Great review. I love mine and thankfully I got it at a little bit better price. I keep my rods in it full time. It can definitely hold a lot of gear. I keep my paddle, Ketch board, rod holders, life jacket, and anything else I need to under the rods. The lid can definitely be finicky like you said, but you gave a great explanation as to why and how to overcome it. Even though the initial pain of the purchase price may sting, it doesn't disappoint. One tip I would mention to anyone is to hang the rubber straps on the latch hooks on the underside of the lid when loading and unloading your rods. It saves some frustration. Lol. I don't know why it took me so long to discover that! 🤦🏼♂️
It's an excellent box. I think it's a little tight for 8 rods personally. My box sits on an angle and the foam doesn't hold the rods in place well. That's easily fixable with some foam from wall mount rod holders.
Do you think you could fit 10-12 rods in the box with the actual rod holder mounts removed? I use sleeves on all my rods so not worried about the protection factor.
I have the Thule rod vault, the reason I chose it over the Yakima is because I can secure it in the middle of my racks and still have 2 sets of J-racks, one on each side and the rod vault in the middle since the rods are pulled out from the back side. The Yakima does seem better for rod security though because of the 3 locking latches, definitely a big pro for Yakima. Also no rod socks needed for the Yakima as to the rod vault where rod socks are needed to help protect the guides on your rods when putting or removing rods from the rod vault. Either way it's always good to have your rods available because you never know when an opportunity will present itself. Great review brother.
I tried to like it.....Too flimsy and cheaply made for the price IMHO......and the big deal killer for me - you cannot mount it on one of the sides of the Overhaul HD rack..... Top mount only means it won't fit in my garage like my truck does with my PVC rod holder on it.
