Whats in a Quiver?

Longbows don’t need no stuff … just badges!

You’ve been shooting for a while. You have your archery workshop at home with every useful tool imaginable. There are many many spares in your Ikea “archery cabinet”. Your bow is in immaculate condition. You’re enjoying a nice day at the field but in between ends you need to resolve something and right now … What do you do hotshot? What do you do?

Well, if you are sensible, you have stuff with you to fix small things or resolve common problems. But instantly? Without a walk to the car or your pack? Well, what do you think your quiver is for .. other than somewhere to keep your badges of course … yeah, and your arrows! ;o) Your quiver is quite a handy storage device for all those items that make the bits between shootie easier. But what should you have to hand?

Note: Your requirements might be different from ours but having a few of the below is never a bad idea.

Badges, pen and puller … obviously a newer archer yet to suffer trauma and woe.

Well, an arrow puller is good for those tough to pull or damply slippy arrows. Having a pen is often overlooked especially at competitions. A stringer for those times you need to adjust your string .. or actually need to put it back on the bow the right way up! A release aid pouch on your belt is useful for tabs/release aids as well as an extra handy pocket. A multitool like a leatherman gives you a sharp edge, pliers and a generic flat head/phillips screwdriver. Imperial and metric hex key sets are never wasted space. A small towel to dry hands or riser grip in damp conditions. If you don’t have a scope, small binoculars or a monocular can be handy. A medium sized flat head screwdriver useful for opening up wood to aid in removing arrows from frames. Nock pliers, not so much for yourself if you use dental floss/thread but for club kit or noobs who often need a hand. A whistle is a virtual requirement if you are an experienced archer as you could well have to take over as line captain. A bracing gauge is vital if your bow feels wrong and you need to check bracing height. It can also double as a ruler and most quivers have a specific pocket for one. These are all very useful things but is that it? Nope …

A few handy tools for the quiver

… Just a few more things to cram in there. A few small tools and spares don’t go amiss. Spare nocks in case one gets cracked and you should have the appropriate nock turner. The tiny hex keys for magnetic rests usually smaller then the ones on your hex sets. Spare brass nock points if you use them as they can come off. A lighter in case a point starts to come adrift and reheating the hotmelt will fix the problem or the BBQ needs lit! ;o) Badge money if you are chasing 252 badges. The number of archers who achieve a score but never have the cash then have to beg to be given their badge on tick! (Bad news: our Keeper of the Badges is an ex-treasurer, notorious for his penny pinching ways so good luck mooching a badge!)

Allegedly TARDIS like … bigger on the inside that the outside!

Case Study: Our Vice-Chair has quite a few annoying habits. If you’ve ever met him you’ll know exactly what we mean! One of his few redeeming qualities is his propensity for having whatever you need when on the field.  Not just available, but instantly to hand. The recurring joke being don’t ask him “do you have … ?” instead ask “can I borrow … ?” because he will have it there and then. Think Batman’s utility belt and you’ll be getting the sort of vibe his quiver gives off. We know he has all of the above in his quiver. However. the pirate bandana, the Millennium Falcon bottle opener/multi-tool and especially the rubber shuriken … we have NO idea about!

Now while we don’t advise that everyone load up like our V-C, having some of the more useful things listed above could save a shootie day from being a bit frustrating and make things just a little easier for you and your fellow archers. So how many of the above should you carry? This list isn’t exhaustive or comprehensive or definitive and you know best what situations you see as likely or common. Just carry what you think will work for you then you can be smug as our V-C when someone asks “do you have … ?”