Ship Bow/Baggage or Take on Plane??
Elk
Contributors to this thread:
Got lucky and drew a Montana combo tag so I will be flying out West from Georgia in late September. Back in 2013 they hit me up for over $125.00 in baggage fees both ways so this year I was considering shipping my bow and one large duffel bag and carrying on my ole Badlands Superday pack on the plane and check nothing! What do y'all think? Who would you use to ship with??
Do you have one bow or two? For years, I had two identical bows. I frequently shipped one ahead, and carried one on the plane with me. I realize that not everyone has the resources to do that....just wondering if that was an option for you.....
The nice thing about shipping ahead, is that if it DOESN'T arrive when it should, you have some time to come up with a plan B.....if you ship it ahead early enough. The down side is that if you don't have a second bow, you can't practice while it is gone.....
I always pack a complete pair of clothes with the bow that is shipped....so that if my case and baggage are lost by the airlines, I can still hunt. I almost always wear a pair of boots (and wear/carry a jacket) that I plan to hunt in, when traveling....
If you have the ability to send a case, AND take a case with you through the airlines, make sure that each case has bow, arrows, broadheads, release, and rangefinder. That way, if either case arrives, you are good to go. If they both arrive, all the better.
I have needed a back up bow on three different hunts.....luckily, all three times, both cases made it to camp on time.
Fed-ex makes a fortune shipping golf clubs so it's a great option if you can rely on your pick up spot/person to do their part. Have a great hunt!
I have an SKB case that I check and it is under max size. I usually fly SWA so no charge! On other airlines it's $25 bucks!
last time i flew with united it took them 2 days to find my bow, i slept in the airport no reason to leave without a bow ! I would ship it lot less stress .
rent a car,? 2.00$ a gallon and piece of mind
Can't imagine how it is cheaper or better to ship luggage rather than ship them overnight with you on the plane for $25-$50 per bag. Why would I want to pay more AND not have it with me as I fly?
Last time out to Colorado we flew. We shipped all of our hunting gear out and just flew with one small suit case checked and, a carry on backpack per hunter. It worked out real well and the guy we rented our vehicle and camping gear from in Denver, received our gear and shipped it after we left. Easy-peasy.
Our mailed stuff was one Tupperware tote in clothes and our bows/hunter. That was 6 years ago and it cost each one of us about $40. Tupperware totes had to be under 75 pounds too. I highly advise you look into that if you can arrange it. A lot cheaper and more reliable. God Bless
WV,
Who did you ship so cheaply with?
I ship my bow out to a friends house, I like knowing it is in MT before I get on a plane. As far as the other gear it all depends on how much you bring. I stuff as much as I can in the bow case and then bring my pack in a large duffle bag.
I think the worst feeling in the world is standing at the baggage claim and not see your bowcase come sliding out....if you have the time, ship it! One less hassle to worry about. Guys are always shipping stuff here, and I don't mind it all.
I shipped when going to Alaska for a DIY. It was worth it to me not to drag all that gear through the airports. For going out west this year I got a Badlands rolling duffle. I have a couple of buds who swear by the duffle method so I finally broke down and bought one.
I have done both. Was initially paranoid about the plane losing it only a risk on connecting anyway, but then one time when I shipped fed ex ground they lost the bow. I had shipped a couple weeks ahead and it was to take three days. They lost it, the tracking showed nothing, just "poof" gone. I was expecting to have to replace the whole rig, case and all, prior to the trip, but three days before I flew out I got a call from the outfitter. it ended up on his front porch one day. From lost to found with no explanation, no tracking record, no idea where it had been or why, nothing. so much fro ground shipping safely.
my point being there is no guarantee either way. if you don't drive (and we can't always drive) there is an unavoidable tiny risk. we can mitigate to some degree by how we pack, how many connecting flights we do, using only the same airlines on connections if possible, etc, but you can't eliminate risk if your chosen mode allows your gear to leave your possession.
one of the best things to do is fly but schedule to get there a day early. it will give you time for a baggage issue. honestly the issues are really very very rare statistically anyway and if they do happen they are almost always cured in 12-24 hours on next flight anyway.
