Choosing the right travel rod for anglers who prioritize packing light and bringing a fishing rod in their luggage on every trip necessitates careful planning and a review of the available options, as well as the types of fish you anticipate encountering during your travels. We’ve examined a wide array of rods and compiled numerous considerations, along with excellent recommendations for fishing rods that we believe are suitable for various fishing styles and travel scenarios.
Factors such as the rod’s size when disassembled, the number of pieces, the type of case (hard case, roll, or bag), rod type, transportation method, and the suitability of a telescoping rod should all be evaluated before selecting the best travel rod for your fishing adventures.
Travel rods are available in configurations ranging from 2 to 5 pieces, not to mention the telescoping travel rod options. If you intend to fit the rod in a suitcase, opting for more pieces will result in a smaller packed footprint. Alternatively, carrying the rod separately might offer more rod choices. A hard case is advisable to protect the rod, especially if you’re concerned about potential damage during transit, while a rod wrap might suffice if it’s securely packed within a hard suitcase.
OUR TOP PICKS
Shimano Zodias Pack Rod: The High-End Travel Companion
The introduction of a high-end bass travel rod based on Shimano’s esteemed Zodias line was met with considerable excitement. Upon handling the new rod, the level of quality was immediately apparent. As a devoted admirer of the original Zodias line, witnessing this caliber of craftsmanship in a 5-piece travel rod is truly impressive.
This travel rod boasts a remarkably compact pack-down size of 19 inches, rendering it exceptionally portable for any destination. When fully assembled, it transforms into a high-performance rod, embodying all the attributes of premium one-piece blanks. The 5-piece construction facilitates a more uniform bend compared to a 2-piece counterpart.
Its casting prowess is characterized by substantial power and consistent load, allowing you to quickly forget you’re using a travel rod. This is a top-tier rod that happens to be conveniently segmented into 5 pieces. It incorporates a CI4+ reel seat for lightweight strength and a full carbon monocoque grip, eliminating EVA to enhance sensitivity while maintaining lightness.
The Hi-Power X construction, featuring an outermost layer of carbon tape forming an X pattern on the blank, refines rod actions and bolsters strength. You can confidently exert pressure on fish with this rod without apprehension. It stands out as one of the finest travel rods we’ve rigorously tested.
F5 double barrel concealed carry swimbait rods
Alt text: Angler displaying F5 Double Barrel Concealed Carry travel swimbait rods, highlighting their packable design and suitability for large lures.
F5 Double Barrel Concealed Carry: Unleash Big Baits Anywhere
F5 Custom Rods is renowned for crafting some of the most exceptional big swimbait rods available today. These rods are custom-made, from the blank to the handle and accents, reflecting meticulous craftsmanship. The Double Barrel Concealed Carry series represents their foray into packable travel big swimbait rods, maintaining their commitment to quality and performance.
These 5-piece rods are custom-built with an extra-long full cork handle, utilizing premium rod blanks and a robust ferrule system to create a consistently strong rod capable of handling 2-6 ounce swimbaits with ease. Despite the 5-piece design, casting large lures like the 6 1/2-ounce Slide Swimmer posed no problems. The entire kit packs down to a mere 24 inches, making it easily transportable in any travel bag, ensuring you’re always prepared with a high-performance big swimbait rod.
While priced at $269, the versatility and convenience they offer are invaluable. The ability to carry a selection of favorite big baits and a top-tier swimbait rod virtually anywhere opens up opportunities to pursue trophy fish across the country and internationally.
St. Croix Trout Series Pack Rod: The Ultralight Adventure Rod
For adventurous anglers seeking a lightweight and packable trout rod for remote expeditions, the St. Croix Trout Series Pack Rod emerges as the pinnacle of adventure rods. While designated for trout, this rod excels equally as a bluegill, crappie, and even smallmouth rod for secluded streams and creeks. Weighing a mere 2.9 ounces and constructed in 3 pieces, it collapses into a compact form that adds negligible weight to a backpack.
Paired with a small 1000 spinning reel and 4-pound line, this rod delivers an exceptional fishing experience. It’s poised to become a staple creek travel rod, effortlessly casting small baits while possessing a surprising backbone for its lightweight nature. It’s a genuine pleasure to fish with.
Alt text: Close-up of the St. Croix Trout Series Pack Rod, emphasizing its lightweight and compact design ideal for trout fishing and backpacking.
