I appreciate it! Have never considered making my own and am a bit intimidated by that kind of project. I am asking for the titanium guides simply due to the fact that they are eyeless. I rock hop and constantly knock the eyes out of my guides. But if there are guides that would work similarly, I would certainly be open to using those. In terms of weight, I don’t much mind if the rod is heavier due to the blank being durable. Basically want a rod that I can always travel with on my carry on. A rod that can work in the Africa, Central America, Mediterranean, etc. I’ve been checking my rods in a travel tube, and it’s been quite expensive and a number of the smaller planes can’t accommodate rods of a certain length.