Give your favourite archer something special
Under £20
Parker Steel Ballpoint Pen
How are you going to write in your new archery training journal (right) without your new matching arrow pen? This Parker pen will make any writing feel high class; it has such a smooth feel to it, and we love that you can buy cartridges to refill the pen once the ink runs out.
£10.95
Available from executivepensdirect.com
JVD Target Umbrella
The perfect present for the diehard archer who just can’t keep away from the field – even in our glorious British weather. These umbrellas are a popular sight on the range and for good reason: they are strong and durable, ready for rain, hail or sunshine. Give the archer in your life the gift of staying dry.
£10
Available from thearcheryshop.co.uk
Archery Training Journal
This journal is designed by archers for archers to assist you in organising your training around your busy life, and to give you a tangible, objective record of your progress and achievements. Everything from setting out your event calendar, recording sight marks and bow setup, to tracking your handicap progression, goal setting and competition performance review, all in one little A5 book.
£10
Available from inrangearchery.co.uk
Reversible Patterned Bucket Hat
A bright seasonal accessory, the bucket hat is a staple among archers worldwide. It has come back into fashion in recent years, which means archers who have stood by the bucket hat for eons now have more choice when it comes to selecting a hat to match their style.
£4.99
Available from mountainwarehouse.com
Bow and Arrow Enamel Pin
Etsy is a website full of individual artisans crafting interesting things; if you’re looking for a small gift for an archery friend, this gold enamel pin would be perfect for customising their quiver or chest guard.
£8
Available from RFeneleyIllustration at etsy.com
Bohning Accessory Bag
Not just for compounders to store their release aids in, an accessory bag can be added to a quiver to store easily accessible snacks to power you through long training days. They are also useful for spare finger tabs and arrow pullers if the snack idea isn’t for you.
£9.95
Available from inrangearchery.co.uk
Bow and arrow earrings
These adorable earrings are sure to let everyone around you know that you’re an archer. They are available in surgical steel or silver with multiple different hooks available. Lightweight and easy to wear all day, they are a perfect present for a stylish archery friend.
£4.25
Available from MelsPrideJewellery at etsy.com
Archery Anatomy
Written in 1995, this book has been around for a while. It provides a perspective on archery techniques from the point of view of the interrelationship between the anatomy of the human body and the anatomy of the bow, and contains drawings and diagrams with explanatory text to provide information on the subject that
is often overlooked by the lay archer.
£15
Available from waterstones.com
Archery Arrow Patent Blueprint shirt
This shirt is for archery geeks, showing blueprint-style images of various arrows. It is a brilliant gift idea for the especially nerdy archer – let’s be honest, we all
know a few of them.
£10
Available from NotJustNerds at etsy.com
Paracord Binocular Strap
A customisable strap with a quick-release clip for easily attaching to your binoculars. These straps are sturdy and well finished and keep your binoculars easily within your reach when you need to check if your arrow has just cut the line.
£13 to £16
Available from CallumscraftsGB at etsy.com
Hooyi Bowstring finger guards
An intriguing product that could be great for training, have-a-gos, shop display – or those allergic to leather. These medium-soft silicone finger guards attach to the string and act as a nocking point. They come in one- and two-finger pairs in black, red and blue.
Around £11.99
Available from amazon.com
Gateway Feathers Hann-Bun Kuro
These feathers were designed for the Japanese kyudo market, with the intriguing name meaning ‘half-black’. Want to use them for a highly distinctive new set of arrows for the indoor season? We do. Available in 3in, 4in and 5in lengths, in both right and left wing, parabolic and shield cuts, and in a multitude of colours.
Prices start at £0.27
Available from thearcheryshop.co.uk
Under £80
USB Rechargeable Hand warmer
For the cold days over winter when you want to get some training in without the risk of losing fingers to frostbite, this powerful hand warmer has a 12-hour battery life and doubles as a USB power bank, allowing you to charge your phone as well as keep your hands toasty. I have a collection of hand warmers – I don’t shoot without them in winter.
