Angling or fishing can be a great way to bust the stress and break the monotony of life. Apart from selecting a suitable waterbody, you have to carry one or more fishing rods so that you can catch fish with ease. It would not be a good idea to carry the fishing rods inside the car. Instead, you should invest in a quality roof cargo box to carry the rods safely.
How to Pick the Right Roof Cargo Box for Fishing Rods
So, you love fishing? But transporting your fishing gears on the roof of your car is a pain in the neck as we all know. This is exactly where a roof cargo box comes in to make your life much easier. These roof boxes have got enough space to accommodate all your fishing stuff (rods, reels, bait and other supplies). And to put cherry on the top, these roof boxes are designed to protect your fishing gears against buglers and harsh weather conditions. But with a plethora of roof boxes in the market, it might be quite confusing for you to pick the right one. To make your task easier, here we have listed some factors that you need to consider carefully
Open or Covered Roof Box
You may either buy fishing rod racks and cargo rooftop boxes to carry the angling gears to faraway places. Both have their own benefits. The open racks make it easy to load and unload the fishing rods. The cargo boxes are ideal for storing other fishing gears along with rods, in a safe way. These boxes are covered and so you can be assured of transporting your angling gears in the best manner. Covered cargo boxes ensure your angling gears and stuff do not get dusty after a long trip in the wilderness.
If you are planning to carry extra gears apart from the fishing rods, then you should definitely buy extra large cargo boxes. These boxes are designed to accommodate even the longest rods that you may have. You can easily store a 215 cm long fishing rod inside it without any issues.
Magnet
Some fishing rod racks have embedded magnets. This makes the rods stick to the racks and spares you from the trouble of mounting and unmounting every single time. However, you may still feel like using a rope to ensure the fishing rods do not get thrown away at high speeds. Besides, magnetic racks may not be good for carrying heavy or long rods.
Ease of Mounting
If you are the kind of person who loves to indulge in angling and prefers travelling to distant lakes and rivers for that, choose a roof rack which is easy to set up. Some models come with a universal mount. Some units are made to accommodate both skis and fishing rods and so they are more versatile.
If you come across a roof box which is primarily designed for carrying skis, it can be safely assume that the same roof cargo box can be used to transport fishing rods. However, you need to make sure that the model of the roof cargo box that you are planning to purchase is flexible enough to accommodate even the most fanciest of fishing rods without any issues whatsoever. The liner of the roof box should ideally be made from heavy-duty rubber and should be durable enough to last for a couple of seasons at least.
Soft Padding
When you shop for roof boxes for fishing rods, ensure you choose a model with thick rubber coating. This gives you twin advantages. The fishing rods stay safe and your car roof does not get scratched.
Security is Important
Ensure you pick a cargo rooftop box that comes fitted with a robust locking mechanism. This will ensure when you are busy fishing in a lake and the car is parked a little away, no one can steal the cargo box contents. Fishing rods are extremely expensive and you would not want them to be stolen away, would you?
Easy Access
Ideally, you should buy a roof cargo box that is not hard to access. A roof cargo box with steep height may make it hard to park the car beneath a tree in some cases. You will find cargo boxes that can be accessed from the sides, which is handy.
Some models of roof boxes can be opened only from the passenger side. This makes it harder for you to access the contents if you happen to park the car on the driver’s side of a roadside diner. Now, you can always change the parking spot, but that is not always possible. Therefore, it is better to buy a model which can be opened from both sides, for easy access. This will make your life a lot easier. Dual-side opening feature will allow you to access the contents of the cargo box, even when you are standing on either side of the car.
Conclusion
Place an order for a car roof cargo box after assessing all these parameters. If possible, go through online reviews of the popular models. Also, buy a cargo box that gels with the style and appearance of your vehicle.