Thanks. I just bought one of those rods. I was curious about the warning and e-mailed countycomm and didn't get a reply. I had assumed they meant don't stow it with metalic objects, or perhaps the rod would corrode.

The warning is poorly written. It sounds like a downed pilot is supposed to throw the rod away after using it once, or keeping it out in the open from a belt. Why didn't they just say "stow carefully, away from hard or metallic object"?