Good evening everyone, this is the deputy manager of t-Route.
Well, finally! Finally! The VA BOX is complete!
Reservations will finally begin on Saturday, May 24th, 2025 at 6:00 PM.
Looking back, the first time I thought about making a lure storage system was in March 2024.
A year and two months have passed since then...
I was thinking about how to introduce VA BOX this time, when my co-developer, Yudai Ito (hereafter referred to as Yudai) from Velvet Arts, suggested I write about the development story, so I thought that would be a good idea!
As the assistant manager, I am even worse at summarizing things concisely than I am at getting up early, so this post is long as usual, but please bear with me if you don't mind.
It all began in 2023.
It's only natural that after opening t-Route, the store manager and assistant manager's lures kept increasing, and they finally graduated from Meiho's Bucket Mouth and got a shared fishing bucket! (Probably in 2023. It was Alfred's fishing bucket.)
From then on, I spent my days going to home improvement stores and 100-yen shops to buy small item cases.
However, the storage inside the bucket is not always as planned...
After that, the number of lures increased even more, and finally, the store manager decided to have each lure in its own bucket, so he purchased a Jackall tackle container.
Surprisingly, this tackle container doesn't have a tray!
Now, the store manager, who was even more troubled with lure storage, finally set about creating the much talked about Yazzy System!!
I worked really hard to create the system, asking questions on X (which might have been Twitter at the time) about things I didn't understand, and reading through Yazzy's posts about creating the Yazzy system.
However, as many of you may know, the manager and assistant manager are a little clumsy...
The finished product is a bit lacking in quality...
(By the way, creating the system itself was a lot of fun!)
I then spent my days visiting hardware stores and 100-yen shops again, looking for a case that would fit the bottom part of the Yaji System, which is not the lid.
If you buy five cases at once from a 100 yen store, it will cost 550 yen.
If you buy two sponges, it costs 220 yen.
After buying it again and again, the amount will add up to a lot.
I've created a pretty good system, but it's a real headache to try to make one for the assistant manager as well...
Ahhhhh, I don't want this anymore!!
So that's what we decided.
They made a ready-made system to help lure storage refugees like us!!
It's March 2024 now.
I never dreamed that Levitation would announce the Bacchan System that same month, and I was so excited that I had come up with such an incredible idea!
When Levitation's Bacchan system was announced, I thought for a moment, "Huh? Is this project no longer necessary?"
No, we decided to make what we wanted to make! It was a slightly different direction! So we started production as planned.
There were three initial themes for the t-Route lure storage system.
①It is in a state that can be used immediately after purchase, even by people who are not good at DIY.
② It must be affordable and easy to reach
3) It is light enough that even women can easily carry it.
The two of us spent night after night agonizing over how to create a system based on this theme, and finally, in July 2024, we were able to create a sample that looked great!
We were both in high spirits again, saying things like, "This is great, this is the best, we got it," so when we met Yudai at the fishing spot, we boasted to him, "Look, we've made something great!"
After carefully examining the masterpiece, Yudai said:
"If I had to be blunt, there are about 20 things I'd like to fix..."
20 places...?
I was stunned.
The assistant manager was at a loss for words, and the manager was frozen in shock.
In a very awkward atmosphere, we talked about our theme and our history.
"Then let's make it together."
And so it turned out. (clap clap)
It's like turning a misfortune into a blessing.
From there, a furious round of criticism began lol
In order to achieve the affordable price of (2), we created an assembly system, which was our biggest selling point.
He cuts it down to the chase, saying, "That's no good because the needle will get caught."
It was a refreshing feeling.
What was decided on this day
First, we will use Meiho's VERSUS VS-3043NDDM as the case for the outer frame of the system.
This is because it is cheaper and lighter than making it from acrylic or other materials.
One thing is to avoid putting a large number of spoons on the lid.
This is to reduce the risk of the case tipping over in strong winds and to reduce the cost of having to reinforce the hinges of the case due to heavy items being attached to the lid.
So, to store the spoons, we decided to use a vertically split case that Yudai had made himself, where the sponges were laid out horizontally.
The good thing about this method is that the sponge lies flat, so you can see all the spoons inside at a glance.
The spoon can be picked up with a smooth movement using your dominant hand.
Another great feature is that you can easily put the lure back in its case after replacing the hook by simply removing the sponge from the case.
Once you have decided how to store the spoons, you can then decide on the other parts.
Yudai said he wanted a utility space to store leaders, pliers, used lures, etc.
We measured everything we could possibly put in it and made it large enough to fit anything.
The remaining space is for plug storage.
I measured the longest worm or minnow I had and made it the right size to fit.
From there, I sent a hand-drawn design drawing to the factory and said, "Please make it," but they asked me questions I never expected, like, "Inner dimensions? Outer dimensions? How thick do you want the acrylic to be?"
It's difficult to make something exactly as you want it...
With a tape measure in hand, we took measurements and finally managed to get them to start production.
A month later, the finished sample was perfect!
"What is this? It's amazing!" I went to show it to Yudai again.
"It's wobbly. Is there anything we can do to make the upper and lower trays fit together?"
"I'd like to close the gap between the case a little more."
It didn't work at all...
In the end, I ran the sample twice more to minimize the wobble.
This time! There's no room for error!