£34
Available from amazon.co.uk
Axcel stabiliser weights
For the archer who has everything, these luxury stabiliser weights have a sexy black tungsten finish, which seems to be all the rage these days. They certainly look pretty flash. You can have any colour you like, so long as it’s black tungsten. At 1.25in diameter, it offers more weight for less length.
From $54 (approximately £40)
Available from lancasterarchery.com
R-Core Grip
A custom grip can make a big difference to an archer with smaller or larger than average hands, or someone after something different from the standard grip. R-Core grips are so customisable you can get exactly what you’ve always wanted.
They are available in any colour, made from wood, plastic or glass and custom made to fit any riser you can think of. The website is great, too, with an interactive grip selection tool to help you pick the perfect grip for your bow.
£39 to £70 on average
Available from rcore.co
Golden Records Desktop Software
Golden Records is a fully featured archery club record-keeping program used to keep track of scores for archery clubs and make the lives of records officers easier. Golden Records will also track club records and automatically create a new one if a better score is shot, and automatically look up Archery GB, Australia, New Zealand, US and Canadian rounds to calculate handicaps.
£29.95
Available from archery-software.co.uk
Maximal Backpack Stool
A backpack with an integrated stool is a must for those long days on a field shoot. This is a popular bag that is comfortable to carry and to sit on, and there is no better gift than that of resting your feet halfway through a field course. This backpack is a good size to store essential tools, clothing and snacks.
£59.95
Available from bowsports.com
Fairweather Tab
This tab has been gaining popularity in recent years, chosen by many for its simplicity and trusted for its performance. It is made from kangaroo leather, which is lighter and thinner than cordovan but durable and excellent in wet conditions, held together by a single screw that holds the plates clamped onto the leather. See Bow’s review on page 30!
£62
Available from thearcheryshop.co.uk
LCA Archery HS3 Bow scale
The updated version of LCA’s older, well-regarded scale, this remains the standard for checking bow weight, alongside other functions. The company claims it is 10% more accurate than its previous model. The scale can be used for checking luggage weight before you go on holiday, and it also has a ‘fish’ function. You never know.
£82.99
Available from thearcheryshop.co.uk
UNDER £150
Easton DeLuxe Recurve Backpack
A spacious and stylish backpack to carry all your kit and spare parts. It boasts plenty of pockets and pouches for your gear and a protective sleeve for riser and limbs. The bag comes with an arrow tube, and it can be used as a backpack or converted for use with a shoulder strap.
£122
Available from quicksarchery.co.uk
Bowdometer
Essentially a Fitbit for your bow, this is a device you attach to the bow (with the straps included) and use it to count arrows and analyse your shot. Updated in 2021 to provide integration with the Artemis app, this device has the potential to take your shot analysis to the next level.
£113.76
Available from thearcheryshop.co.uk
SRT Red Boar Target
It wouldn’t be a Bow International gift list without a fun 3D target on offer. This red boar target measures 51cm by 78cm and features three scoring rings, representing a young boar of six to 12 months. The smart foam core technology makes for a safe shooting experience to protect your arrows on impact.
£145
Available from shop.srt-targets.com
Epic Fusion EX Carbon Stabilisers
Reviewed for Bow in late 2020, these high-quality, low-cost rods continue to impress. These rods come with inbuilt dampeners, with the rods and V-bar available with red, black or blue highlights. These rods would be perfect for a novice searching for some flashy-looking rods, or an experienced archer on a budget.
£140
Available from merlin-archery.co.uk
Fivics Unico Target Quiver
This artificial leather quiver has a sleek look about it, with the bright stitching contrasting with the main body. Available in large or small, this quiver has two good-sized pockets for storing all the essentials to get you shooting, as well as keeping your arrows neatly organised in its multiple arrow slots.
£82
Available from merlinarchery.co.uk
Kinetic Vygo Riser
This riser has filled the gap in the market for a reasonably priced barebow riser, coming with weights as standard in a tidy little storage box. The riser is available in a range of colours with oil-slick-coloured weights. This set-up is perfect for the barebow archer on a budget wanting to buy a dependable intermediate riser.
