Bows left in car trunks

[Cherokee Scout]

If you like your bow, do not leave it strung or even unstrung in the trunk of your hot car in the summer.
Two cases recently, one where a new bow was left in trunk, unstrung, when the guy got it out, strung it it delaminated, it was still too hot to be strung. Another guy left his strung in the bed of a pickup.
It delaminated.
Be smart, not hot cars, trunks or pickup truck beds in the summer!

[LEOPARD]

It's actually something I was thinking the other day...will it damage your bow badly to leave it in a hot car - unstrung? EVEN if you leave it plenty of time, after taking it out of the heat, to cool down?

[wislnwings]

I've heard of this happening more than once down here in the heat.  My question is, what do you guys do with your back-up bow when hunting in a hot enviroment?  For example, last year on a turkey hunt I brought along a back-up bow. I did not want to keep it in the truck due to the heat so I kept it tucked away in the tent and hoped nobody would come along and sort through the tent.

[Charlie Cole]

I wonder that too. Some of us like to have a choice when we get down the lane to the stumpin' grounds. Where do you keep the spare?

Will cracking the windows and using one of those sunshade things work? Or should I just make up my mind before I leave the house?

-Charlie

[wislnwings]

Kinda what I was thinking Charlie.  I went to a 3D shoot a few weeks ago and wanted to bring a couple different bows to shoot the course with but the heat kept me from doing so.

[mike g]

Somebody needs to make (invent) an Insulated Bow sock....  

[Cherokee Scout]

If it has to stay in the hot car, be sure to let it cool before stringing!
Also make sure it is in a position not to let the limbs twist. Lay it flat. No pressure on side of limbs etc.

[stabow]

Don’t have to worry about that hear yet still in 40ty and 50ty. I’m so tired of cold and rainy weather......stabow

[AllenR]

One thing that worked for me when I shot compounds is a frozen bottle of water stuck into a soft sided case.  Those cases are pretty good insulation and a frozen liter bottle will keep it cool most of a day.

This would probably work for some take-down cases, but I haven't worked out anything for my one piece bows yet.

The insulated sock idea would probably work.  Or maybe plastic pipe with frozen bottles in each end.

How hot can a bow stand without damage?

[LEOPARD]

Is there long term damage to your bow if you leave it in a heated car, but leave it to cool down before you string it?

[stmpthmpr]

Excessive heat AND cold can cause irreparable damage to a laminated bow. Wood expands and contracts with heat and cold. Even if an over-heated bow is left to cool down, one of two things can happen... delamination caused from bow reaching or nearing cure temps of epoxy and weakening those joints, or wood contracting causing stress cracks in glass.

A friend of mine had to hang up his favorite longbow because after not thinking and leaving his bow in his unheated garage for four days with zero temperatures, it warmed up and he strung and shot it. It felt funny to him and upon inspection, the glass running the length of the back of the riser cracked right down the middle for about 6 inches.

[geno]

I always wondered about shipping bows in this weather.a bow sitting in the back of a cargo truck where it is hot enough to kill illegals left in there cant be good for a bow either..

[geno]

Stabow...don't expect a pity party.  It 100 in parts of the country..  

[Benny Nganabbarru]

When hunting / camping in oven-like conditions, I leave any spare bow in my mozzie-dome under the swag mattress early in the morning, where it remains relatively cool for the day.

[AllenR]

Originally posted by Ben Kleinig:
When hunting / camping in oven-like conditions, I leave any spare bow in my mozzie-dome under the swag mattress early in the morning, where it remains relatively cool for the day.

What's a "mozzie-dome"?

Thanks,
Allen

[Blackhawk]

Great advice.

I just wish I had paid attention.

Here's a Duke Savora one piece recurve that I left in my camper trailer for a couple days when the outside temp was near 100 degrees.

 

When I went to string it late one afternoon after that time in the camper, I had a rude surprise.  The bow was in a flannel case and away from direct sunlight, but the heat inside was too much I suppose.  

 

[72highboy]

I have been wondering/worrying about this recently also. Especially since I just moved to a place where it gets well above 100 degrees in the summer.

I understand that it is not a good idea to leave a bow in the car all day and get it too hot...but my question is what about a short time in the car? I am asking because I want to be able to shoot this summer and to do that I need to take my bow from my cool house to the cool indoor range, but it will have to ride in car to get there.

I have also been wondering about hunting in the extreme cold and what to do what with my bow. I might be able to hunt in North Dakota this winter and was wondering how to care for my bow in that type of cold?

Thanks,
Jon

I guess the obvious answer is to contact the bowyer and see what they recommend but that is way to easy  

[jacobsladder]

what temps would you consider hot? and what temps cold?.....just curious....i store my bows in the bonus room above the garage...the room gets cold in the winter , never low enough to be the freezing point...but enough to make a glass of water cold if left in there during the winter...the room can probably near 80 in the hottest point of the summer.....no direct sun light....they are stored in a closet....

[DannyBows]

I started taking the bow I plan to shoot after work into the office in the morning, where it stays until I get-off. When I get home, I don't have time to row out to my boat for the bow, then back to shore to practice. I started this as soon as the temps got into the 60's. Lucky I work at a car service which is very casual. The guys think I'm some kind of Stone Cold Killer, or just Nuts.  I do need to "Kill" the stress of long work days, and nothing does it like sticking arrows in foam with a longbow! I just bought a 3 pc. for a back-up if I'm on a hot hunt. I reckon I can pack it if need be.

[Charlie Cole]

I figure if you wouldn't leave your dog or kid in that temperature (closed-up car, etc), it can't be good for your bow.

That having been said, I bet you could ventilate a truck box enough to keep bows in it, and I still wonder about the cracked-windows and reflective sunshade thing for when I have to leave one in the vehicle.