce around. if shipping a bunch of rods in the same container, place half of the rods in one direction, and place the other half in the opposite direction. This gives you a good sturdy interior on the shipping container, since you have thick and thin rod ends on each end of the container.

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I have found that if one uses a 10 foot piece of 4 inch thinwall dw or drain PVC pipe, that you can generally pack up to about 20 rods in the container, by alternating the ends. If you do ship a bunch in the same container, form the shape of the container, by arranging the rods, and then put all of the rods - placed in the appropriate shape into the container all at the same time. i.e. you can fit all of the grips and guides together and they will form a nice locking bundle. Take a couple of large binders to hold the shape while packing the rods.

be safe

p.s.
However you ship, be sure to put a retail value on each and every rod, and add 20% for inflation and insure the package for that total amount.

If your rods are custom built rods, be sure to use your final selling price plus 20% for the value to use for insuring the shipment/s.

Insurance will cost a bit. But a box full of broken rods will cost much much more.

Be safe

If you seal up the tube make sure it has a small hole so the air can come an go , not too important for road travel but real big time on Air travel ,the hole can be small like 1/8 inch dia. will work

William Sidney
AK

William could you please tell me the reason for drilling the hole in the tube. I take it that it has something to do with air pressure. I bring a few rods across when I come over for work and they spend 7hrs in the air and I haven't experienced any problems yet. Is there something I should be looking out for.

Cheers

Ray Balmforth
Figtree
NSW
Australia

it is air pressure see that we do a lot travel in small planes not pressurized an when comeing down fast or up fast some times the pressure can't get out , the case will break apart
so small hole works just fine have lost a case 2 times because of that, I put a small hole an have not lost a case after that , .the big planes are pressurize I just do it to make me happy hard to break an old dog of old habits Bill PS these case's are PVC with screw on caps not push on , it did not happen all the time but it did happen to me, my way of a fix

William Sidney
AK

I don't put padding in both ends to secure the rods - you can snap the tips on light rod doing so. I wrap strapping tape around the reel seat, bring it out and over the end of the tube. The goal is to suspend the rods so the tips won't bang in to the end of the tube and snap them off.

Thanks - Marc

Keep it simple - that's all I can handle!

I bring a few rods across the country every month. I pack them in a 90mm pvc tube and cut a piece of dowel just longer than the rods. I then tape the rods to the dowel and pack some bubble wrap between. Then cut the tube the same length as the dowel. This way you don't get the rods to slide up and down the tube causing the tip to break. I haven't had a rod breakage yet my biggest fear is that it won't be on the carousel when I go to pick it up.

Cheers

Ray Balmforth
Figtree
NSW
Australia

good Idea RAY I think it is a go on your idea on tape & dowel, Bill

William Sidney
AK