Afordable tackle

The only reels that were still functional were the extremes. In fact they weren't even rusted.

Which seems to suggest that those were the only ones that weren't exposed to the elements.

Nope... They were all left in the leaves out in the woods in the same weather for the same amount of time. They are simply more durable plain and simple.

You miss my point. The evidence suggests that some of the rigs were partially uncovered, not that brand X is more durable than brand Y.

I am not sure of the percent of coverage one rod had vs. the other. Maybe we can get CSI to check it out. No seriously, they all got rained on the same, they all were frozen in ice and several snows, I don't think the extremes just happened to be less exposed to the elements. The cork was chewed off some of the handles and one of the BP logos was off the reel.

I know its hard to swallow but this gear was just tougher. I am not a Bass Pro fanboy. I just had an experience that made me realize the value of this gear.