Archery Equipment, 17 Things You Will Need

It is easy to get overwhelmed with all the archery accessories and equipment options. If you are a beginner and want to get started in archery, or if you have started archery and you would like to buy some more gear, I have written this guide for you.

What is absolutely essential to get started in archery? here is a quick guide to the archery equipment or archery gear and accessories you should buy. I categorize the gear and equipment into:

• Essential
• Good to have and
• Optional

and to make it even easier for you, I also include links to examples of these 17 recommended pieces of archery equipment for every beginner:

Essential Archery Equipment

1. The Quintessential Bow

   This is the most obvious thing on the list. You can’t really be in the sport without it. Check out my recommended list of beginner recurve bows or visit the local shop to get a recurve bow that gets the job done without burning a hole in your pocket. I recommend recurve bows to beginners but crossbows, compound bows and traditional bows can all be beginner friendly. Here is an article about the different styles of archery and the bows most adequate for each activity.

2. Arrows, of course

   We have come to the second most obvious part of archery equipment.  Buying a few arrows is not enough. You need to buy a bunch of them in order to continue shooting safely, as any crack or dent will make an arrow unsafe.  Sports shops usually sell a pack of 6 or more arrows. However, try to buy them along with your  bow. If you buy your bow online, there are many kits that include arrows with the bow. Make sure they are an adequate length for your draw length, at least 1 or 2 inches longer than your draw length.  That way the arrow won’t fall of the bow and go through your hand. If you go to a shop the bow technician who recommends you a bow in the shop would be able to suggest some good arrows based on your draw length.

3. Bow Stringer

   It is necessary since stringing your bow can be extremely unsafe and dangerous without a bow stringer. With a bow stringer, you apply your body weight safely to bend the bow just enough for stringing the limb tips. Here are some options.

4. Nock Point

   Small but essential, not only for convenience and aiming, but also safety. With a nocking point, a small metal clamp, you will have a permanent place to nock your arrow. It helps you to maintain a constant aim, shooting consistency and prevents injuries to your hands from arrow fletchings.

5. Targets with backstop

   Essential if you can practice in your own place. Remember, safety first, meaning you need to make sure no one will be coming between you and those targets. Targets allow you to improve your aim progressively as you try to hit the X and improve your aim and consistency. With foam padded backstops, the arrows cannot pierce through the target. Check these on amazon.

6. Gloves/Finger Tabs

   Blisters are common without any protection on your hands when you shoot from your bow. Some finger taps or leather gloves help to prevent that and let you maintain a consistent release. Depending on the look you want to have and the type of bow you own there are several options you can buy online. Check out my selection from amazon here, and these more artistic ones from Etsy (LINK)

7. Arrow Rest

   This one is essential if you have anything other than a traditional bow. If you have a traditional bow, you might get away with adding a bit of padding on the arrow shelf, which archers commonly do.

For other bows like recurve and compound an arrow rest gives you a place to rest your arrow as you draw it on the string. On the higher end, when the archer releases the arrow some complex drop-away rests impressively shift away.  Here are some I have found to be of good price and quality.

Beneficial Archery Gear

8. Arm Guard

   Before you learn to keep your bow string and arrows away from your arm while shooting, arm guards are very beneficial. They protect your skin, hair, and sleeves from bowstring injuries.

9. Broadhead wrench

   Filed tips are easy to take on or off with your fingers, but broadhead tips can leave you in a world of pain. Buy a broadhead wrench to unscrew those tricky tips. Here are a couple examples.

10. Bow String Wax

    Millions of fibers make up your strong bowstring. Without lubrication, they run the risk of snapping due to friction after some time. Bowstring wax helps you maintain your bowstring in prime condition for much longer.

11. Bow case or holster backpack

    A special case or backpack to put your archery equipment is important to keep them safe and secure. There are many different kinds. For recurve bows there are hard cases, soft cases and backpacks. Hard cases are necessary for travel, soft cases are generally smaller and are good for beginners. Backpacks can store all the accessories and are a comfortable choice for beginners and experts alike. Here are some choices but the list is not exhaustible.

12. Clicker or Draw check

    A clicker, also known as draw check, is a beneficial accessory, but only after you are consistent in finding an anchor point on your face and you have a good grasp of the fundamentals. Once my anchor point was consistent, I was recommended to use it as a learning tool, specifically to work on the expansion of my back.

    There are 2 types, one for modern recurve bows and the other for traditional bows. It is attached to the riser where the tip of the arrow would be at full draw length. It is held up by the arrow until the arrow tip has gone back far enough then the clicker will hit the bow, “clicking”. For traditional bows, archers glue the draw check to the bow. The draw check has a string that is connected to the bow string. When the bow string reaches the desired draw length, it makes a clicking sound

Optional Archery Accessories

13. Sight

    If you are into competitive and Olympic target archery, 3D archery, or bowhunting, a sight will be very beneficial. Here are some good quality and fair priced ones.

14. Quiver

    Quivers  hold your arrows. There are multiple types and styles of quivers. So, depending on the type of archery you are doing, you would need a way either to carry your arrows along with you, or to hold them in an easily reachable place in front or beside you.

15. Dampeners or silencers

    A string silencer or a bow dampener are very convenient in order to have a surprise attack when hunting, or just to reduce the noise made by the vibration of the bowstring and bow limbs for your own sake. That is why archers using compound bows commonly use silencers, due to the bow’s speed and power. There are different types of string dampeners and silencers; some are made of natural fibers and some are more inexpensive.

16. Stabilizer

    Have you seen those long sticks  attached to the bows used in the Olympics or other competitions? We call those stabilizers.  The stabilizer changes the balance point and increase the bows weight. The longer the stabilizer is, the more it will resist the torque force on the bow (bow torque) and the steadier the bow will be as you aim.

17. Bow display hooks

    If you are a traditional bow collector – or even if you are not—your bows deserve to be displayed and admired on your wall. These inexpensive and seriously simple wall hangers were originally designed for guitars, and yet are perfect for hanging your beautiful bow, or your full collection.

Conclusion

The archery equipment and gear listed above will help you to practice safely, and some of it is essential to learning and practicing. I have found the optional accessories very useful with low investment cost.  In conclusion, start with the essential equipment, get the beneficial gear that suits your bow and archery style and then, buy the optional accessories once you are all in.