The 5 Best Bow Cases to Buy in 2023 (Full Guide)
Picking the best bow case for your needs can be a frustrating task, but dont you worry. This article will guide your through the whole process.
In this article I am going to show you the best bow cases there is on the market and I will help you decide which one to buy according to your needs.
There are many different cases built for different purposes making it a daunting task if you are a beginner or just haven’t bought a case before, but after reading this article I am sure you will have the knowledge you need to confidently purchase your first case or improve your current one.
This article will cover
- First our top 10 best bow cases
- The different types of bow cases and their different usages.
- I will show you my personal favorites and the bow cases I consider to be the best ones out there.
- I will divide the best bow cases into different categories ranging from soft to hardshell cases and compound bow cases to recurve bow cases.
The best bow case we found to outperform all the other in all our criteria were the Plano 1109-00 Protector. The Plano 1109 is without a doubt a great purchase if you are looking to get a great bow case with both proper storage and a lifetime warranty.
It’s built with solid and thick material that protects it from any damage from the outside world. When I first saw the Plano 1109-00 I thought it was great storage and I was impressed, but In addition to the storage, I saw on the pictures there was a hidden room with even more space for special and extra equipment such as your single pin bow sight. Just overall a good case for any archer!
- Lifetime warranty
- Great storage
- Slim and Compact
- Extra storage for special gear
- Can only attach 6 Arrows inside the case
When looking for a case best for beginners, we were looking for a hard case that could fit different types of bows. As a beginner, you probably haven’t made your last bow purchase yet. So I was looking for a case which I knew could fit different types of bows, with good protection, looked good (looks is important as well) and had good storage for extra equipment.
After some time asking around on forums and asking around in my archery club we had finally confirmed our best beginner bow case.
The best bow cases for beginners was without a doubt these two monsters. If you love compound bows, then the best soft compound bow case I have found was the Allen Gear 6034, but the overall winner and my personal favorite the Plano 114400. These are two remarkable cases for different usages.
If you want a lighter and more portable option, then The Allen Gear 6034 is a great choice. You can find it on Amazon here. If you want the best soft compound bow case, then I would recommend you to choose the Allen, if not then continue.
As I mentioned earlier my personal favorite is the Plano 114400. And this is for a good reason. Because of its protective material, but yet light for its size. It offers great protection making it suitable for air travel and harsh environments.
- Excellent protection
- Light for its size
- Room for different kinds of bows
- Litle Heavy
- Need more anchor points
Looking for a bow case with high quality, durability, and high quality there was no other brand than SKB that popped up in my head. SKB is a great brand that I recommend you check out. I have used them for years without any issue. So back to the case, the best bow case for travel is the SKB iseries Double Bow Case.
As it says in the word it’s a double-decker. You can fit two bows in there, but you don’t need two bows to use it efficiently! You can do just as a friend of mine. Use the bottom deck for your extra gear and the top deck for your bow. This way you have a great and safe storage space for your extra gear and the same for your bow. Highly, highly recommend this product. If I could choose one bow case out of all on the list, I would choose this one for sure.
- Great Storage
- Awesome Protection
- Bigger than a single bow case
The best recurve bow case out there that I like is the Vista traveler. It`s a simple and great way to store and carry your recurve bow around. I was thinking about putting it up for the best travel case, but it just can’t beat SKB as an overall travel case, but specifically for a recurves then yes, absolutely. It’s a great, lightweight, but at the same time hard case.
Meaning it offers excellent protection while keeping the case slim and comfortable to bring along on your trips to the archery range or even to a new country. If you have fallen in love with the recurve and is sure you are not going to have a compound bow friend on your side as well, then there is no doubt that you should go for the Vista traveler takedown bow.
You can check it out on Amazon here.
Once again Plano takes the first place in the competition. They offer such good value for the money making it a no brainer to choose the best arrow case of them all. There are several other bow cases in this range as well, but having in mind that we have recommended a lot of Plano cases in this article, then a plane arrow case would be in place as well. They made the customized to fit inside most Plano cases. Which can be a handy feature.
