Hey all I am going on a once in a lifetime moose hunt this sepetember in NF! Any great ideas on getting my bow there? I have a one piece r/d longbow 56".
Any ideas from the creative minds of tradgang?
3R sells them. Or you can get a fly rod case from BPS or Cabelas they sell them in many sizes.
You can make one out of heavy PVC pipe. Cap one end and put a cleanout (threaded cap) on the other. Make circular foam spacer rings that slip over the bow to keep it centered and foam plugs to cover the ends. They're kinda heavy for shipping but it is bulletproof for airline transport. If your bow has an extreme r/d it may not be practical, but it should work for most longbows.
pack it in a large duffle bag among your clothes. I bought a SKB double recurve bow case for my first travel hunt in 2005. Spent a fortune and it was a pain to haul around. Now I won't travel with it because its considered oversized baggage by 2 inches and incurs massive fees.
Its for sale if anyone wants it!
Plano Moulding makes a fishing rod case that extends that is made of the same plastic as the gun cases. This is also what Black Widow sells for a longbow case. Because of it's design, it is considered "airline approved" as there are no latches or locks. It isn't as tough as a PVC case that Austin suggested but it works pretty good. Probably the best way to make sure your bow arrives safely is to ship it directly to your outfitter. Do this in advance of your departure to make sure the bow arrived and all is well with it. This way you won't have the airline issues at all plus you can track and insure the shipment. If the bow breaks while on a plane by a baggage handler, you are totally out of luck. While I have to admit that I haven't travelled via plane with my bows yet, I have done this often times with my bamboo flyrods. This has always worked better than taking them on the plane with me! I have had some really BAD experiences with airlines damaging goods over the past 20+ years of my business travels...
Travel was the biggest reason I got a take down longbow. Being able to pack it securely among my clothes etc is good. Pre-911 days I could even carry it on the plane with me. Also means having one less piece of baggae to handle.
I like the above idea of mailing it directly to your outfitter if possible.
Good Hunting!
Ron
Steve, Just used my SKB double recurve case on Jet blue...No extra fees as sporting goods equipment, but did count as my one checked bag. Check the airline.
I use an SKB double wheel bow case. I can get 2 takedown bows, 2 dozen arrows and all sorts of other accessories in there as well. It has worked well on 3 different international plane trips so far.
Bisch
Here is how I fly with my 1 piece Two Tracks Ambush recurve. This a hard sided golfclub travel case.
(http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab28/miklvines/IMG_0004-4.jpg)
MIke, that's genius. I have one just like that.
If I was going to travel with my longbow I would use the bow cases sold by 3Rivers. I believe that they are made of some pretty heavy duty pvc pipe.
I found when I went to Australia last October that as long as your stuff wasn't grossly overweight, it didn't matter the dimensions. My duffel was way over the size limit, but only weighed 42lbs. They only thing I got hassled over was why I had so many knives in my bag.
Check the fine print with your airline, tho. That's where the toad is gonna squat. I flew American and Quantas Airlines. Others may not be so cool about stuff.
after having just flown to canada this spring and transporting a bow I will say a couple things, Take every precaution to protect your bow because the airlines do not care about your equipment. I watched them bounce my pvc bowcase across the tarmac, dropping it from a distance of six to eight feet. It made the flight but I would not trust a lesser case. TSA does not care about your equipment either, make sure you have everything secure in whatever case you choose. Every airline is different as to their stipulations for oversize baggage. you can very quickly rack up some huge fees for oversize or overweight luggage. We flew first class and were still assessed penalty fees. The golf bag case is a great idea in my estimation cause you can pack it with foam. I dont care what anybody sais,I sincerely believe those baggage handlers pride themselves on trying to break the unbreakable. After our last experience we have decided to drive whenever possible and the first thing I did when I got home was order a three piece bow. We had a great trip but it was overshadowed by poor service on the airlines part, terrible attitudes from the tsa and customs folks even though we had our paperwork in order months in advance, and delays on the airlines part. Make sure you have your ducks in a row before you step foot in the terminal and it will speed the process along. Good luck, shot a 42" bull there about ten years ago at thirteen yards. Lot of moose, we are going back in 2015, (and we are driving)