£142
Available from centreshot.co.uk
BIG-TICKET ITEMS
Old Mountain Symphony Carbon Flatbow
A one-piece bow that comes with either recurve or longbow limbs. The riser is made of Dymondwood, maple, Bakelite and bamboo with fibreglass limbs and a carbon core. This bow has been described as “a cracking little entry-level bow” by GB traditional archer Milly Williams.
£257
Available from merlin-archery.co.uk
Carter Just Cuz Plus Release Aid
This release aid is one of the workhorses of the compound world, incredibly reliable and at a great price. It is very comfortable for smaller hands, with a full loop around the index finger to prevent dropping the release aid after the shot. The ITS system allows for changing springs without dismantling the release aid – a must for those who like
to find the perfect tension.
£179
Available from merlin-archery.co.uk
Tec-Hro recurve trainer
Bow reviewed this high-end indoor trainer in issue 152, and we were impressed. Using a magnetic clicker and a captive arrow, you can train indoors with your own riser and limbs. It’s not the first such device, but it’s been implemented with high-end German attention to detail. Suitable for use with bows up to 50lb.
€249 (approximately £211)
Available from tec-hro.de
Hoyt Xakt riser
Weighing 1,088g, this stripped-down riser is relatively light and should work well for beginner and junior archers.
It has a slight deflex, which will help with the forgiveness. Design-wise, it is definitely in the lineage of the classic Excel/Horizon models. Beautifully balanced and with lateral limb adjustment, this riser punches well above its price point.
£269
Available from merlin-archery.co.uk
AAE Freakshow QD arrow rest
An incredibly hi-tech-looking rest, the Freakshow QD features an adjustable arm called the Sling Blade. The Sling Blade features AAE’s proprietary Hex alignment connection for ease of blade replacement without losing tune. It also comes with an incorporated bubble for archers using single-hole risers, which allows for the mount block and rest to be set perfectly straight first time.
£250
Available from arizonaarchery.com
Uukha SX+ limbs
As reviewed in Bow 149, these are exceptionally high-performing limbs. Replacing the previous flagships, the HM XX and the VX+ ‘X’ curve limb, these have a less extreme recurve but an extremely comfortable new ‘S’ curve profile and corresponding speed gains, along with the famed stability. They look the part, too.
From £750
Available from merlinarchery.co.uk
Qube Air II tent
It was a sad time for archers when Quechua discontinued the Base II, but Qube has come to fill the gap left in the market with this amazing inflatable tent. Thanks to the manufacturer’s Airbeam technology, you can simply lay the tent out and pump it up. Well ventilated and highly waterproof and sunproof, this tent is perfect for a long day on the competition field to keep archers and bows dry.
£525
Available from qubetents.com
Sanlida Hero X10 bow
This affordable compound bow really looks the part, machined from forged 6061 T6 aluminium and designed with a shoot-thru construction. Sanlida has made a few recurve risers but came into the compound scene with a Hero X10 shot by Sun Yingjie at the 2018 World Indoors in Macau with a third place in qualification. This bow is available in nine colours, so you’re bound to find the right one to match your style.
£499
Available from cbarchery.co.uk
WIAWIS TFT-G riser
The Win & Win brand speaks for itself, and this riser is no exception. State-of-the-art nano graphene with superior strength, advanced shock absorption and vibration dampening provides a smooth shooting experience. It is available in four understatedly stylish colours with a matte carbon finish.
£695
Available from merlin-archery.co.uk
Mathews TRX 38 G2 bow
The ‘G’ stands for generation. There are many exceptional top-end target bows on the market, but the new TRX 38 has stood out for its exceptionally low vibration in a shorter, lighter 38in bow. With 75% let-off as standard, and many options available, this is an exceptional evolution of the TRX series for serious target shooters.
From £1,238
Available from thearcheryshop.co.uk