Archery equipment is extremely central to the sport and can be highly personal. As such, while CUB is able to provide a modest number of entry-level bows, most of our archers end up buying their own kit. This page details some policies we have regarding member equipments and some advice regarding purchasing and maintenance.

Note that while CUB welcomes archers of any bowstyle, there are a few types of equipments that we do not allow on our range under any circumstances for safety and regulatory reasons. Mainly, these are crossbows, any compound bow above 60lb drawing weight, and carbon fibre arrows. Please refer to our safety documentations or talk to our Safety Officer if you wish to know more about related policies.

The club provides a good number of basic wooden recurve bows and aluminium arrow sets mainly for the use of beginners. All members are welcome to use them with no extra costs. Besides that, we also have a large amount of basic personal protection equipment (PPE) needed for shooting.

If you would like better quality or more specialised equipment, please consider buying your own kit or using our rental scheme.

Are you a keen beginner who wants to compete but held back by the financial commitment of buying a bow? Or maybe you just don't have a shooting kit at Cambridge at the moment. Whatever the reason, you can gain access to higher quality bows than the standard wooden ones at a low cost through our rental scheme.

CUB has a selection of recurve bows and accessories that can be fitted to you, and we usually rent them out on a termly basis. During the rental period, you are allowed to bring the kit with you to shoot in other clubs and competitions, which we usually do not allow for our wooden bows. Further, you will get the opportunity to familiarise yourself more with a personalised set of equipments, which can be helpful in improving performance and learning more about your preference before investing in your own kit.

If this interests you, please contact the Equipment Officer for more details. Note that we prioritise novice squad members when renting out equipment, so there is no guarantee that we can accommodate everyone interesting in renting, though we will try our best.

As of the 2025/26 academic year, bow rental costs £20 per term, and requires a £50 refundable deposit at the start of each rental period.

Buying your first personal set of equipment is an exciting milestone in every archer's journey, but it can also be quite daunting! If you are in a position where you are not sure where to start, here are some useful online resources that can help, and a few archery shops that our archers would recommend.

At the same time, feel free to talk to a committee member or a more experienced archer for advice. We're always happy to support our fellow archers and share our experience with each other.

Please note that the club is unable to provide storage for archers' personal equipment. This is due to lack of space in our venues, and because we can only cover club-owned equipment under our insurance policies in the event of damage or theft.

Archers with their own equipment should store it at home, and bring it to training sessions with them. We recommend purchasing a bow-bag that you can cycle or walk easily with if you don't already own one. Make sure that you store your bow in low humidity and wipe it down after shooting in the rain, and avoid extreme temperatures, as these can damage the bow.

Note that colleges typically do not provide insurance or assistance with storage/transportation of archery equipment. However, it is known that a few colleges has policies against storing your shooting kit in accommodation, as they can be considered a weapon. In this case, it is usually possible to liaise with the college to store it somewhere safe e.g. in the Porters' Lodge.

Please let a member of committee know if you need support communicating with college authorities regarding equipment issues.

It is each archer's personal responsibility to ensure that your equipment is safe and well-maintained, including anyone using club equipment. If there are safety issues around your equipment, committee members will ask you to stop using it at sessions. Be aware that if it has been a while since you last shot, especially if you are returning to the sport after several years, you may want a detailed check of your bow (e.g., at an archery shop).

Some parts of the bow will need replacing semi-regularly (e.g., plastic arrow rest, bowstring, fletches). If you need help with this, speak to the committee or an experienced archer who can teach you how! We also regularly hold equipment seminars to help beginners learn how to carry out basic care and simple parts replacements for their bow.

In addition, the club owns a number of maintenance tools that can be borrowed by members, including fletching jigs, bracing height gauges, string wax and multitools. Feel free to use them at any point during a session, and no need to worry about buying your own.