Accuracy is everything in archery. But to preserve the accuracy of your shots, you need to make sure that your arrows maintain their integrity and quality. While everyone will take care of the arrows while handling them, a few would put in the effort to store them the right way.
If you want to know how to store archery arrows, you’ve come to the right place. So what are the best practices for storing your archery arrows?
Ideally, the best way to store archery arrows is by protecting them from the elements, especially moisture and water damage. Also, you should keep them in a hard arrow case and arrow tube, or by making any convenient storage on your own.
Keep on reading if you want to find out more about archery arrows’ longevity as well as the best options available on the market. Let’s dive in!
How Long Do Archery Arrows Last?
While it may sound surprising to many, archery arrows can last anywhere from 20 to 40 years or even more!
This is because the longevity and lifespan of an archery arrow aren’t based on a specific deterioration time.
Instead, it’s mostly based on the ability of the archer to maintain these arrows and take good care of them.
For that reason, even the best archery arrows can end up being unusable after a year or two due to inadequate handling and storage practices, such as exposing them to moisture or excessive sunlight as well as shooting into non suitable surfaces instead of archery targets.
The problem here is that using bad arrows isn’t only bad for accuracy, but it can actually be dangerous on the archer for the risk of impaling their bow arms.
What Are the Best Practices to Store Archery Arrows?
There are plenty of great methods and practices that you can follow in order to store your archery arrows adequately. In this section, I’ll walk you through some of the ideal ways to do it:
1. Hard Arrow Cases
One of the easiest and simplest ways to store archery arrows is by opting for an arrow case. These are hard shell cases that are usually made of polymer or plastic.
On the inside, the box is padded with foam along with cutouts for placing your archery arrows safely inside.
There are plenty of types and designs for these boxes and some of them might be more suitable for you than others.
For example, some of them are shaped like rectangular plastic cases, which are the most compact way to store a large number of arrows safely.
In some cases, these boxes can be used with different types of arrows, such as compound and recurve arrows.
On the other hand, there are others that are shaped in the form of a bag. In many cases, the bag-design cases will also have a compartment to store your bow, which makes them ideal for portability.
The number of arrows to store depends on the size of the quiver or storage unit you’re using. But as a rule of thumb, in a regular quiver of standard size, you shouldn’t keep too many arrows inside to protect the fletching, so about 20 arrows are just about enough.
2. Arrow Tubes
While you’re out practicing or hunting, most archers will keep all their arrows in a tube-like storage unit, which is known as a “quiver”.
Storing your arrows inside an arrow tube or arrow carrier can be a viable method, especially if you’re using the arrows consistently. That way, the arrows would be ready inside the quiver right away!
Like the hard arrow cases, these tubes are also made of hard plastic, which is different from quivers that have a fabric exterior. That’s why quivers aren’t suitable for storage.
However, you should keep in mind that keeping arrows inside an arrow tube can come with a small drawback.
The problem here is that many of these arrow tubes don’t have the perforated design necessary to keep all the arrows at a safe distance from each other.
In fact, even if the tube comes with a perforated attachment for separation, a lot of archers may not use it because it can be a bit tedious to put them one by one appropriately.
Unfortunately, keeping arrows inside these cases without proper separation can damage the fletching of the arrow. For that reason, hard arrow cases are a little superior to tubes in terms of arrow safety.
Are Arrow Racks Good for Storing Arrows?
In addition to all the previously mentioned methods, there are also arrow racks, which are wall mounted racks with perforations wide enough to hold a single arrow per hole.
These racks are used for quick access in practice sites and ranges to save you the hassle of holding a quiver.
However, they’re not a good option for the long term storage of arrows because the arrows are always on display, which puts them in high exposure to sunlight and moisture in addition to any physical damage due to shocks.
Can You Make a DIY Arrow Storage Unit?
In addition to the previously mentioned methods, you can also create your own arrow storage unit. Here are some of the most popular ideas:
- DIY Arrow Tube
In this method, a lot of people use simple plastic tubes, such as piping tubes made from PVC to store the arrows.
For a good one, you need to pad the interior of the tube and install a solid foam disc on one end and a perforated foam disc on the other
- DIY Perforated Cardboard Box
In addition to DIY arrow tubes, some archers also store their arrows inside a perforated card box where the radius of each hole is about 1.5 to 2 inches, which is enough to fit one arrow line per hole.
For further protection against moisture, archers also leave a bag of silica gel inside the box, which is a popular moisture absorbent.
What Are the Best Arrow Storage Cases on the Market?
Replacing your damaged arrows continuously can be quite expensive. For that reason, it’s essential that you make the right investment while buying a storage case. Here are my recommendations for the best option on the market:
- MTM Compact Arrow Case
- SAS Adjustable Archery Arrow Case Carrier
- October Mountain Products Arrow-Guard Arrow Tube
- Plano Arrow and Bolt Cases
Final Thoughts
With that said, you now know how to store archery arrows and the right practices to do so in order to maintain the lifespan of an arrow!
As you can see, there are plenty of options when it comes to properly storing an arrow, and the decision here depends on your personal preference, budget, and willingness to build a DIY arrow holder or opt for a commercial product that is optimized for your arrows.
If you want to know more about the right practices of maintaining the health of your archery tools, have a quick look at this guide about the “6 signs that your bowstring went bad”