I have flown out west 9 times and I am going again this year. Never had a problem with my bow getting lost or damaged. That said, I have had friends on other trips get their golf clubs 3 days later.
i am flying direct this year from PHL to Denver and am not worried about it.
Just a word of caution about standing at the baggage area.
Last couple years our Bows were kept out of the turnstile and were located at an area where you had to show ID to get your case. That was something new put in place by the TSA.
First time I was puke sick until we discovered they were already pulled out and off to the side.
i think the TSA wants your weapon in your hands now more than ever.
MedicineMann follows the same rules that I do on packing except I have 1 bwo.
Good luck.
"Can't imagine how it is cheaper or better to ship luggage rather than ship them overnight with you on the plane for $25-$50 per bag. Why would I want to pay more AND not have it with me as I fly?"
Yes that is what every traveler in the world wants..........their baggage with them on the plane when they fly. When that happens there is a wonderful reunion at the baggage carrosell.
That whole wish thing becomes a nightmare when you find out that the baggage is NOT on the plane you are flying on even though when you kissed your bags goodbye at check-in they were supposed to end up on your plane.
I ship dear and bow out everyyear to where every we go.Then ship it home.On the ship out its done a week early and obviously shipped the day we leave on return.In the mean time I have gone to Wally world and bought and packed coolers with 50lbs of meat and checked them as luggage.It cost me about a $100 for 3rd cooler.Shipping is about $55 depending on who you use and how much it weighs. Had no problems doing this for years.Cheapest way to get meat home.
Fed EX. It shipped out of my buds business. Not sure if that was why it was so cheap but, it shipped back for the same. God Bless
Like Will Said Jersey to denver over 20yrs now no problems,direct flights,sure it cost more now but it.s not that much in the big picture.
How do you get your meat home? That seems like a bigger issue when flying to a hunt.
FYI.....Shipping to a business address is significantly cheaper than shipping to a residence.
Gotcha on the business address.
I flew mine home in special meat boxes. Over night air. 110 pounds of processed meat cost me something like $275. It'd be higher now no doubt. If I hadn't give the processor 15 pounds of burger, it would have been an extra box. Ouch. God Bless
I carry as many of my clothes in my carry-on. My bow case always has my Glock 20 so it's checked with my large duffle. If I get an Elk I ship my bow and duffle FedEx, and pay $25 for first two coolers and $75 for the third as checked baggage.
I just do not see how you guys got out so cheap or maybe Delta had it out for me back in 2013. I check one large duffel bag that was right at 70lbs and one bow case that was well under 40lbs and they still hit me up for over $125.00 baggage fees. I am again taking the same items out west and feel that I can ship it cheaper then what the airline charges not to mention they just hit me up for over $1000.00 to fly from S. Georgia to Billings, MT. and I am not happy about that!! Back in 2013 I flew to Billings for right at $650.00 and gas was a hell of a lot more expensive! Go figure!!
BTW my bull cost a little over $300.00 to process in Lewistown and three weeks later it arrived back in Georgia frozen and the shipping fees were just under $500.00. All my other elk trips out west I drove as it is much cheaper to bring home game that way, however, the older I get them more I fly, LoL!!
I follow medicine mans advice whenever possible. too much time , $, and effort invested in most trips to not take such precautions. I try to ship essentials like my bow for arrival a week in advance, if possible, so I know it is there. And a back-up bow is an essential in my book, I even bring one along, just in case, on my typical 50 mile runs to where I most often hunt.
The back up bow doesn't have to be a $1500 marvel of new technology, it just needs to be something I can shoot well in a pinch.
I would ship if I went that way as long as you have a person to receive them on the other end. I am going to Kansas this year from NY and the cost of flying and than renting a car, it is way cheaper to drive. Shawn