I had
"It would be nice if each tray had drainage holes."
"It would be nice if there was a cutout in the utility space so I could hang the next lure I want to use there."
and!!!!
It was an eye-opener for me to realize that there are still ideas!
(I actually tried using it and found both features to be extremely useful.)
We are always impressed, but the same cannot be said for factories.
Around sample version 6, faint veins began to appear on the forehead.
(The day Yudai asked me to make six different patterns of the cuts shown above, measured in 1cm increments, I prepared myself to be submerged in Tokyo Bay...)
This was a vein that came from us not being able to pick up all the ideas in one go, so we tried every trick in the book to calm them down, and as a result, we were able to get it on sale before it sank (thank goodness).
Professor Yudai doesn't compromise on anything other than Trey.
A distinctive episode is the sponge that sticks the spoon.
If the sponge is small enough to fit easily into the case, you can easily remove it without the sponge getting caught in the spoon when you pull it out with your hands.
It has to be a little small so that it doesn't feel too tight, but if it's too big it won't fit, so deciding on the size is very difficult.
Since we don't have a relationship with the sponge shop, they can't be very flexible.
A single sample costs 20,000 yen, and they only deliver 300 units, making this a very inflexible company.
So we had the acrylic factory cut 93mm and 94mm sponges by hand, and we discussed which one to use.
I was really really really impressed by their sincere attitude towards manufacturing, which goes beyond simply deciding things like "How many millimeters of error will there be?", "Will the error be a positive or negative error?", and "What kind of cutting machine will be used?"
(By the way, after some twists and turns, the final size was decided to be 94mm.)
Our way of thinking about manufacturing has changed considerably through making this VA BOX, making us realize that we too need to put this same level of passion into our original products.
There were countless things that needed to be considered, such as how to make it usable with all buckets other than sponges, and how to make the Versus case original, and even though I didn't slack off at all, it took a whopping 10 months to complete.
As we had hoped, the VA BOX came in at a very reasonable price of 16,800 yen per set!
(Probably less than what we would have charged at a 100 yen shop or home improvement store.)
Both the manager and assistant manager use it regularly, and we're so confident in its ease of use that we can't imagine fishing without it!
Please be sure to pick up a copy of the VA BOX, which is packed with the love of Yudai, t-Route, and everyone involved.
For more detailed specifications, please see the photos taken before the lure storage area and drainage holes were installed.YouTube videosWe have introduced it here, so please take a look.
Finally, I will write about the appeal of the completed VA BOX, the contents of the set, and frequently asked questions and their answers.
Thank you for always putting up with my incredibly long posts.
I'm looking forward to the day when I can talk with everyone about how "VA BOX is really the best!"
Well, see you in the next blog!
~The appeal of VA BOX~
①High accessibility that allows you to retrieve the lure you want in the shortest time possible
②High customizability
3. Overwhelming cost performance
~Set contents~
①VERSUS VS-2043NDDM VA BOX original design 1 piece
② 3 small trays
→If you put a sponge inside, you can use it to store spoons, and if you don't put a sponge inside, you can use it to store plugs.
③ Large tray with utility space 1 piece
→ A tray with utility space that can be used to temporarily store pliers and lures.
④ 1 large tray
→Tray for storing plugs.
⑤ 5 sponges
→Store the spoon in a set with ②.
⑥ VA BOX lid holding block 2 pieces
→A block to prevent the lid from falling backwards when the VA BOX is opened.
⑦Male and female Velcro set (2 pieces)
→Can be used to attach hook cases, exchangers, etc. to the lid.
(The thickness is currently being adjusted, so the appearance may differ from the delivered product.)
*Magnets are sold as optional accessories.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Can it be used with VA tackle storage?
A.The 40 size can be used as is by simply placing it in the tray.
For size 36, you can fit it by modifying the outer case (the assistant manager himself uses it in this style).movieI have posted this on X. Please refer to it if you are interested. Since there will be some error depending on the processing technique, I cannot recommend it as a manufacturer's method, but if you think it "might be possible" then please give it a try.
It's a bit tight at first, but it gets easier with use.
*VA Tackle Storaget-Route limited colorNow accepting reservations ♪
Q.Can it be used with buckets other than VA?
A. If you use a Rodeo Craft 40 size bucket, you can use it as is by placing it in the included tray. If you use it with a Jackall tackle container,teeth100-yen store trayofOnce you purchase it, it fits perfectly. I haven't actually tested it with Valcain, Varivas, or Office Eucalyptus buckets, but I think there's a good chance it will work if you buy this tray. I recommend buying this tray and testing it to see if it will fit before buying the VA BOX.
Q: How do I use the lid?
You can use it however you like, by attaching a hook case from A.VA (Velvet Arts) to store hooks, an exchanger from Full Clip to store light spoons, or an optional magnet from our store to attach pliers or line cutters. The set also includes Velcro for attaching such items.
Q. Are there any plans to sell trays, sponges, etc. separately?
A. We do plan to sell it as an optional item. We will first sell it as a set, and then move on to producing optional items once we have the capacity for production.
~Sales Schedule~
Pre-orders for the VA BOX set will begin on Saturday, May 24, 2025 at 6:00 PM.
July 2025: Delivery and option sales start (a few weeks after delivery of pre-ordered items)