As a beginner, you do not need a complete set of your own equipment to become a member of the club or team. You can sign out equipment owned by the Trojan Archery Club and return it as you acquire your own. If you are interested in borrowing equipment from the club, talk to one of our officers once you become a member.

Below is a guide to Olympic Recurve Equipment, which is most commonly used in the club. Keep an eye out for an update on Compound Equipment and Barebow Equipment.

 

Trojan Archery Recurve Equipment Recommendations 2016-2017

This list is an overview of recommended equipment for when you’re ready to buy your own gear, organized by category and performance/price level. Archery can get really expensive, so at the end of the day you should only get what your budget will allow. You don’t have to, nor should you, buy everything all at once just to get started. It’s best to take your time and acquire your set incrementally, going by your coach’s recommendations.

Buying gear is an investment and the tricky part is anticipating your level of commitment. We designed this list such that items in the Beginner column will be the most affordable way to get started, but you will likely want to upgrade to better equipment if you stick with the sport for more than a year.

Everything in the Intermediate column will satisfactorily last your entire collegiate archery career and can be thought of as a safe bet. There are some really great value items here.

Few if any items in the Advance column are really “necessary.” This is what the professionals use and should only be purchased if you want to pursue high levels of competition. Generally we recommend buying this equipment used. Remember, expensive equipment isn’t a substitute for training and won’t alone make you a better archer.

Lancaster Archery Supply (LAS) is by far the best online retailer for recurve archery gear. You should explore their site/catalogue to get a feel for what’s out there. For archery style, you can filter by “Olympic Recurve” or “Target.” We also have a 10% club discount when ordering from them, so contact us before making any large purchases on your own.

Like we said, archery can get expensive, but fortunately there’s a great, reliable market for used archery gear. The best place to buy/sell used is the FITA Classifieds section of the online forum ArcheryTalk (abbreviated AT). We strongly encourage you to make an account as a tremendous amount of information can be found throughout the forum, as well as some great deals!

As a final note, please remember that this list is based off the personal knowledge of our officers and should only be used as a guide. It is by no means exhaustive*, and there’s plenty of great gear we probably forgot to include; so don’t be afraid to do your own research and try something new! Feel free to reach out with questions.

*As of now this list only covers Olympic recurve gear. We hope to make an updated version with other disciplines, like compound, soon.