Travel Bow case
Equipment
Contributors to this thread:
I just got back from South Africa and wanted to share my travelling/ luggage experience.
I took 2 bows. One in my SKB Double bow case and the other in my new High Sierra 36" Rolling duffle. Every where I went, the airport staff in the U.S. and South Africa, treated my SKB case like it was a rifle: firearm tag, xrays, open case inspections and extra lines at security checkpoints in both countries.
Nobody even looked twice at my High Sierra case that contained my back up bow, arrows and clothes.
I will not use the SKB when travelling by air again. So far I am very impressed w the High Sierra rolling duffel and at $150, it's pretty reasonable, and makes air travel less of a hassle.
That's my 2 cents....
what exposure is there if a bow is detected inn the bag and it is viewed as if the traveler was trying to "smuggle" something in undetected. I know a lot of people use these. I have always used the SKB, clearly marketed on the outside "archery equipment" and never had an issue domesitically or internationally.
I don’t see any “exposure” trying to “smuggle” a bow in to the US or RSA as there are no requirements in either country (or any that I have been to) to declare archery gear. Hence making it impossible to “smuggle” legal items...
My only concern with that specific piece of luggage would be the 36” dimension, I like to keep the size minimal, but many bows (even today’s short bows) don’t fit in 36” cases in my experience. I have bought and returned a couple for that very reason. But overall I am a huge fan of hard bottom duffles for bow travel, and constantly reccomend them, I can’t imagine going back to a big hard case.
—Jim
Archery tackle would be classified as sporting equipment. No need to declare at check in.
As Jim mentioned, the problem with these rolling duffels is often that you must have a very short bow to fit in them. How long of a bow would fit in this one and still lay flat?
For those wanting a longer ATA. Soft bow case. I will sell my elevation jet stream it’s 45 inches inside
elkstabber's Link
These hard bottomed bow cases are available in both 40" and 44".
The Everest bow cases are the way to go. Much lighter than a SKB, provide enough protection for airline travel (IMO) and have ample room inside to pack clothes, boots, arrows and all the other required gear for most hunts. You could actually use one case with two bows, but I've converted to using two of these for my hunting trips now. One bow in each case.