What is the best "legal" bag combination for my elk hunting trip to Colorado.  United allows bags to have a total of 62".  That is L+W+H.  Any cheats?  I have a three piece takedown.  Please Help.  Oversize fees, $100 dollars each way for each bag.  

Might be just me, but I'd take my take-down apart and carry it on.  I have had luggage that was checked in  damaged pretty bad in their "careful" handling of it.

the hardside bags, like Cabela's (which is a fine bag by the way) is already over 20 lbs by itself...so if you have a 50 or 60 lb limit before you hit overcharges, how are you going to get all the gear you need when you can only have 25-30 lbs after the case itself?

If you have a takedown bow, get a great bow case, like the one seen on here called Safari Tuff by Str8Shtr I think, to put your bow in..and put that in a soft duffle to keep the weight down, with your clothes all around it. Your arrows are most important.

Get a good compact arrow case or build one out of light schedule PVC to hold your shafts, with end caps and you should be good to go.

I just flew to Saskatchewan and back and let me tell you, everyone is really checking the weights on baggage now, and you are paying through the nose for overages.

I asked about carrying a bow in carry-on luggage and was told NO WAY by two airlines.

Hmmm....taken apart, no string in the bag and put the bolts in your suitcase, how would they know what it was.  You could tell them it was a Satir, some middle eastern musical instrument.

Not sure about oversize, but...
I had some overweight bags coming home from Disney last month, one was about 15 pounds over and they only charged me 25 bucks extra.  But considering the fact that the darn stuffed animals there require a loan process, it was worth it.

To avoid the hassle I'm planning on shipping my gear a week ahead of time for my elk hunt.  I'm lucky to have a friend that lives out there so I'll ship to his house.  The airlines have really been picky the last dozen or so flights I've been on in the last year.

I like to carry on as much as I can. I have never had my carry-on weighed or lost. You can get a lot of stuff in your carry-on, just pack tight. Remember that you are allowed one personal bag in addition to your one carry-on.

I would DEFINATELY ship my bow and arrows!!!!!

It would be terrible to get out there for your hunt,and have nothing to hunt WITH!!!!!

I would ship it in advance if that is an option.  Either way, on the plane or shipping, is a risk and I think I would trust FedEx more than the airline baggage manglers.

I use two Cabela's bags. One a rolling duffle like the one Ray mentions I beleive and a regular heavy duffle. I could probably get by with just two heavy duffles but my badlands 4500 backpack fits nicely in the bottom of the rolling model. I used to carry my three piece T/D in a case but the last few trips I have just put the limbs in a fleece sleeve and the handle in a sock and packed them in the center of one of the bags. I carry my arrows in a piece of PVC pipe with caps on both ends. My binoculars, spotting scope and cameras go in my carry on. I recently purchased airline tickets for a fall hunt and I see that one of the carriers charges $25 dollars for the second checked bag. I really can't see me making the weight with one bag so I guess I'm going to need to pay the extra fee.

By the time hunting season gets here, it will be cheaper to drive!  

We're driving from Ohio to Co. in September. 30 hours in a truck with my snoring brother-in-law.    What was I thinking.

You guys are scaring me. Heading to Ca. this Xmass to visit my Brother in law who is an avid golfer, we are planing on several rounds. Was planing on takng my glubs but it might be cheaper to buy a set out there and leave them, around here you can buy a new set starting at two hundred.

Don't quote me because I'm not a golfer but I think there is some kind of waver on golf bags.

united counts the golf bags that have a cover as one piece of luggage.

The best way to find out what your allowed on a daliy basis is to have the airline and TSA as a favorite. Past experience ( last month ) we will say, does not count today or tomarrow.
I am leaving on a fishing trip tomarrow and as of now I can still carry my flyrod with me. But you can be sure we will arrive real early in case I have to repack my checked bag with my flyrod.
As it is the rod is in a metal tube which will catch a few eyes I am sure.

Wow. I used to take my one piece recurve on the plane as a carry-on and stow it overhead.
That was back when there would only be 20 people on the whole plane too though