Hey, I am Thomas J. and I love archery! I have bought a lot of gear for archery and over past 15 years, I have hoarded a lot of gadgets and accessories and a couple dozen of bows. This makes me the best person to talk to before you buy something.
Today, here I am going to tell you all the essential gear you should invest into. This is a No Bullshit recommended gear guide for Archery and I do not care if you buy through my Amazon affiliate links or not. I just want to give you guys the best out there.
Armguards
I want to get this out first: there are people who will tell you that armguards are not important and just a waste of money. Don’t listen to them. Safety always comes first and you should invest in a good pair of Armguards. Here are my recommendations:
ArcheryMax Armguard is a great choice if you are just starting archery or have been doing it for a couple of years now.
I have been using this the exact same one from last 3 or 4 years and this is the longest any armguard has lasted for me. It looks and feel good and only a 0.5 or 1 mm thick. You do not feel that you are restricted in moving your arm. You will need to wet fit it for the first time but then its going to be good for years to come.
Sure, it does not look like it’s new now but it has aged very beautifully. For $30 on Amazon it is not a bad deal at all, and won’t cost you an arm or leg. Get it?
There are two other armguards on the market, that I like, Allen Company Mesh Archery Arm Guard and Nachvorn Shooting Archery Arm Guard. I like the latter one more because it looks so classy and gives me the feeling that i am in the old age, hunting for food and surviving. Seriously, it is also a pretty good armguard too and if you are into a vikings style, you’ll like it. It’s really inexpensive for the looks and function.
You can find it for $20 on Amazon and I have seen the price go down even lower. Keep an eye to get a good deal.
Releases-aids
For shooting with a compound bow, I would recommend you to use a release aid. It is going to be a lot helpful for you to release the arrow on the target accurately and get the aim where you actually want. A release-aid is not expensive and not hard to use at all. I have written a complete guide here.
Let me clear this out first, I have large hands and most releases are not comfortable for me to use. Over the years I have used a lot of release aids and it took only a year to find the perfect release aid for me. I have a tip for you: Do not just buy one and go with it. Instead, you should go to an archery store near you and try a few to find the one you really like. I have been using a release from TRU-FIRE. It costs only $60 on Amazon and a lot of other people also love it, including me.
A perfect shot can not be made without a perfect release!
Finger tabs.
If you are a finger shooter, like my wife, then you need to immediately purchase some finger tabs. They are a whole lot better than using naked fingers as they provide a more solid and confident grip.
She bought a finger tab from Hide & Drink after trying a lot of other, more expensive options on the market. She says, this is by far the best finger tab for her for the fraction of price as compared to others. It conforms to the shape of your hand easily and is built from high quality two layer leather. And the finger loop on this is not going to break like other finger tabs on the market. She’s very picky so if she likes it, you will like it. This finger tab is available on Amazon for $14 with free shipping, which is a steal for how much it improves your archery skills.
There is another glove style finger tab available on Amazon. It might look nice and more comfortable than anything else. Do not buy it because it’s a hassle to wear and take off, so you are not going to use it as much.
Quivers
Yes. All archers need a quiver. What style? Hip or back? Well, it depends on you and what style do you prefer. When it comes to drawing arrows from a back quiver, you are going to reach your hand over and behind to get an arrow and then shoot with it. You might feel like Oliver Queen if you wear a hood. The hip quiver is opposite from the back quiver because it gives you front access to your arrows. This makes them really easy to pull out and shoot because unlike a back quiver, you are reaching out for something that you can see.
For me, hip quivers are the way to go. I do not like to reach to arrows that I can not see and hip quivers solve my problem.
I bought a hip quiver from Easton Flipside for around $60 from Amazon (now the price has dropped), and I have been using this exact quiver for around 4ish years now. It has four tubes inside so you have a plenty of room in organizing your arrows, and due to it’s angle, the arrows do not fall out accidentally if you bend forward. When it comes to the durability, if it has survived my rough use, it is not going to break soon and I can recommend it to literally anyone with a lot of confidence.
You can buy any quiver you like, but you will need a little practice to get used to it. And very importantly, it will make you look a lot more professional/experienced.
Sights
To use a sight or not, it’s up to you. But I like to use sights as they help me always make a perfect hit on the bulls eye. A bow mounted sight is a great option to consider if you are a beginner. They are usually around $15 – $30 on Amazon, and gives you a lot of confidence when aiming.
I use a IQ 5 pin Bowsight and I love it. It is expensive at $180 on Amazon, but oh boy, it is a lot of fun! I do not regret purchasing it and this is not something I can say about other purchases I have made.
First of all, I love its build quality, it is solid and a little bit on the heavier side, maybe a little less than a pound. This bow sight is easy to setup and you can get going in less than 15 minutes or so. It is water proof so you do not have worry about shooting in rain or even in pouring rain. You can add or remove pins (but those should be of the manufacturer), have a brightness-adjustable light and a calibration laser pointer. The range finder on this is also very accurate and easy to use. If you can afford it, go buy it immediately.