Flying with your bow??

[TonySkyline]

For those have that have taken a flight to go on a hunt, how did you transport your bow and archery gear? I am about to book my flight soon. August 31st to Sept 7 roundtrip from Syracuse NY to Billings Montana and back. Going on an elk hunt with an Outfitter 1st week of September. I currently have an skb double bow case that is rated for airlines but it is heavy. Very heavy and big. Has anyone tried the badlands terraglide??? Or maybe the Sitka nomad? These are both super expensive 300 or 400 dollars. Kind of crazy but if it will cost that much in baggage fees then at least I will have it for next time. Suggestions??

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[Where's Bruce?]

I wouldn't trust anything less than a SKB ATA rated case. Even then the TSA monkeys can mess you up. Don't overpack that case to the point it becomes a Tetris challenge to repack, my drop-away got messed up in transit because they opened the case and moved stuff around.

 

[elkguide]

SKB to New Zealand. My bow is worth the extra weight.

 

[TonySkyline]

I had skb send me new latches with locks and keys that are tsa rated. How does that work? Do you lock it up before I leave it with them or do I leave it unlocked?

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[wind gypsy]

I'm now 1 for about 20 on getting hit for oversized fees on double bow or double rifle cases. I wouldn't buy something different on that basis.

 

[TradAg02]

I’ve flown domestically and internationally with my double skb. I remove the foam, pack gear at the bottom, then a layer of clothes with my bow(s) on top. If I only pack archery gear I don’t lock it. If I throw a pistol in I use non-TSA padlocks. I try to keep it around 48lbs and haven’t been charged extra baggage fees thus far.





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[Gunnersdad49]

I ordered the badlands, but it was backordered so I got the Sitka Nomad for a trip to Africa. It is junk!

It worked, but began falling apart after its first flight. Snaps coming off, stitches popping, and zipper failure.

The concept is sound, big rolling bag with a semi rigid frame. I put foam down then the bow, then my arrow case, then clothes. No issues with the sights or anything, the arrow case protected them fine.

 

[R_burg]

For those have that have taken a flight to go on a hunt, how did you transport your bow and archery gear? I am about to book my flight soon. August 31st to Sept 7 roundtrip from Syracuse NY to Billings Montana and back. Going on an elk hunt with an Outfitter 1st week of September. I currently have an skb double bow case that is rated for airlines but it is heavy. Very heavy and big. Has anyone tried the badlands terraglide??? Or maybe the Sitka nomad? These are both super expensive 300 or 400 dollars. Kind of crazy but if it will cost that much in baggage fees then at least I will have it for next time. Suggestions??

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I have that case. Man up and pay the charge. Its not over 50 lbs, but its oversized so you will get hit with the fee if they feel like measuring.

Just man up and deal with it. Thats a pretty expensive hunt, plus you will be flying with a cooler back. Whats another 75 bucks each way?


Man.... I hate flying to Syracuse. If I was you I would consider going to Rochester or Albany and flying Southwest. The two free checked bags really come in handy when hunting.

 

[Blockcaver]

I use a Cabelas Ripcord rolling dufflle, size XL ($159 last winter). I carry my bow (or two) in a soft case with arrows, plus a whole lot of clothes, sleeping bag, etc topping the duffle off at 49#s. Works like a champ for me. Good luck

 

[stx.dead.I]

My skb is making its second trip to africa this tuesday. I trust it

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[HuntHarder]

Skb!!

 

[Beendare]

I've had the Nomad all over heck and now my SKB just gathers dust. ....mine has held up well....a little dirty is all from being flown into remote camps.

Its a big advantage with the airline baggage restrictions, I can carry a bow and gear totaling another 39# in the Nomad as it only weighs 11#.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

I've had the Nomad all over heck and now my SKB just gathers dust. ....mine has held up well....a little dirty is all from being flown into remote camps.

Its a big advantage with the airline baggage restrictions, I can carry a bow and gear totaling another 39# in the Nomad as it only weighs 11#.

