With a total of 6 models, this pack rod series is sufficiently tailored for saltwater lure applications.What sets it apart from other series is its lineup primarily focusing on long lengths, with even the shortest option measuring 8.6 feet (2.59 meters). Despite this, it maintains a compact size thanks to its 5-6 piece design, characteristic of pack rods.
Using 6 pieces for a multi-piece rod is quite unusual. While past examples like Megabass's HUGA Multi-Piece and Tailwalk's Outback existed, rods exceeding 9 feet in length have been rare in recent years, making this series a notable addition to the market.
While lightweight is good, rods, in a sense, feel less noticeably lighter even when their handle ends are lightened because they are essentially long sticks. To achieve a perceptible sense of lightness, adding weights (balancers) to the grip end to balance the rod's front and rear is one approach. It seems that recent rods don't do this much, but some Fishman rods do, and it's intriguing how they can feel incredibly light to hold despite being cataloged as heavy.
One of the important features in multi-piece pack rods is the "joint." In the Free Game XT series, parallel joints are adopted.Until recently, the prevailing view on joint types was that an inner-inlay joint was the best. However, it seems that's not always the case nowadays. While the inner-inlay joint has the advantage of minimal power loss, it tends to add weight because it involves inserting a core into the blank.In the case of pack rods where joints occur up to the tip section, prioritizing lightweight construction by using parallel joints over minimal power loss seems to be the trend.
In fact, nowadays, pack rods often feature parallel joints more frequently. As mentioned earlier, since a heavier blank directly translates to perceived weight and sluggishness, prioritizing parallel joints makes sense in terms of reducing the design-related drawbacks of multi-piece rods.
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