So I'm officially done with back quivers. I think they're neat and I appreciate the nostalgia and link to Howard, but my back quiver is going up for sale.
For about a month my brother has been using a Safari Tuff Arrowmaster and saying he loves it. He's been out of state serving in the Navy so he's shared his side quiver success with me via photo and video, he's been thrilled with the Arrowmaster, praising how intuitive and easy to use it is. Inspired, I considered buying a new Arrowmaster myself but also kept my eye out for used deals on them as well as similar quivers- the Bowmate Elite and Dawgware to be exact. Well brother was set to come down for a visit on leave and coincidentally I found a deal on a mint used Bowmate Elite. The Bowmate and Arrowmaster are very similar but have a few key differences. We were both curious to compare the two and judge which one is best. Mine arrived in the mail just as he got into town.
Tonight we tested both out and swapped and compared etc. I'm pleased to report that we feel neither is necessarily 'better' than the other..each has the things that make a side quiver great and each is different in a way that is beneficial depending on who you are and what you want. The key attraction for me on the Bowmate is that it is ambidextrous, whereas with the Arrowmaster you have to choose a right or left hand model. The Arrowmaster is a little more low profile, but the Bowmate is more tough/rigid. They're both excellent executions of the same idea. All in all I discovered that side quivers like the Arrowmaster and Bowmate are super duper intuitive and fast to use. I had the arrow removal and replacement motions down pat within minutes on my Bowmate. I'm a convert. The Hill style quiver and reaching over the shoulder is going adios. If you want a quiver that doesn't interfere with your bow, is easy to use with minimal movement, I highly suggest you take your pick and give either the Arrowmaster or Bowmate a try.