I have the ideal setup for airline travel. It is a 56" Shrew Classic Hunter 2 piece takedown longbow that I take apart, put in a fleece sock that is folded in half, and pack into my 3Rivers deluxe recurve takedown hardcase tube (
http://www.3riversarchery.com/Cases+Bow++DLX+Take-Down+Recurve+Travel+Case_c43_s193_p0_i5138_product.html) along with a dozen and a half arrows and maybe a few little odds and ends like field points, hex heads, judo points, stringer, tab, glove, etc. The 3Rivers case is very tough and fits well into my 36" long checked duffle bag. You can also make your own version of the 3Rivers bow/arrow hard case out of 6" diameter PVC or HDPE pipe if you want spend less or need to customize the size. The 3Rivers bow case was just too sweet for me to pass up.
With 2 blade broadheads, you can wrap up several of them in a flat roll using a piece of thin, soft leather and then put the roll into a cheap plastic box or any other handy container. With 3 or 4 blade broadheads, the easiest and cheapest carrier I have seen is a 4" long piece of 6" diameter plastic pipe with foam in it, one end made of cardboard or some similar material sealed with duct tape, and a second end piece partially taped with duct tape to form a hinged flap that is held in place on the non-hinged side with a strap made of leather, bungee or some other type of strap closure. You can get fancier and buy a box of the correct size to put the foam in if it works better for you. The broadheads are inserted into cavities that are cut or melted into the foam. One good idea is to get Styrofoam or some other foam and heat up an old broadhead of similar design to a temperature where you can melt the foam slightly when the heated broadhead is inserted into the foam. This process can create form-fitted cavities for several broadheads.
If you are going to fly somewhere with big, heavy boots, wear them on the plane so you don't eat up lots of luggage space and weight. Take a backpack as your carry-on luggage, along with a smaller duffle bag. You almost always need a backpack for hunting, and the duffle is great for all the small things you want to have handy while traveling or when you get to the hunting camp. I often slip my duffle into my backpack when I am not on the plane to make everything easier to carry. Make sure the duffle has a shoulder strap. I like the ripstop duffles sold by stores like Cabelas because they are light, tough, compact and not too expensive. If I am not going to be walking much or carrying heavy loads, I use a frameless pack (rucksack) to save weight and bulk and to allow the pack to be folded up into any shape or space. If I am going to be carrying a load in my pack and walking longer distances, I like to use a frame pack (internal or semi-internal frame). My current favorite semi-internal frame packs that can be used as carry-ons are the Sitka Gear Flash 32 and the Eberlestock X-2. Various other packs work well too. Pack a change of clothes, jacket, cap, glasses (including sunglasses), flashlight, optics, electronics and personal items in the backpack, and be sure to bring a few little travel size toiletries in a quart size Ziplock bag in case you get struck somewhere without your checked baggage. I also like to make sure I have some foam earplugs and a small mask to block out the light so I can sleep better on long plane rides.
Here's a new hint for traveling light. Books are heavy and bulky, but they are great for traveling where there is no other form of entertainment besides the hunting. Many of the new smart phones allow you to download applications for Kindle or one of the other internet book services so you can read the books on your phone. You are probably going to take your cell phone with you anyway, so download a few electronic books onto your phone and leave the heavy, bulky, paper copies of your books at home. Even if you use your phone to read where you can't recharge it, if you only turn it on for reading, set the phone to airplane mode, turn off all the other applications, and set the phone to its lowest power settings and display brightness (I like to use the white letters on black background at the dimmest setting for the absolute lowest battery drain), the battery will last a very long time. I was able to use my Motorola Droid X to read every night for an hour or two for 10 days, and the battery still had about a 60% charge left. I read a couple of books and didn't have to pack anything extra to do that.
The toughest part about traveling on the airlines is trying to figure out how to get everything you need into the available space, but not to take extra items that you don't need. It is especially tough on hunts where your are expected to bring your own bedding and towels. Fortunately, there are some really great new items of equipment that will help you to do that which can also be used very well for backpack hunts. The one thing I will not leave behind on a plane trip is a hard case for my bow and arrows, because I want to make sure those items are intact when I arrive at the hunting destination. I used to take two bows on every trip, but I have never needed more than one, so now I just take the chance when I travel on the airlines that my hunt will be over if something really bad happens to my bow.
Allan
Topic: How do you fly (Read 236 times)
