What are some of the best ways to ship longbows and other long items? with the cost of shipping these days i'm looking for some new ideas.

If it's a one piece I go to the local carpet store. They wil give me all the tubes I want. Some of them are ridiculously heavy. Have neve had a problem.

For take downs, the flourist at  the grocery store has the boxes that the flowers come it. They look just like to boxes that new takedowns come in.

I use a 3" sewer drain pipe,not as heavy as schedule 40 PVC.And keep you package under 84" total,that is length plus girth.If over you will be hit with an oversize charge.The 3" pipe will fit most longbows and milder R/D longbows.The hybrids and other bows that are highly R/D won't usally fit in a 3" pipe.For those I look for a 4" pipe or carpet tube,bigger girth but usally a shorter bow so the total length will be under the 84" limit.I like to measure and weigh my packages before I get to the Post office so I know what to expect.USPS has a postage calculator right online.

3" pvc works great. The bow I shipped this year cost me about $20 in shipping plus the cost of the pvc. I  also wrapped the bow in news paper and stuffed in some extra news paper for padding. you can also use some good tape and a strap of nylon to tape on a great handle in the center.This method works good also for traveling on an airplane or a waterproof case for hunting.