$5 Rod Holder Loft for Your Car - SUV or Hatchback

[MichaelAngelo]

I've been contemplating putting together some kind of overhead rod loft storage for my SUV. Even with a big car, space is at a premium on long trips, camping, or when I'd like to lie down in the back. An interior rod holder would grant me the space I desire.
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UPDATE
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Well well well, I took OldTimer's suggestion of using shower curtain rods and ran with it! Here's what you'll need for your very own $5 Dollarama-style rod holder loft for your car, truck, or hatchback!

I am NOT technically inclined AT ALL. So I often opt for the easy-way-out of any handyman situation. I feel that this is the best way for anybody of any skill level to make their rod holder

Materials:

-2x Dollarama shower curtain rods $4
-1x Dollarama large suction cups (4 in a pack) $1
-Drill to make 7/16" holes

Start by taking the end caps off of the shower rods and drilling them:



Take the metal clip off of the backs of the suction cup:



The suction cup gets wedged into the hole you drilled:



Do that 4 times...



Now you've upgraded those whimpy shower curtain rods to something that'll really STICK!



Take one end cap off and attach it to your rear window:



Then stick the other end cap to the opposite window. Twist the rod to elongate it until it reaches the other side and it'll slide right into the other end cap! I feel that this is the best way to actually get the rod to sit snugly without torquing the suction cups.

Et Voila!



Rubber bands are used to secure each end of the rod to the metal bars. This keeps them snug to the bar and prevents banging around.

Grubman, that's a good suggestion using foam and cutting notches in it. Seems like that's the next step!!


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Fishingwithpole on Roughfish, has a solid system for storing his rods.

From his blog (sadly not published in English):

http://ameblo.jp/umakko2/image-113250253...32399.html

I thought I'd do a preliminary, reversible trial of my rod loft using the cheapest possible materials:

-2x $1.25 broom handles from Dollarama
-Duct tape

That's right, making Red Green proud!



I started by stuffing the Dollarama broom handles into my car. Surprisingly, they almost fit just right. A little length extension would make them fit better, but for now I simply used a length of duct tape to reach the window on the short side.

Duct tape sticks better to clean windows, so I made sure to give 'em a nice cleaning.

Wads of duct tape later:



I did this for both bars, on each end of my rear windows. Now I had the cross bars of my car's new rod holder!

To secure the rods to the bars, I borrowed from Fishingwithpole's ingenuity:



One rubber band holds the rod to each crossbar. This way the rods won't slide back and forth along the bars! What's more, should the rod holder fail, the flexibility of this attachment system will prevent the rods from torquing and breaking.

And the final (temporary, trial ) result:



Seems to work! Now I need to figure out a more secure attachment method. Unfortunately, I'm not up for drilling holes in this vehicle. Possibly, I will run rope around the broom sticks and secure the rope in the narrow gap where the plastic moldings meet the car ceiling.

Ideally, I'd use the passenger handles above the rear windows, but the sunroof storage area is in the way. This would work on other cars though.