I don't have the opportunity to do much backcountry fly fishing involving long hikes. I understand the concept of reducing weight as much as possible by counting every ounce and eliminating when possible. However, one thing that has confused me is the preference for 5-piece or even 6-piece pack rods that can fit inside a backpack.

What's the advantage or necessity for that? Most (all?) backpacks have external straps. Why not strap the rod tube on the outside of the pack and use a standard 4-piece rod? Heck, even a 3-piece rod?

I realize this is not the most important question in the world of flyfishing. But I'm just curious as to what the advantage is to being able to fit a rod inside your backpack.

Yeah... I get the advantage of shorter rods in tight situations. But let's say you have a 7 foot rod. What's the advantage of it being a 5-piece pack rod that can fit inside your backpack vs a 3- or 4-piece that you have to strap on the outside of your back back?

I suppose a rod tube strapped on the outside of a backpack could get caught in limbs if your are bushwhacking, but it seems the backpack itself would also get caught.

Where I go backpacking and fly fishing in the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, a three or four piece rod is usually fine. I don't carry rod tubes on my pack -- too heavy. I just get a T12 fluorescent tube protector from [your favorite hardware store here], cut to length, put some electrical tape on the end pieces, and then add a few pieces of bubble wrap. Cheap and light.

You can also buy plastic tubes and end caps for mailing and so forth, but factoring in shipping costs the T12's from local stores are typically cheaper and more convenient.

The lower elevations and coastal streams are a different matter, where you may have to do significant bushwhacking. Usually I only do that in winter or early season. In winter I like to euro-nymph, and for coastal streams I have a four piece 6'6" 2wt that packs down nicely.

I almost always lose an upper end cap when carrying the nymphing rod once or twice each winter while thrashing through brush. I looked into one of the long rod protectors from Tenkara Bum, but he's been out of stock on those for months. Wish I knew where in Japan he ordered them ...

Upstreeam nailed it, atleast from the southeastern perspective. I dont ever put rods inside my pack, but a rod longer than the pack is tall will be a massive pain in the butt. 5 piece rods can be a lot shorter than 4 piece rods, though 6 is into the territory of diminishing returns in my opinion. A 3 piece 8' rod would be enough of an issue to seriously impede travel a lot of places down here. This is equally true with a day pack or a backpack.

No matter if you are in a car, plane, on foot, or literally crawling on the ground under the rhodo, a rod in shorter sections is easier to deal with. To the extent that its possible, I try to only have rods in 4+sections.

Totally agree with Upstreeam and BB, esp the strapping stuff onto the outside of my pack. I just don't do it. But my 8' 3wt lake rod is 6pc. Even have a 7pc one, which was kind of annoying for some reason. I've been in the 4+pc camp over twenty years now. I always considered 4pcs a travel rod, but not exactly a pack rod.

I feel the same about nets. That's another topic, this is a great conversation, even for an old fart who does not hike for miles and miles.

I use a pack rod on my bike. Sometimes, I have to ride to spots.

It's much easier to go THROUGH tight brush with a 5 or 6 multi-piece rod "in" your pack as it does not snag branches or fallen logs that you are passing / crawling around (or under!) enroute to your fishing destination. I live and fish in an area chocked with rhodendrons and mountain laurel, thus and a rod tube packed "inside" one of my smaller back packs avoids the issue.

Pecos

Like Odonata, much of my fishing is in high mountain areas that are more open (big conifers, rocky soil with less undergrowth, etc.) than remote streams in the east. I have hand-carried 2 piece rods in rod socks many miles. I have also strapped 4-piece rods to my pack.

For me, a long 3 piece rod is the same as a 2 piece rod - sticks way up over the top of a pack, so I just hand carry it. If I were outfitting myself from scratch, I guess I would probably go with more pieces rather than fewer - to enable easy flying, packing, travel, etc.

The biggest concern I have is the utter lack of a suitable supply of 5 or 6 piece rods. I dearly wish someone would step up and do for glass what Hardy did with the Demon Smuggler - build a complete series of 6 piece blanks up to 6wt. I’m sure I will be corrected, but I think the only many-piece glass rods available today are niche lightweight Japanese rods and a single 5 piece Scott rod.

How many of us here would buy a 6 piece, 8 foot, 5wt? I have too many rods, but I would buy one in a heartbeat.

When going under brush and pinion trees it is very easy to loose a tube.5 and 6 pc. Rods are great especially when they fish as good as a 2 pc. only bad thing is cost.....Aurelio

There are also budget options, like the Maxcatch Uniglass 4wt 7'6" 5 piece, which itself might be a copy of a similar Epic Fastglass pack rod. I like the Maxcatch for use on my mountain bike.

All my pack rods....heck all my rods......are old classic stuff. Berkley, Lami, Garcia, Gladding/SB, Fenwick are the pack rods I can think of

EDIT I have a CGR, so I do have a "modern" rod