Bows and air travel

rolltidehunter · August 09, 2011, 04:42:00 PM

guys i am flying out to Colorado to elk hunt the end of august and i am wondering how you guys pack your bows and get them through TSA. i have a 3 take down recurve. i have a gun case i could put it in. or i was wondering if i could break it down and put it in my bag. not my carry on but the ones they put under the plane? will they let me do this?

Jeff Mundy · August 09, 2011, 04:44:00 PM

I travel out of the country & back for work every 2 weeks. I ALWAYS bring my takedown... I just put it in a soft case in the bottom of my suitcase. Archery gear does not have to be declared with TSA like firearms do.

rolltidehunter · August 09, 2011, 04:45:00 PM

aweosme thanks for the info

Pat B · August 09, 2011, 05:15:00 PM

I am leaving for cColorado on Sept. 2 but will mail my bows, arrows and backpacking stuff out 2 weeks ahead of time. I don't trust TSA or the airlines with anything valuable!

sticbow · August 09, 2011, 05:23:00 PM

if there is any way you can mail your bows with insurance do it..if you luggage is lost so is your bow "THEY WILL NOT PAY FOR YOUR BOW TRUST ME"...usps if possible if not your just rolling the dice..if it is non stop you have better odds...

Roadkill · August 09, 2011, 10:55:00 PM

We use a PVC tube for take down bow and another for arrows. I pack this in the center of a military SEABAG. Pack your clothes around them. Boots in the bottom. Pack on top. This is a low profile way. I work at the international airport and see how bags are handled and this is the safest way. It draws no attention as military guys come and go to Ft Carson daily.

Rob DiStefano · August 10, 2011, 07:29:00 AM

i use/take 2pc t/d longbows, inside pvc tubes, inside my luggage duffle bag.

August 10, 2011, 09:06:00 AM

Different airports respond differently. In South Dakota you can walk into the terminal with a cased gun, shells, knives, and all sorts of items meant to do harm to wild critters and no one gives it a second thought, except for easterners that are also traveling to South Dakota. Just the thought of taking something that can be construed as a weapon through the front doors can set them off. The TSA is an unnecessary pain in the butt, I will be driving.

slivrslingr · August 10, 2011, 09:16:00 AM

Flying with archery gear has never been a hassle for me, even internationally. Put it in your checked bag, well padded of course, and check it through. With the scanning technology they use at airports these days, lost baggage rarely occurs, though sometimes a bag doesn't make it on the same plane as the owner. It shows up the next day, delivered to your door. The best way to avoid issues with delayed bags is to take direct flights, with no connections. The USPS, UPS, and FedEx all loose and damage packages as well, so they're really no safer.

Rob DiStefano · August 10, 2011, 10:47:00 AM

QuoteOriginally posted by slivrslingr:
... The USPS, UPS, and FedEx all lose and damage packages as well, so they're really no safer.

oh yeah, just got reminded of that a few dayze ago, thank you usps.

sticbow · August 10, 2011, 06:01:00 PM

if the airpost looses your bow an it's in with your clothes they will not pay for it..it's gone!!!! just keep that in mind..

revharry · August 10, 2011, 07:16:00 PM

After years of abuse by Delta Airlines I no longer fly with my bows and hunting gear. Ruined arrows, feathers, scratched bows broken electronic eqipt, and even soles ripped out of my Alpha boots. I guess they thought the files and sharpening things i had stuffed inside the boots raised concerns. I now drive to Texas and won't ever consider flying again.

wingnut · August 10, 2011, 08:25:00 PM

Get a Rhino case from Rod and pack your bow in it then in your checked baggage. I've flown all over the world with bows with no problems. Now one piece is a different story. I watched the luggage cart bend Mickey Lotz's longbow in PVC in half when it hit a pole.

Mike

Roadkill · August 10, 2011, 08:50:00 PM

I went down to baggage. I was watching how things were handled In the bag handling and even in the belly of a 737. How about one of those hard sided golf bag toter? You can write what I know about golf on the margin of a postage stamp. Those bags are tough and the boots, pack and clothes could be incorporated easily to protect a bow and arrows. If you already own one, you are there.

One one the seabags with pack straps work well for me and it is sooo cheap and folds into a drawer

rolltidehunter · August 17, 2011, 04:37:00 PM

thanks guys for the help

The Vanilla Gorilla · August 17, 2011, 04:53:00 PM

QuoteOriginally posted by Roadkill:

One one the seabags with pack straps work well for me and it is sooo cheap and folds into a drawer

This is how I'm gonna roll to Oz. PVC tubes for my arrows and bow. Pack my clothes and crap around that.

amar911 · August 18, 2011, 01:26:00 AM

Good plan, Cam. I made a tube from PVC coated HDPE pipe (4 inch) with PVC caps for my arrows, and used the 3Rivers Takedown Recurve case (6 inch tube) for my bow. A home made tube in the right diameter (6 inch) is very inexpensive and would have worked fine for the bow too, but the 3Rivers case is really nicely made.

Allan

Terry Green · August 18, 2011, 09:39:00 AM

With air travel the way it is now (worse every year since 911), and with them CHARGING for baggage...here's what I do.

I ship my stuff...bows-arrows-cloths...UPS and insure it for twice the value. I ship my stuff early enough that I KNOW its there a week before I even leave....this leaves time for re-grouping if there ever is a problem. I have two polar coolers that I use as shipping containers.

So, my stuff gets there before me, and all I have to worry about is my little carry on bag. No checking luggage....no charging for luggage....no lugging luggage.

Oh, and you can STILL check in curb side......sometimes they look at you funny and don't want to check you in if you don't have any bags at curbside....so I have a plan for that as well...and it works great. When they ask how many bags you have to check...as you tell them none, you are extending a five dollar bill to them with a smile on your face and you say thanks.

Its worth $5 not to have to stand in line on the inside let me tell ya.