There are several arrow cases out there that offer excellent protection for the money as well. But I believe most bow cases will work and that you can’t go wrong for picking either one.
You can check out the Best Arrow case here
Do you need a bow case?
If you need a bow case or not depends on your situation. It is always nice to have a bow case to keep things organized and having the right place for your bow to be stored, but not everyone needs it. Read along, and we can figure out if it’s worth the investment for you and your bow. It’s just like when you are hunting, you need a ground blind, but it has a lot of benefits which makes it a good choice anyway.
The benefits of having a bow case for travel and transportation
There are a lot of people that are doing fine without a bow case, but having one has excellent benefits as well.
Not everyone needs a bow case, but if you are traveling a lot and don’t have a good place to store your bow, then a bow case can be a great solution to your problems.
Most people have to travel to get to the shooting range and having a strung bow in your backseat is not the best way to do it. In that case, you would be better off investing in something that could keep your bow in a proper condition making it last for years.
Archery ranges in urban areas have become more popular as well, making the use of a bow case even more important.
There are a lot of 3d archery ranges popping up in the urban areas, and if you are planning to go to one of those by public transport or by walking there it is a must to have a bow case, you don’t want to be the guy walking around the city with a bow and arrow and a Hunting Jacket.
Some people may think you are a hero, but most won’t. Certainly not the police and security.
Traveling with archery equipment
If you are going to travel on an airplane with your archery equipment, then I would highly suggest you invest in a bow case and read our article on how to travel with archery equipment.
You don’t have control over how your luggage and bow will get handled through the airplanes security systems, so having some extra layer of security to ensure your bow stays whole is usually a good move.
I would suggest you purchase a hard bow case if you know you’re going to travel a lot, it will give your bow more protection than a softshell. We will go in further details about the difference between a soft case and a hard case later in the article.
Make sure to read the rules before you fly with your archery equipment. Some airplanes do not allow archery equipment and they can confiscate it which can be a nightmare, especially if you have an important competition coming up.
Why you should buy a bow case for storage
If you love your bow and have invested some money in it, then you probably want to maintain and store it properly as well. Having a bow case makes this a lot easier and is my favorite way to store my equipment.
Some people leave it up in the open and have their place to store it, but in my house, I always lock it up in my case.
This way I prevent any scratches or damage to the bow. I have a dog and I know he would gladly chew on the wood of my recurves.
How you store your bow is up to you, but keep in mind if you have a wooden recurve bow that you unstring the bow, having the bow strung while storing it can cause damage to the limbs over time. The string will put constant pressure on the limbs and they will eventually start to deform and be less powerful.
The modern recurve and compound bows have stronger limbs and are built of stronger materials so leaving the string on should not be a problem, but if you want to stay on the safe side you can unstring it for each time.
What to keep in mind when you are purchasing the best bow case
first of all the most critical aspect of purchase if to buy something that fits your needs and requirements, when we are talking about a bow case, there is mainly material, weight, storage, and durability you have to consider. Much the same as finding the best archery target you have to take yourself time and research to find what fits you the best.
Choosing the correct bow case weight
A lightweight bow case can be a lot more pleasurable to travel and carry but can lack in durability because of less protective material, but it can be worth the sacrifice if you don’t bring your archery equipment through bumpy rides and airplanes.
The soft bow case is the lightest type, but it offers very little protection to your gear. My recommendation would be to invest the extra money and at least buy a hard case that has less protective material and is lighter than a solid hard case, but heavier than a soft case as well. This way you can have the best of both worlds of a light case with some protection.
Make sure to choose a bow case that is durable enough
Make sure you choose a bow case that can handle you and your trips. Only you know how and where you travel. If you know you like rock climbing and rafting with your archery equipment then you know you need that hard solid bow case.