I like the concept, but my experience was very different than yours. Glad it worked out for you.

 

[Nickziegler]

Dont use TSA locks...use a master lock and have your name and info on a tag with the case. If TSA needs in they can call you to open the case. The last thing you want is some anti from TSA messing with your equipment.

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[Beendare]

The one piece of universal advice when flying with a bow is have a good packing system and make it goof proof for the TSA guys repacking it. They will not take the care repacking and its obvious they just throw everything back in there willy nilly.

Back when I used my hard case, I would pack anything with hard edges and little stuff in a zip lock bag so it didn't end up against my bowstring or cables. TSA doesn't have to open the clear ziplocks. In the SKB, I rigged a couple velcro straps to keep the arrows in place....last thing you want is a BH tipped arrow rattling around in there....assume TSA won't care.

With my Nomad, I pack my bow in the bottom in a cheap padded case so there is no chance of anything wrecking my cables/bowstirng then clothing and zip locks for everything else. Another thing I like about the Nomad, arrows can go in a PVC tube marked sharp with big holes 1" drilled in the side for viewing them without TSA having to open.

I use the same zip lock freezer bag packing system in my hunting pack....so I can just move the ziplocks back into my pack on arrival and I'm ready to hunt.

Things get easier yet with my recurves as those are 3 piece and break down easily. I typically carry on my binos, RF and anything expensive.

I know a few guys that have been using the soft sided bags for years and its a big advantage since they changed the baggage weight restriction to 50#. a lot of times on these hunts its hard to bring enough gear...especially if you are a DIY guy like myself and sometimes need to bring a climber, sticks...or tripod and large optics....or you are camping in Alaska on a fly out...you need every square inch of room you can get.

Don't forget a soft duffle you can use for bringing meat back on the return.

 

[sneaky]

I ordered the badlands, but it was backordered so I got the Sitka Nomad for a trip to Africa. It is junk!

It worked, but began falling apart after its first flight. Snaps coming off, stitches popping, and zipper failure.

The concept is sound, big rolling bag with a semi rigid frame. I put foam down then the bow, then my arrow case, then clothes. No issues with the sights or anything, the arrow case protected them fine.

Have you contacted Sitka about it? Pretty sure they'll make it right. No need to bash something if you haven't contacted them first.

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[stx.dead.I]

Dont use TSA locks...use a master lock and have your name and info on a tag with the case. If TSA needs in they can call you to open the case. The last thing you want is some anti from TSA messing with your equipment.

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I dont think TSA will call you. They didnt even unlock the tsa approved locked. They literally just cut them all off! After done they ziptied where the locks were

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[Dryfly1]

How does the lock deal go if there is a firearm in the case? I thought you locked it and maintained the only key.

2gbl

 

[TonySkyline]

Wow you guys. Thank you all for commenting. This has honestly been the most stressful part of planning this trip. I was planning to have the butcher mail the meat back to NY. I will be stressed enough flying for the first time and trying to keep track of everything. I will plan the financial part accordingly as I heard it is like $400 to ship back. If I wasn't going solo dolo, I might have tried to take it with me on the plane. Anyone else ship the meat back? Costs? At this point it looks like I'm going to install the new latches skb sent me. Will a tenzing 2200 fit as my carry on? If I can bring something bigger, I will but with how stiff that pack is, I am unsure of how it will fit in the overhead space. Again I have no clue how the carry on works as well. I plan to bring the majority of my important clothes in my carry on
Also do I have to leave a key for the case somewhere if I lock it???

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[TonySkyline]

Also I have heard alot of negative reviews on the nomad . I am a huge Sitka supporter but it sounds like this might be up there with the old packs they had and not the same quality as the clothing. Either way the Sitka nomad and badlands terraglide both have the lifetime warranties but it looks like I'm now about 95% sure I'll be lugging around the big skb double bow case. Just wish it had wheels. Oh well, time to man up. I don't have room in the house for another hard case. I have a decent rifle case with wheels and locks from Plano. I don't have the keys for it though and it's actually longer but thinner.


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