My latest bowhunting venture to the Lone State wasn’t well planned. In fact, I only found out about the trip one week before my scheduled departure. Normally, short notice isn’t a problem, and a week allows plenty of time to tune a new bow and build confidence with it. The problem: I would be traveling to Louisville, Kentucky, for the annual ATA Show and would be away from home for five of those seven days.
The folks at Bowtech presented me with my new 31-inch axle-to-axle BT-X at their booth on the second afternoon of the Show. Booked to the hilt with meetings, I couldn’t even find time to make my way to the shooting lanes to fire a few arrows from the manufacturer’s new flagship. Rather, I made a quick dash across the floor to the Lakewood Archery booth to get a little facetime with my good buddy and representative for Lakewood Archery, Jim Velasquez. Aside from having a meeting with Jim and just wanting to catch up, I needed a way to get my bow from Kentucky back to Colorado at the conclusion of the Show.
Measuring 41 inches long, 8 inches wide and 15 inches tall, the Lakewood G275-W-Bowfile Combo was the answer to my problem. Not only is the case durable, but the foam bottom features raised foam blocks with slits designed to capture the cams and keep the D-loop from contacting any material. This means you don’t have to worry about D-loop rotation or damage during travel. In addition, this particular case comes with an included arrow case (which holds up to 18 shafts) as well as an accessory-type box. Both the accessory box and the arrow case have their own built-in compartments inside the case. Another feature I appreciated as Jim took me through the ins and outs of the case was the support bracket. This bracket clicks in toward the top of the case and clicks into pre-cut slots. The slots are positioned in the middle of the case, which gives the simple bracket the ability to add a ton of support.
“I have a case similar to this one,” Jim told me. “I’ve used it for years. In fact, the cloth on the outside is starting to tear because I’ve hauled it around so much, but I’ve never had a single problem. The shoulder strap is great for hauling the case through the airport, and you can remove it after you check your bag. The entire case is foam-lined with heavy-duty material, and the interior box is made of high-strength ABS. I really think you’ll like it.”
Long story short, I got my BT-X home and the case did its job, but tossing a bare bow in a case isn’t much of a test drive. Two days later, after setting up my bow and organizing all my gear, I gave my new Lakewood a true workout. First, I placed my bow fitted with accessories (minus my 12-inch stabilizer) string down and sight up in the case. I was even able to leave my TightSpot quiver on the bow. Next, I placed a total of 12 Easton Flatline arrows in the arrow compartment and filled the accessory box with an Allen wrench, my release and plenty of Wac ‘Em broadheads. Lastly, I was able to pack most of my apparel items in the case. Not only did this save me room in my other bag, but it was nice to have the room to surround my precious cargo with more padding. After clicking the bracket into place and zipping the case closed, I laid the case flat and stood on it. No problem.
The case, which weighs 21.5 pounds without contents, was easy to tote around the airport using the shoulder strap, and all my gear was safe, sound and spot-on accurate upon my arrival in Texas. I always shoot my bow at least three times when I show up to a hunt – even if those shots need to be taken in the headlights – and my BT-X hit the mark both in Texas and when I returned home to Colorado.
