Filson Ripstop Nylon Rod Tube Review
Updated: Nov 4, 2021
Fishing rod travel tubes come in many forms. Long, short, telescopic, square...there's plenty to choose from for all types of rods. While a basic, bare, hard tube gets the job done, I always find it better traveling with one that's more nicely appointed. As far as these more refined tubes go, there's nice ones and there's the NICE ones. The Filson Ripstop Nylon Rod Tube definitely fits into the latter category.
Filson uses a hard plastic tube to provide a rigid core and wrapped it in "Surplus Green" 500D Cordura Ripstop Nylon. The tube is plenty strong — I stood on mine and it supported all 190 pounds of me without breaking or making any scary sounds. There's thick, laminated foam caps on each end for rod tip protection, an adjustable and removable padded shoulder strap, a small nylon grab handle for easy carry, and beefy two-way coated zippers which open to provide entry to the inside.
One reason tubes like this are more enjoyable to travel with is because they are so convenient to carry. The Filson Ripstop tube makes transport a cinch thanks to the small carry handle and a shoulder strap that can be adjusted using the easy-to-use clasp. The strap and handle are both padded, comfortable, and the shoulder strap can be unclipped in seconds if you'd rather just take the whole thing off.
Before receiving this tube, my sole go-to tube was my trusty Simms Bounty Hunter 6 Single-Hand Rod Cannon. Compared to the Simms, the Filson is noticeably smaller with the diameter being 4 ¾ inches vs. the Simms at approximately 6 inches...the Filson also sports a length of 31½ inches vs. about 34½ for the Simms. Filson advertises the tube can accommodate up to six 9-foot 4-piece rods — the key tidbit there being the words up to. Out of the lighter rods I own, I was only able to get 4 of them (in rod socks) in there. Results will vary here based on the size/design of the rods and thickness of their rod socks.
Something I really like about fabric-covered tubes is that they are quieter during transport since the fabric muffles sound against hard surfaces. Also, they are less likely to scratch or mark surfaces compared to the edges of bare aluminum or plastic tubes. Just something else to consider.
Priced at $175, the Filson Ripstop Nylon Rod Tube is assembled with the typical high Filson quality and feels very strong and sturdy all around. I've used it to transport rods to Florida's east coast a couple times already but I look forward to actually jumping on an airplane with this thing in the near future. On trips where I don't need to bring an excess of rods, this tube will be even easier to tote around and place into that always limited overhead bin space. If you'd like a stylish yet trustworthy tube to transport your prized fly rods all over the globe, give the Filson Ripstop Nylon Rod Tube a look — I think you'll really like it!
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