It takes hours of practice to become proficient with a recurve or longbow in hand. For all you traditional archers out there, these next few months will be critical for your success in the woods this fall.

However, not all of us live in areas where we can step outside our back door and let a few arrows rip. I’ve recently moved out of my house in the woods and into a condo, which means I’ve had to rethink my traditional archery practice set up. I wanted a simple set up that I can toss in my car or in my backpack whenever I have a few minutes to sling a few arrows.

Over the last few weeks I’ve worked out what I believe is the Ultimate Summer Traditional Archery Set Up for those of us who need to travel to practice or just like to be ready to go at a moment’s notice. Here’s the breakdown of my gear:

Bow: Bivouac Backland bow. I believe this is the ultimate bow for the archery hunter. It’s a three-piece takedown recurve that is easy to pack up and is extremely durable.

Arrows: Vector Custom Arrows. I’m on my second year with these arrows. They’ve been incredibly tough (I tend to beat up on my arrows a bit) and shoot incredibly well. During the summer I usually keep only three arrows in my quiver (I’ve been a big fan of the Selway Flex Quiver). Two of my arrows are set up with practice tips and one has a small game head for stump shooting (this year, I’m going to be using the G5 Small Game heads). Three seems to be the magic number for me - the more arrows I shoot in a row, the more my concentration drops and the less accurate I get.

Bow Sling: I’ve been a huge fan of the Western Binds archery sling. It protects bow strings (which I constantly tear up walking through prickers) and has a pocket that’s handy for carrying your shooting tab.

Tool Box: I’ve grown to like the Pelican Ruck case (the R40, I believe). It’s small and will hold what I believe to be the essentials for in-the-field repair:

Bow stringer
Small screwdriver
Lighter
Extra field points/small game heads
Allen wrench
Electric tape
Small measuring tape
Extra shooting tab

Optics: I’m a huge advocate of having optics on hand pretty much any time you step foot into the woods. I carry around my Vortex UHD 10x42 and rangefinder in my FHF Gear Bino Harness. I’ve tried a ton of different harnesses and this one seems to be the simplest and most comfortable one on the market.

Target: Lots of times, when I’m out practicing, I’ll simply stick to stump shooting. It’s fun, takes less effort and seems to prepare you for a lot of different types of shots. That being said, I do like to use a target (probably will end up using it half the time I’m out practicing). My favorite mobile target is the Field Target by Rinehart. It looks like a foam basketball, fits in a backpack and has been fairly durable.

Keep in mind, this is a fluid list. I’ve messed around with this set up for a couple years and constantly tweak it as I find new gear or develop new preferences. Everybody’s archery set up is a little different and mine might not be the ultimate set up for you. Take some time to tinker with what you like best and keep sending arrows down range this summer!

The Ultimate Summer Traditional Archery Set Up