OHUB Review: Savior Equipment Aluminum Fishing Rod Racks
Eugene L. 08.15.23
When I think of Savior Equipment I usually think of their excellent rifle and pistol cases, or possibly their new shooting mats(if you followed our SHOT Show Coverage). That isn’t the case this time though, after learning about their fishing rod racks earlier last year I wanted to test one of them out. So today I’m reviewing their 36-slot Aluminum Fishing Rod Rack in gunmetal grey. This is the middle size available for the Savior Fishing Rod Racks, they also offer a smaller 24-slot option as well as a larger 48-slot larger option. All three of the fishing rod rack sizes are available in three colors from Savior Equipment, Carbon Black, Gunmetal Grey, and Ocean Blue. No matter the size all three are made with the same construction of an extruded aluminum frame with abs plastic slip joints and end caps.
The rod racks are composed of two sets of rod supports, they are adjustable for anglers to set to their rods. For padding the rod support slots are made of closed-cell EVA foam, protecting your rods. The supports use hand screws to be set in place. The wide aluminum base plate makes sure no matter the size of the rod or reel style, it will still make solid contact.
Savior Equipment Aluminum Fishing Rod Rack – Specifications
- Three Sizes – 24 Slot, 36 Slot, and 48 Slot
- Adjustable Rod Support Beams
- Closed-Cell Foam Cushioned Rod Holders
- Aluminum Frame
- ABS Plastic Joints & Caps
- Colors Available – Carbon Black, Gunmetal Grey, and Ocean Blue
- 24 Slot Dimensions – 24” x 28.25” x 13”
- 36 Slot Dimensions – 35” x 30.25” x 14.75”
- 48 Slot Dimensions – 46.5” x 30.25” x 14.75”
- Max Height of Top Support – 28.25”
- Min Height of Bottom Support – 4.75”
- Comes with Savior Lifetime Warranty
Savior Equipment Aluminum Fishing Rod Rack – First Look
It was pretty run-of-the-mill as first looks go, a Savior Equipment box with bagged-up parts inside. I do want to note, there are no targets printed inside the box, unlike the boxes for rifle cases. Assembly was super simple, no tools are required, all you need is your two hands and the ability to read. The only thing of note is to make sure the verticle post orientation is correct. Make sure to follow the instructions for them or the supports won’t slip in properly. Assembly didn’t take me more than 10 minutes to put together and get the rod supports set just how I like them
Savior Equipment Aluminum Fishing Rod Rack – In Use
I mean it’s a rod rack, so I put my fishing rod combos on it. As in the majority of rod combo I own, from my smallest trout rod up to my custom tuna combo with an adjustable aluminum rod butt. Without having to adjust the supports I was able to have all the combos stay securely in place. That wide base plate did its job well and made sure all the rods were in contact with it. So after a little finagling to get everything to fit next to each other, they all made it on. Even the oddball St. Croix Legend Grasp Swimbait rod with its angled gripped fit into this rack.
While the spinning rods definitely did take up a lot of space, there is still plenty of real estate left on the racks. I managed to put 14 rod and reel combos on the 36-slot rack. If you wanted to there are plenty of slots left to put just rods on as well. Though I do feel I could probably squeeze in a couple more rod combos if I organized it a little better.
Savior Equipment Aluminum Fishing Rod Rack – Final Thoughts
After using this rod rack for the last few months I’d say for the money it’s hard to beat. When it comes to the price the Savior Equipment racks sit right in the middle of the pack when compared to other aluminum framed rack options. The rack’s design makes it super easy to adjust, along with plenty of extra space with a couple of easy access slots at the ends. Even with all the available adjustability, the wide base plate makes it so you don’t have to adjust too much to fit rods on it. Like I said before I have my ultralight trout combo on there at the same time as my tuna rods. The finish is holding up well too, with no marring to be seen yet even with the aluminum gimble rod butts. Being able to fit 14 rod and reel combos on a single rack is pretty good considering a lot of the combos are larger saltwater combos.
OHUB Review: Savior Equipment Aluminum Fishing Rod RacksNow that I covered what I liked and was impressed by on the Savior Equipment Fishing Rod Rack, I need to talk about a couple of things I feel could use improvement. First is the side-to-side play in the vertical supports. I know that I shouldn’t expect a rock-solid rack considering how a lot of the rack was just friction fitted together during assembly. The ABS plastic joints could use maybe a cross bolt or D-ring to stiffen them up.
The other issue also stems from the ABD joint, the friction-fitting lets the verticle posts slip out if you try to move the rack some with the rods in place. This lets the supports get messed up and remove everything and then reassemble the rod rack to fix this. This again could be solved with a bolt or D-ring in the joint to secure it. There is one more thing I’d like to see but this isn’t addressing a problem but more of a possible improvement. The addition of some threaded holes to the bottom of the feet on the rack along with the additional offering of some adjustable rubberized feet or casters as upgrade options would be great. A lot of garages or storage spots aren’t exactly flat so some feet on threads could help keep everything level.
Overall I would definitely recommend this rack to anyone looking for rod storage. I plan on grabbing another rack in the future to put the last few combos and future purchases on. The Savior Rod Rack works great even with the couple problems I found. The base plate finish is holding up well to having heavy aluminum gimbaled rods placed on it. And then I know I’m covered for any problems that might spring up in the future. Like their other products, the rod racks all come with a lifetime warranty from Savior Equipment.
