“How to wrap a compound bow?” It’s a question that comes to mind when you see a compound bow, all parts of which are wrapped in matte tape. It seems cool to customize your bow, after all, but wrapping a bow has more benefits than just styling.
That said, in this post, we’ll show you how to wrap a compound bow and why you should do it in the first place.
You can wrap compound bows with a type of tape that’s specified for that purpose or you can use multiple-purpose tape. The wraps reduce hand movements, absorb moisture and sweat, and cover all the shiny parts of the bow while hunting.
Stick around to learn more about how to wrap an archery bow and the best types of tape to use.
How Do You Wrap an Archery Bow?
Protective wrap won’t only protect your bow from scratches but will also remove any shine from your bow while hunting in the woods.
You don’t want to wrap your bow with the tape all the way up because you won’t be able to take it apart in the future.
If you want to disassemble it for travel or to put the bow inside your equipment bag, it’ll turn into a mess.
If you have no intention of ever taking it apart, it’s fine. You can wrap it all the way up. Here are the steps:
- Grab a pencil and put a fine line on the limb where you should stop wrapping.
- Begin on the back of the limb, where your string is, keeping the string at a right angle.
- Put the tape right up against the string grooves and then start wrapping.
- Make sure you have an overlap, about 3/8 to 1/2 inch.
- Turn the limb in accordance with the way you want to wrap it.
- Work your way down the limb until you stop at the pencil mark.
- When you reach that pencil mark, do one wrap square around, and you can either tear it off or use a knife or scissors to cut it off.
- Press the tape down and voila; you have a wrapped compound bow.
If you’re doing a one-piece bow and want to wrap it up to the shelf, you’d just continue wrapping around the riser.
As with the limb, just give yourself a slight overlap and when you get up to the riser.
The Best Tapes to Wrap Your Compound Bow
Many tapes on the market are ideal for wrapping compound bows. The key to finding the best type of wrap is knowing the grip style of your compound bow.
The most popular types sold on the market are:
- Standard athletic tape
- Tapes used for tennis rackets and baseball bat handles
- Traction tapes
Let’s take a look at each of these tape types and see what they have to offer.
Standard Athletic Tape
This tape, in particular, will be the perfect choice for those who appreciate thin grips.
The thickness that this tape adds to the grip isn’t that notable. This will make your compound bow handle thin. Also, this tape comes in several colors that suit many different needs.
On the other hand, athletic tape has a major flaw: it degrades quickly. It needs to be changed often because too much moisture ruins its texture.
Even the tape’s edges begin to bend on themselves, creating a lousy bow shape and a pretty uncomfortable grip that a lot of archers, especially beginners, might find troublesome.
There’s a solution to the twisting of the ends of the tape, and that is to create an overlap while wrapping the tape. The overlap between each layer and the previous one should be around a quarter of an inch. This will help extend the life of the tape.
All in all, standard athletic tape is a perfect option for those on a budget and don’t mind having to replace their bows’ wrapping on a regular basis.
Tennis Racquet and Baseball Bat Wraps
Many manufacturers of these tapes offer different densities. Available thicknesses are 1.8mm, 1.75mm, 1.5mm, and 2.1mm. This allows you to choose according to your preferred thickness and the shape of your archery bow.
This type of tape gives volume to your grip. So if the grip on your bow is relatively thin, this tape would be ideal for you. If your bow’s grip is on the thicker side, avoid this type of tape.
Some of the most notable features of this type of tape are high moisture absorption, fast drying, and a comfortable feel.
This tape also improves airflow, so you don’t have to worry if the weather is hot and your hands sweat easily.
Usually, this type of wrap comes with a sticky layer on the backside that sticks to the grip and secures it firmly. This wrap stretches very easily, but you should be aware that it can rip if you tighten it too hard.
Even if you pull the tape hard while twisting, it will leave a lot of wrinkles on your bow. Besides, the extensive overlap between the wraps will cause the handle to thicken a lot, which will be inconvenient.
Traction Tape
Traction tape has a grippy texture seeing as it’s coarse like sandpaper. The texture of the tape prevents slipping, making the grip more stable no matter how sweaty your hands get. Also, the tape comes in the form of strips that can be placed on the face of the grip.
Why Wrap Your Compound Bow?
Hand sweat is the problem that bothers a lot of archers, as it causes the bow to slip. Wraps help improve the airflow between the archer’s hand and the grip, and they help absorb moisture.
Also, wrapping a bow helps improve comfort through the grip, which helps raise accuracy during shooting.
Another problem that archers face, primarily hunters, is that the shiny parts of a compound bow without wraps can spook animals at close distances. If the bow used while hunting isn’t properly wrapped, the chance of catching prey is considered weak.
Final Words
Having read this post, you now know that you can wrap your bow, how to wrap it, and why you should consider wrapping it.
There’s a wide variety of wrapping tapes on the market, from standard athletic tape to traction tape. Your choice should be based primarily on your ideal grip thickness and moisture-wicking needs.
Hopefully, the information in this article has provided you with the insight needed to wrap your compound bow. Make sure to check out this article regarding whether or not you need gloves for archery, and whether or not gloves can help improve your accuracy and overall archery.