How do you store your reels for transporting?

[ReelFishingProblems]

I am calling on the collective genius of the Ohana,

I am preparing for another move in the next 5 months. In the past I have wrapped reels in cloth whiskey bags, old towels, old linens, etc. I would like to get something more organized. Fortunately (for the sake of moving) I only have 16 conventional reels, ranging in size from Penn Levelmatic 940 to International 50TW. I probably have the same amount of spinning reels, from 2000 to 10500. Fishing rods will be an entirely different problem.

I found a pelican case that looks like the ticket. You can remove individual sections of foam to perfectly fit any object. The drawback is the cost. I could build a perfect CC Squidder.

What are your solutions?

[Brewcrafter]

Depends on who is doing the moving (you, or will it be done by a third party that may not be as gentle?).  I know that many reel companies and outfits that specialize in offshore fishing make soft sided Reel Cases with adjustable padded dividers that a lot of the Long Range guys use.  You would probably have to get a couple of them but still would probably be less than what that Pelican case goes for.  BTW I do have Pelican cases that I use for other items, and they are an excellent product.  Good luck and let us know what you come up with! - john

[foakes]

Pelican cases are a great product -- pricy, but excellent.

But sometimes there are better alternatives for our budget and specific needs as to fishing reels.

If I was transporting delicate electronic instruments, or any type of equipment that might be affected by being tossed into a cargo hold of a 747 at 42,000 feet -- the Pelican boxes have that auto pressure relief valve.

But we are talking about fishing reels here --

For my money, check out the Ridgid cases at Home Depot!

Not cheap plastic from Asia or WalMart -- poly-resin, metal hinges, metal locking double fastener hasps, very well reinforced, stacks and locks together, various sizes.

I think these will surprise you.  The price is $29 to $59 for the 3 larger sizes.

Plus, when researching these -- I found out a little known fact that few folks are aware about -- and it is not advertised:

These are manufactured by Keter -- a well known company from Israel that makes excellent products.  These are not Asian knock-offs made as cheaply as possible.  They are made by the same company that produces cases for the Israeli Armed Forces to store their tech gear and firearms when out in the field or traveling.  These boxes are just re-badged for Ridgid (Home Depot) -- much like reel manufacturers have done with trade reels for major retailers over the years.

You can buy foam to cut outline cavities.  But what I do for reels -- is wrap the reel in foam -- them put the foam rubber protected reel reel inside a cloth drawstring bag.  Easy and well protected.

These also come with interior dividers, parts containers, and top inside liners.  I just remove those for the reels.

I have 38 of these boxes that are for reels as well as tools and equipment for job sites -- they are bulletproof and a very good value.  I have not found a better overall balanced value between safety and price.  

The largest one sells for $59 -- has wheels, an extendable metal handle, and carries 70 pounds of power & hand tools.  It makes a great base for the other two smaller boxes that lock on top of it.

Best,

Fred

[alantani]

honestly, old t-shirts, old towels, bubble wrap if you have some, and cardboard boxes, but pelicans are nice!

[Bill B]

When we moved almost two years ago, I had 60+ reels and 30+ rods to pack, yeah I know I might have a problem 🤔, but for a one time move I used lots of packing paper, bubble wrap ad heavy duty cardboard boxes, apple boxes work great, banana boxes not so well. 

I found the shere weight of those reels to be a limiting factor of how many I could put in a single box. For the rods I took a tip from Randy Pauly and placed them tip to butt, making sure to overlap the tips so the butts extended past the tip, then used long zip ties to secure the rods together.  Then I wrapped a blanket around the rods and zip tied them also.

The reels and rods were transported in the cab of my truck.  Nothing was damaged, and unpacked as soon as I could. 

BTW, I did all the packing of the house and with my three boys did all the moving ourselves.  Was a lot of hard work, took three days to move a 2500 sq. ft. house 40 miles.  We were professionally move a number of years previously and I saved all the boxes and wrapping paper so costs weren't too bad, just a lot of tape.

Good luck on your move, and Tylenol is you best friend if doing it yourself. Bill

[MarkT]

I have 2 of the Shimano medium size reel bags. They'll hold 6 or so reels each, one of which can be a 16-50 sized reel. I also have a large Avet reel bag that can carry a bunch of large reels and it tall enough to stack reels on top of each other... with covers on the reels. I think I can get 15 or so reels in it.  On my 10 day trips I've been using the Shimanos but this year I'm going with just the Avet.

[JK47]

honestly, old t-shirts, old towels, bubble wrap if you have some, and cardboard boxes, but pelicans are nice!

@alantani What handles are on those Penn Torques? Tiburon?

[alantani]

@alantani What handles are on those Penn Torques? Tiburon?

these! https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=12785.0  i put the large handle grips on all of my long range reels!!!!

[ReelFishingProblems]

Fred,

Thank you for the great lead. I may buy a few of those. Israeli stuff is supposed to be good. Can't wait to find out.

I have done the cardboard and bubble wrap, but my last overseas move proved to me that I better take care of valuable belongings better. Coming back from Oman the movers used metals bindings to strap things down inside a large wooden crate and shattered a ton of fragile things I bought from all over the Middle East and North Africa. Those were just decorations... I can't imagine if the destroyed fishing equipment.

Alan, I put one of your small handles on an accurate 4/0 and a large handle on my 50TW. I love them.

Nick

[foakes]

Thank you for the great lead. I may buy a few of those. Israeli stuff is supposed to be good. Can't wait to find out.
Nick

Yes, Keter is really high quality stuff, IMO, Nick --

When I look at the materials, construction, reinforcement, seals, ability to "nest" and lock together, and especially the price -- these are very good overall solutions and values for protection, organization, and convenient access.

The last (3) photos are Husky organizers (Home Depot, also Keter products) -- $10!!!

I bought 20 -- will likely buy 20 more.  Same solid materials and construction.

I researched nearly every brand of cases for over a year before settling on these -- Milwaukee, DeWalt, Kobalt, Stanley, Craftsman, Harbor Freight, electronic and camera cases, soft and hard cases, aluminum cases, and much more...

These really do the job for me.  I even bought 4 for the cab of my truck behind the front seats.  Emergency gear, vehicle recovery gear, mechanical tools, wood-working tools, plumbing tools, and electrical tools.  These are strapped down in case of a rollover -- and they make a great raised floor that no one knows is back there.

Best,

Fred

[ReelFishingProblems]

Fred, everything you endorse becomes a hot commodity. I better get them before the whole world catches on.

[philaroman]

why buy more stuff to move, just before you move
clothes you were planning to move, anyway, are excellent packing materials for reels
once you settle in, prudently select appropriate containers
and someone else will move them to your new address