Sea Run Cases Norfork Classic Expedition Rod and Reel Travel Case

I must admit that I thought it was excessive to spend a few, or even several hundred, dollars for a travel case to carry your fly rods and reels. And I’m a guy who has traversed the fly-fishing world, from Tasmania and the tip of Tierra del Fuego, to above the Arctic Circle in Alaska and Russia.

I’ve also hit many many small airports in-between, from Christmas Island to Mayaguana in The Bahamas. And for most of those trips, I sideways-smashed rod tubes and crammed reels into the corners of my pull-along travel bag. 

In hindsight, that was stupid. 

One of the biggest questions anglers have when they embark on a travel trip is to ask whether they can bring rods and reels as carry-on luggage.  

The honest answer is, sometimes yes, sometimes no, depending on the mood of the people checking you in. I know, for sure, that flying back to the States from Mexico, for example, means you need to check the rods. And that’s more prevalent now, in more places, than ever before, because in the post-9/11 world, a three-foot aluminum tube is considered a potential weapon.

Just check it. If your stuff is going to get ripped off, or lost, that’s going to happen anyway.

As such, I started traveling with a Sea Run Case. And that’s proven to make all the sense in the world.

Traveling to Mexico, you can only bring four rods without incurring a fine. I went to England to fish the chalk streams two weeks before the Mexico trip, and I brought five rods in the Sea Run Case, in sleeves, out of their cases. The point is that either four or five rods in sleeves are easy to fit.

On the other side of the case are slots for reels, so you can pack them efficiently and safely. Heck, if you want to pack extra tippet, buffs, knives and other stuff you cannot carry on, like a flask of whiskey, pliers, or nippers, there are places to fit them as well.

When you finally arrive, it’s kind of cool to flip open the case and see corresponding rods and reels. The best part is that, since you might have $10,000 worth of gear in the Sea Run, the case is also lock-able and you can set your own code. Once you’re checked in, you’re all set and protected.

In a way, the case also transposes to being a moveable safe, so if the place where you’re staying doesn’t offer in-room protection, you can put your passport and cash in the Sea Run and fish on with relative confidence.

A few dings: The suede and fancy Italian accents might not translate very well to the soggy bottom of a drift boat, or even the skiff or panga you’re fishing from once you’ve reached your destination. Keep the case on dry land, if possible.

And plan on the fact that no matter where you go, since these cases were designed to be gun cases, you’re going to be asked what you’re carrying, and your case will usually be found at the “special” or “oversized” luggage landing spot.

All that said, for getting from here to there, there is no wiser option for the savvy traveling angler than to pack your gear in a durable, protective case like these.