I spent a lot of time researching travel rods, and there really is not a clear cut answer about what is good and what isn't. It is also tough to gauge the quality of travel rods when shopping online. Prior to ordering this rod I had called Cabela's in Anchorage asking what they recommended for travel rods, and they had told me that this one was one of the best. So, I purchased the 7' medium action 4 piece travel rod because I wanted to have a fishing pole that I could fit in my bag as I will be spending the summer working in rural Alaska.The rod breaks down into about 21'' pieces and comes with a very tough (and fantastic quality) protecting tube. I am impressed at how small this breaks down and will have no issues fitting this in my travel bag. The rod connects very firmly at each attachment point and I have no worries about it slipping off or twisting. I cannot say how well it performs yet as I leave next week, but will update my review after I use it. For those of your wondering about what reels to get with this rod, I ordered a Simano 3000 size reel and it seems to fit it very nicely. The only suggestion that I would have is that I would like to see a carrying case option that leaves room to fit a reel inside with the pole, however I realize that this is difficult to do with there being many different sized reels. All in all, I would very much recommend this pole for anyone looking for a rod that won't take up much space but at the same time is very good quality.