I know I'm a bit late to the party here but this may be useful for anyone still interested in the Orvis Frequent Flyer.

I had a 9ft 5wt which I used extensively whilst travelling in Patagonia (Argentina and Chile). The rod obviously does not perform as well as a top quality 4 piece rod but I was seriously impressed nonetheless. It casts just as well or if not better than some of your cheaper 4 piece rods.

It had quite a bit of backbone so could easily handle larger fish. I even caught a number of bass on it in SA before the trip.

The main benefit is obviously the convenience factor. I could walk around with it in my backpack and have the rod out and fishing at a moments notice (much to my girlfriends annoyance). Our planned picnics along the rivers often turned into extended fishing trips.

Unfortunately I left my beloved Frequent Flyer on the side of a Chilean river whilst helping the guide load the boat onto the trailer. I had already broken it up into it's seven pieces and put them into their bag. When it was time to leave the river I picked up the rod tube but left the bag with the broken up rod on the river. It was one of the worst moments of my life when I got back to the hostel and realised the rod tube was empty. Unfortunately our bus back to Argentina left the next day. I contacted the guide and he said he never saw anything at the take out. I guess some local Chilean kid found it. Hopefully he is putting it to good use!

I will certainly buy another one when I have the spare cash. You just can't beat the convenience and I am happy to sacrifice a bit of casting quality for that.