Want to Protect Your Reels?

Here's how (see photo at right) I've been taking care of mine for about five years now. Those yellow bags you see covering the reels and handles of my rods are Zerust ICT VCI Bags.

The VCI stands for vapor corrosion inhibitor. Zerust VCI technology is an odorless, non-toxic and invisible vapor that protects bare metal parts against corrosion for up to five years.

Zerust ICT VCI Bags range in size from 2 inches up to 150 inches and are available in ferrous, non-ferrous, or multimetal polyethylene film. Additives such as acid-gas blockers and anti-static are available, as well as custom colors and printing.

I got acquainted with these bags after I received a not-so-good report from a reel repairman a few years back. I had sent him several Revos for routine maintenance, and they all showed signs of corrosion. One was so far gone that he had to replace a number of parts. And none of the reels opened very easily.

I decided then and there to do something to avoid any more problems. My subsequent research led to purchasing a number of these Zerust ICT VCI Bags. The first ones I ordered measured an ideal 10 inches by 24 inches. As I learned only recently, though, when I tried to order more of the same size, Zerust no longer makes this particular size.

As a result, I ended up ordering 10-inch-by-54-inch bags, which really are designed for storing weapons. I modify them by cutting off the top 30 inches of each bag and saving it for use when I need another new bag. As explained to me in an email from the president of Zerust Consumer Products, there are a couple of options available to me for sealing one end of the leftover pieces. Since the bags are heat-sealing units, I can use an old iron or anything that generates a fair amount of heat (around 125 degrees F). Or, if I want, I can just tape the ends.

As for cost, I paid $2.50 each for these new 10-inch-by-54-inch bags, but since I can get two bags out of each one, the cost really becomes $1.25 apiece.

I offer this one friendly piece of advice to anyone who thinks he/she perhaps can get by with the Zerust 12-inch-by-18-inch bags for storing your reels on the rod like I do mine in the photo above. If you're really a patient person (which I'm not), you might be able to make it work for you. I tried but eventually threw my hands in the air and said, "Enough is enough," and ordered these larger bags.

If you're interested in more information about these bags or the full line of Zerust products, here's the place to start: http://www.zerust.com/.