If you’re an archer, you know all about the expensive equipment that’s needed to do it right. There are many different types of arrows for different purposes, bows of all shapes and sizes, targets to shoot at, arm guards for protection from stray shots…the list goes on. But what is a person who has put away or upgraded their bow supposed to do with his old gear?
In this article, we’ll discuss the seven best things to do with your old archery equipment, from selling to restoring to displaying and everything in between. Whether you’re retiring from archer altogether or you’ve simply outgrown this gear, we guarantee you’ll find something useful to do with it here.
Sell It
This is probably the first thought that passes every archer’s mind when they realize they have old archery equipment laying around that they no longer use.
Selling your old archery equipment is always an option. If you prefer to sell it online, you can use sites like Facebook Marketplace, eBay, or Craigslist to sell the equipment either for a profit or as close to its purchase or the retail price as possible.
Another great way to sell your old archery equipment is to either take it to an archery club or a store that specializes in archery gear. If you care more about getting the equipment off your hands than what you sell it for, consider selling the used archery equipment to a pawn shop or maybe selling it on Facebook Marketplace. You’ll still make some quick money, but it will be well below what you can get at most places unless the equipment is really old and/or in poor condition.
Before you sell your bow, make sure that the serial number is still on it. If not, it will be harder to sell it because the buyer may think that it is hot. Where can I find the serial number on a bow?
If you have a Bear bow, and don’t know much about it, then read here if Bear archery bows are any good.
Upgrade and/or Restore It
We know the feeling; this bow has been by your side for years of successful hunting trips and archery competitions, but it just isn’t keeping up these days like it used to, so you’re thinking about retiring it for good. Not so fast! Before you let your old archery equipment rest in peace in exchange for a newer (and probably more expensive) replacement, think again.
Many pieces of archery equipment, specifically the bow, can be restored and/or upgraded with new attachments to the point that they function like brand-new or better than they did in their prime.
While this method could be pricy and won’t necessarily work for all pieces of equipment, you might find it’s more cost-effective to have a specialist restore and upgrade what you already have than to replace it completely with new equipment. Of course, items like old binoculars or sights might be best to replace since you can get them for relatively cheap unless you use top-notch equipment.
Use Them for Home Décor
If you have a knack for creativity and like to incorporate your hobbies and interests into home décor, we recommend repurposing your old archery equipment to decorate your house, office, or other personal spaces.
Using your old archery equipment is a great way to repurpose these items rather than disposing of them and can help you save costs on decorations while giving your personal space a more unique and personal touch. Older, more traditional pieces of equipment, particularly those made of wood, work exceptionally well here.
The most commonly used piece of equipment for home décor by far is the arrow. Countless archers will paint, stain, or even cover these in metals and then hang them on the wall or create statues, bookends, and other creative items with them. You could also incorporate your old bow, targets, and quiver into these designs.
Want to make your own back quiver? Watch the complete guide on how to make back quiver.
Donate it to a Passionate Beginner
We highly recommend this option to any archer who either obtained their equipment free of charge or merely wants to see more archers in the forests and enrolled in competitions.
The most selfless thing you can do with old archery equipment you no longer use is to donate it to a beginner or youth archer who seems passionate about the sport but lack the means to get their own equipment or what they have is very low quality.
Usually, archers who opt for this already have a young archer or two in their life that they could easily gift their old equipment to. However, if you don’t, you could probably visit an archery club and ask around for candidates.
Find out here if it is safe to shoot an old compound bow.
Memorialize It
Sometimes, your old archery equipment gets retired not because you intend to replace it or because it has outgrown its use, but because you no longer have the time for archery or, for the sake of your health, it’s time to retire from archery altogether.
When you have old archery equipment lying around that you’re sentimentally attached to, the best thing to do is memorialize it. By this, we mean you should go out and buy a nice rack for your bow, arrows, and other archery essentials where you can display it for all to see.
Creating a nice area specifically for your archery equipment is a great way to preserve the item as well as the memories connected to them. Try to put this nostalgic display in a private but occasionally communal space like a man cave or your home office. You can also spruce up the display by putting up hunting or competition trophies around it, either on the walls or adjacent shelving.
Keep it for Costumes
We admit this is definitely a bit of an outlier in terms of options for your old equipment, and archers who own some really high-quality gear are going to think this idea is absolutely insane, but bear with us.
If your old archery equipment is of little to no value and you don’t really care about preserving it, try keeping it to use for Halloween or Renaissance festival costumes or even cosplays. This could be for you, your children, or even grandchildren.
This definitely isn’t the ideal choice for anyone who has old archery gear of actual worth (you’d be much better off selling that), but if you have an old leather quiver or wooden bow, these can go create with creative costumes and add a real shine of authenticity.
So, if you or anyone you know is creatively inclined and enjoys creating archer costumes for the DnD matches or wants to be Katniss Everdeen for Halloween, consider gifting or even selling some of your equipment to them.
Convert it/ Repurpose it for a Different Sport or Hobby
The final suggestion we have for this list is all about finding a way to not retire your old archery equipment completely, but rather, repurpose it for something just as useful and exciting. And how long do archery arrows actually last?
Archery equipment can give you the perfect opportunity to start another sport or hobby by converting or repurposing the equipment you already have. For example, you can use your archery binoculars for birdwatching, or you can convert your ordinary bow to a bowfishing bow.
Usually, these hobbies either won’t ask much out of your equipment, so you can really extend their use, or they might jeopardize the integrity of your equipment, in which case you won’t be too dismayed since this is old equipment you intended to do away with anyways.
Bowfishing is a prime example of this since your bow will likely get wet at one point or another, so why risk a brand-new bow when you have an old spare laying around?