Ark Rods Genesis Rods: A Proven Travel Companion
The Ark Rods Genesis series served as an original travel rod and has accumulated extensive mileage, catching fish in diverse locations including Nebraska, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi. This two-piece travel rod comes with a well-padded protective bag.
Read our full Ark Genesis 2-piece travel rod review
The rod sections connect seamlessly, delivering exceptional fishing performance. The slender blanks are both durable and sensitive. These rods have proven versatile across various fishing techniques. Owning both the 6-foot, 8-inch MH and 7-foot, 6-inch MH models allows for techniques ranging from flipping and frogging to spinnerbait fishing, jigging, cranking, topwater popping, and buzz baiting. It’s a remarkable option that compromises nothing in performance within a 2-piece travel rod design.
Shimano Convergence Travel Rod: The Versatile All-Rounder
The Shimano Convergence Travel Rod, a 7-foot, 4-piece model, stands out as another excellent all-purpose travel rod. It’s well-suited for a wide range of species and lures in the 1/4 to 3/4 ounce range. Disassembling to 25 inches, it fits comfortably in most bags and includes a sturdy hard case with a shoulder strap for convenient backpack-style carry during hikes. Its robust construction and smooth performance make it compatible with various reels.
Alt text: Angler holding the Shimano Convergence Travel Rod, showcasing its four-piece construction and portability for travel fishing.
St. Croix Triumph Travel Rod: The Workhorse for Travel Anglers
The St. Croix Triumph Travel Rod is a dependable workhorse, adaptable to numerous fishing scenarios. Its 6-foot, 6-inch length makes it ideal for confined spaces. It excels in small stream fishing and is equally capable on larger waters during travels. The compact 24-inch form factor makes it an excellent pack rod for vehicle storage or inclusion in luggage for extended trips. The blank, divided into 4 pieces, is of high quality—strong, sensitive, and light. It’s a superb travel iteration of the popular Triumph line.
Daiwa Ardito Travel Rod: High-Performance in a Travel Size
The Daiwa Ardito Travel Rod brings high-end rod technology to a travel-friendly format. It comes with a premium hard case and disassembles to 30 inches (32 inches in its case). Featuring a V-flex ferrule joint system, it eliminates the struggle of jamming rod pieces together and separating them. A gentle push until snug is all it takes for assembly and disassembly, allowing for quick setup and immediate fishing.
The rod boasts a high-modulus blank, Fuji Aluminum Oxide guides, an unsanded micro-pitch blank, a split EVA grip, and a machined nut hood. It’s a high-quality rod that pairs seamlessly with your preferred baitcaster. It is available in 7-foot medium, 7-foot medium-heavy, and 7-foot, 6-inch medium-heavy models.
Telescoping Rods and Combos: Convenience and Portability
Alt text: Daiwa Travel Combo telescoping rod and reel in its sling bag, illustrating its compact size and ease of transport for travel.
Daiwa Travel Combo: The Best Telescoping Combo
The Daiwa Travel Combo stands out as the top combo choice, featuring a quality reel, a superior telescoping rod compared to many others, and a sling carry bag spacious enough for multiple travel rods and reels. Compacting to 26 inches, this combo is ideal for any type of travel, whether by car or plane.
The rod is a 7-foot, 2-inch Medium power fast action model, offering solid performance and reliable extension during use. The included reel is a 2-bearing Daiwa Crossfire LT 2500. Despite having only 2 bearings, it operates with remarkable smoothness and features a very smooth drag system. This spinning combo is dependable and available with either EVA or Cork grips.
Priced at $149, the combo offers excellent value for those seeking a hassle-free, ready-to-fish setup without the need to match rods and reels separately.
BnM Poles Little Mighty Telescoping Rod: Reach New Lengths
The BnM Poles Little Mighty Telescoping Rod is surprisingly impressive. With a heritage in crappie and bluegill fishing using B’n’M Poles fiberglass telescoping rods, there’s a strong sense of nostalgia associated with this rod type. However, the new Little Mighty Rod is exceptional.
While not strictly a travel rod in the multi-piece sense, this telescoping rod extends to an impressive 20 feet and collapses to a mere 22 inches. Resembling a bright orange track baton when collapsed, it extends to provide masterful reach for crappie or bluegill fishing.
A word of caution: extend the rod from the smaller sections first, pulling out from the tip string tab. Avoid sliding sections out by dumping the open end, as this can misalign sections. The same principle applies to collapsing it—start with the larger sections and ensure the string remains outside when capping.
