Review of Tenkara Bum’s Tenkara Rod Cases

One of the favorite websites is run by Chris Stewart, aka the Tenkara Bum. Chris’s website is a huge compendium of fly fishing knowledge and I always come away with a couple of new things to try when I tie flies or I’m out fishing. I almost always carry a rod on my solo hikes in New Hampshire and Maine and I make time to fish many of the small rivers, streams, or brooks I come across in the mountains. It’s an extra challenge and it’s fun.

Tenkara rods are delicate telescoping carbon fiber rods that only weigh a few ounces and it can be a good idea to carry one in a protective case so it won’t break if you drop or fall on it. While many manufacturers include a protective plastic or carbon fiber tube with the rods they sell, they have screw-on caps that quickly wear out and are only designed to only carry one rod at a time. They’re also comparatively heavy: for instance, the case that Tenkara USA ships with their 12′ Iwana Rod weighs 6.2 ounces, while the Tenkara Bum case I carry it in weighs 2.5 ounces.

In addition to being lighter weight, you can adjust the length of Tenkara Bum’s cases so you can use them to protect different rods. They’re transparent so you can see whether you have a rod in them (always a good thing) and the cap slides down over the end, so there are no cap threads to wear out. They’re also available in larger diameters so you can carry or travel with multiple rods in one case.

Each case consists of a green cap and two threaded plastic tubes, which you screw together to match the length of the rod or rods you want to carry. Matching your case to your rod length is also handy in minimizing the rattling noise your rod can make inside when it’s lashed to the side of your backpack. One of the tube sections has two air holes than can be used to string a lanyard or help drain your rod if it’s still wet after use (although you should extend it, wipe it down, and dry it properly when you get home.)

Tenkara Bum’s rod cases are also quite inexpensive, costing $10 or $16 dollars each, depending on size.

• The Small case has a diameter of 1 1/8″ and extends from 12″ to 18″ and weighs 1.3 ounces.
• The Medium case has a diameter of 1 1/2″ and extends from 16″ to just over 24″ and weighs 2.3 ounces.
• The Large case has a diameter of 2 3/8″ and extends from 16 1/4″ to just over 24″ and weighs 5.0 ounces.
• The Long case has a diameter of 1 1/2″ and extends from 32″ to 40″.

This is significantly less than the replacement cases sold by Tenkara USA ($25) or DragonTail Tenkara ($23). Tenkara Rod Company does not sell replacement cases. So if you’re looking for a replacement case for a Tenkara Rod or want to upgrade your existing case to something lighter weight and more flexible, check out Tenkara Bum’s Tenkara rod cases. I think they’re great.

Disclosure: The author purchased the Tenkara Bum rod cases reviewed here.

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