LAST UPDATED: May 1st, 2015
It isn’t often that my wife receives any type of archery “bling”. Needless to say, every time the big brown truck pulls into the drive she doesn’t bat an eye. However, this time she was pleasantly surprised to learn that the package I was toting back to the front door was indeed hers….and not mine. Opening the box we found perhaps the coolest looking bow case either of us have ever seen. The hot pink camo print was eye-catching to say the least and it immediately confirmed that this wasn’t an accessory that I would be stealing from her anytime soon.
The Lakewood Bowfile comes with a removable shoulder strap and hand held straps for easier carrying and is even airline approved…but that’s not all.
Nevertheless, as cool as this bow case looked we both knew that if it wasn’t functional then it really didn’t matter. After all, what good is a bow case if it can’t protect your most prized piece of hunting equipment? Not much. Therefore, I immediately began looking over the C-237 Lakewood Bowfile with a skeptical eye to see if it could indeed function as well as it looked.
First Impression
Starting with the outside of the BowfFile I was immediately impressed with the finish and rigid construction. The box-style case seemed sturdy and able to resist any crushing force that would be applied to the walls. Also, the dual carrying straps are attached to the outside of the bow in a manner that would allow for many years of use without fear of separating from the case; unlike a lot of cheaper bow cases that fall apart after one tough year in the field. The lid is attached with dual zippers that are designed to accept a small padlock. Of course, this is good for keeping an honest man out of your case; as we all know, a thief will steal almost anything if he wants it bad enough. Still, it is a nice touch and can prove useful to keep children or nosey friends at bay when you’re not around.
The outside of the “ladies” Bowfile is very attractive and sure to catch the eyes of any hunter in camp.
What’s Inside?
Opening the lid I found the interior portion of the case to be well thought out and very functional. Most importantly, I found it very adequate in doing one thing….protecting my wife’s bow. Beginning with the foam padding, the case is very soft on the inside. However, there is nothing soft about its ability to protect your investment. Underneath the foam is a hard, semi-flexible, high-strength ABS material that does an excellent job of preventing damage from occurring to your bow. This hardened, foam covered material is divided into 2 main areas; one for the bow and the other for your arrows.
The inside of the Lakewood Bowfile C237E case is neat and functional; providing a safe environment for your bow.
However, it should be noted that the Bowfile is capable of handling your bow with a quiver full of arrows attached; unlike a lot of cases I have had over the years in which the quiver had to be removed during storage. I hate to admit it but I’ve sometimes left my quiver (with arrows intact) inside of my case and walked off with nothing but my bow in hand. Luckily I never made it close to my stand before realizing my blunder and turned around.
It might not look like much, but the additional support bracket (shown hear) adds a great deal of strength to an already strong bow case.
Lakewood Products design their bow cases to accept today’s popular parallel limb bows so my wife’s Mathews DXT had little trouble fitting inside. Once the bow is placed inside of the case, the additional support bracket (provided) can be installed in order to handle the rigors of hard travel. This support bracket simply fits near the top between the main sections that house the bow. Many times, while writing this review, I found my boys sitting atop the irresistible looking box in the hallway with nary a bit of collapse visible to the case.
This assured me that it could withstand the crushing weight if additional gear was thrown on top of it while my wife and I drove to our hunting destination or during flight if we were traveling by air with our bowhunting equipment. When placing your bow inside, you can attach the support bracket to the inside of the Bowfile via a Velcro attachment system located on the side of the dividing panel between the bow compartment and the arrow compartment. This should prevent a situation where the support bracket is removed when loading the bow and then forgotten at home, thus diminishing its ability to protect your bow.
The Bowfile can even be placed on an ATV or Side by Side for easy transportation into rugged terrain.
Even without the additional support bracket it would be hard to collapse the case to the point that damage could be inflicted on your bow. In fact, I tried several times with my hands to push the case together but failed to do so enough to hurt anything inside. And, speaking of things inside of the case, there is ample room to throw a few more items in there. I can easily see a favorite pair of gloves, a hat, or perhaps even an extra fleece pullover. If that’s not your thing, then you may want to consider the optional arrow and accessory cases that are made to fit inside of the Bowfile. The addition of these two cases, which are made to fit snuggly, not only provide more storage for the things you need, in essence they make the Bowfile even stronger by providing more resistance to any outside forces that may be applied to the case. Either way, more items inside of the case only mean more protection.
Not only is this case tough it has enough room to carry your favorite bow rig with a quiver full of arrows attached. Users can utilize the extra room to store their own personal gear or add the additional arrow case or accessory case to the inside for even more carrying capacity.
Overall Impressions
It makes little sense to me why anyone would spend a thousand dollars or more on a bow rig and then stuff it into a soft canvas bow case. When so much time, work, and money has been poured into a hunt, why take the chance and skimp on a quality bow case to protect your investment? The Lakewood Products Bowfile is just that…an investment. This isn’t a case that will wear out and be tossed aside after a few seasons, and it won’t be thrown in the trash heap after failing to do its job. It will however provide years and years of protection for the most important piece of equipment you take in the woods with you…your bow. Now, the only thing left for me to do is get one that isn’t pink!
For more information about this and other high-quality cases for the sporstman (especially the camo models) visit Lakewood Products at http://www.lakewoodproducts.com/shop/.