Despite initial skepticism, testing this rod was enjoyable, revealing numerous scenarios where its length would be advantageous. Once accustomed to managing 20 feet of rod with a fish on the line, it becomes a uniquely enjoyable fishing tool.
Alt text: BnM Poles Little Mighty Telescoping Rod extended to its full 20-foot length, demonstrating its reach and application in crappie fishing.
Zebco 33 Spincast Telescopic Combo: Budget-Friendly Option
The Zebco 33 Spincast Telescopic Combo, priced affordably between $30-40, is best suited for smaller fish like panfish around campsites or docks during vacations. It’s not designed for larger species. The rod tip bends readily under load, and the line can rub against the rod to the next guide. Exercise caution with larger fish on this setup. However, for catching panfish, this combo is highly effective for its price point.
Understanding Your Travel Rod Needs
Consider the various types of travel rods available, including spinning, casting, and telescoping models, as well as specialized options like travel fly rods, swimbait rods, or trout and panfish rods. The ideal choice depends on your target species and fishing style.
For light lures and lines, a spinning travel rod is often the best choice. If targeting big bluegills or crappies during your travels, a long telescoping rod or a small spinning rod like a trout rod could be versatile options.
For larger fish, a more robust rod capable of handling heavier line is necessary. Baitcasting travel rods are generally suitable for bass and larger species like walleye, pike, musky, and stripers.
Specialty travel rods, such as swimbait or extra-long jigging rods, are tailored for specific fishing techniques and target species in unfamiliar waters, whether jigging brush for crappie or casting large swimbaits for trophy bass and stripers.
For fly fishing enthusiasts, travel fly rods are essential. High-end and mid-range options are available that allow a 9-foot fly rod to be packed in an overnight travel bag.
The Convenience of Telescoping Rods for Travel
Telescoping rods offer a spontaneous travel fishing solution, allowing anglers to quickly explore nearby waters. Many anglers keep telescoping rods in their vehicles for impromptu fishing sessions during travels, lunch breaks, or after work trips. They provide a quick and easy way to fish on the go.
While historically, telescoping rods were often associated with lower quality, primarily limited to basic spin cast combos for small panfish, newer models are emerging that offer viable options for bass and panfish fishing, bridging the gap in quality and performance.
Alt text: Telescoping fishing rod extended and in use, illustrating its convenience for quick fishing opportunities while traveling or on short trips.
Travel Combos: An All-In-One Solution
Travel rods are also available as rod and reel combos, particularly common with telescoping models. However, higher-quality multi-piece travel rods are also offered with decent spinning reels. While many anglers prefer to assemble their own setups with the best possible rod and reel for optimal performance during limited travel fishing time, especially for unplanned fishing opportunities.
A reasonably priced telescoping rod/reel combo can quickly get you fishing in an unexpected hotspot when you find yourself wishing you had gear on hand.
Essential Travel Rod Cases, Bags, or Rolls
Travel rods typically come with a hard case, roll, or bag to protect the rod pieces during transport. Proper protection is crucial to prevent damage during travels.
Hard cases can range from cloth cases with a hard internal shell and zippered closure to fully hard outer shells with soft interiors. These are ideal for carrying travel rods separately or storing them in vehicles.
Travel rod rolls consist of a cloth sleeve with individual pockets for each rod piece, rolling up and tying closed. These are convenient for fitting rods into other travel bags or vehicle compartments.
Travel bags, which can be simple cloth bags or padded foam bags, offer simultaneous housing and protection. Padded bags are particularly recommended for added protection and preventing pieces from falling out, which can sometimes occur with rolls.
Alt text: Assortment of travel rod cases, including hard cases, soft bags, and rod rolls, demonstrating the different protection options available for travel fishing rods.
Top Travel Rod Brands
In freshwater fishing, many of the leading travel rod brands are also renowned rod manufacturers in general. Brands like Daiwa, Shimano, St. Croix, Megabass, and Ark Rods offer excellent travel rod options. Other notable brands with quality travel rods include Fenwick, Favorite Fishing, Bass Pro, and B’n’M Poles.
Here are the travel rod brands reviewed and recommended:
- Shimano
- Daiwa
- St. Croix
- Megabass
- Ark Rods
- Fenwick
- Sixgill
- Bass Pro
- Favorite Fishing
- B’n’M Poles
- Ugly Stik
- Hardy
- Orvis
With these considerations in mind, let’s delve deeper into some standout travel rod choices across various categories to help you find the perfect Good Travel Fishing Rod for your next adventure.
