As the owner and operator of three fishing lodges in remote parts of the world, there’s one topic that we at Deneki Corporate feel uniquely qualified to write about. We may or may not be the best in the world at casting into a 30 knot wind, or executing a cack-handed snap T…but we’re really, really good at traveling with fishing gear!
The Fishpond Rodeo 31″ Rolling Duffel
is our current favorite ‘big bag’ for trips involving fishing gear and airplanes. We’ve used several other bags with similar design and proportions in the past, but we think the Rodeo Duffel pulls off the ‘all your stuff in one bag’ program best.
The feature list on this bag is pretty long, but the reasons we like it are pretty simple.
Roomy Bottom Compartment
The bottom compartment on this bag is taller than on others that we’ve traveled with, and that makes it a much easier fit for the wading boots/waders/raincoat combo that often nestles in down there.
Two other nice ‘wet gear’ features add to the fun. The divider between this and the main compartment is neoprene, lowering the chances of wet waders soaking everything else in the bag. The compartment also has big vents, which help minimize the wet wader/old sock/locker room funk that sometimes follows wader bags around.
Easy Access Main Compartment
The design of the U-shaped zipper on the main compartment might not seem like such a big deal, but in practice it provides really easy access to the bulk of your gear. This main storage area is pretty darned big, and yet somehow the shape of the opening made it simple for us to find anything we were looking for – even small things like loose nippers couldn’t hide in some dark corner of the bag. Maybe it’s magic.
Fit and Finish
The zippers all pull really easily! The stitching is even. The materials are rugged. The handle is solid. It’s easy to spot on a luggage carousel while not looking too wacky. Did we mention the zippers pull really easily? We hate having to yank on zippers.
Yeah, there’s a separate waterproof pocket and a small ‘last minute items’ pocket and some other straps and clips and whatnot, but those three reasons right up above are why we’ll be doing a lot of traveling with the Fishpond Rodeo Rolling Duffel.
Here’s our Product Review Policy and FTC Disclosure.
I’m a geek about rolling duffels. This one looks fantastic! Beyond how well it works, however, is another critical question–how does it do in keeping the weight at 50.0 pounds on the airline digital scale? My Cabela’s Outback 30″ rollingduffel (half the price of the Fishpond) weighs under 10 pounds. The Fishpond weighs 14.5 or 13.5 pounds, depending on where you look. Thus mine allows me to get a few extra pounds of gear before I approach the magic 50. The Fishpond’s extra weight might restrict some crucial items, but then again, might make it more bullet-proof in the battle against commie terrorist baggage handlers. Let me say three additional things about luggage:
1. Rolling is key, even though it weighs more than a standard duffel. I’m old but even young guys shouldn’t grunt or drag a 50 pounder around the airport.
2. Tip for the OCD: weigh your bag at home on a digital bathroom scale (you all have one, right?) before you leave, then sneak-weigh your bag on an unused airline scale so you can shed the odd pound into your backpack if your scale is off. Pack some heavy heavy stuff (reels?) on top in case you have to unload something at the ticket counter.
3. Pack a small scissors/knife/nippers in the outer pocket of your duffel along with some a handful of small zip-ties. Zip-tie all your zippers before you hand it over to the baggage felons. Easy-open zippers mean easy-steal zippers. Zip-ties stop the quick-grab handlers, don’t restrict TSA (they replace them if they inspect) and your little scissors/knife/nippers can quickly free the zip-ties when you get to Nirvana.
Hope that helps!
Fantastic input, Tom. Thanks much!
DO NOT BUY THIS BAG! Four piece fly rod tubes are 31-32″ for most 10-12 weight rods. This bag is only 31″ long meaning IT WILL NOT TRANSPORT YOUR FLY RODS!! I can not believe a company like FISHPOND could be so stupid.
Some bags will fit rods if packed diagonally – a 30″ pack can handle a 38-40″ diagonal rod