First Go at a Quiver

I've been wanting to make a quiver for a long time, but couldn't get excited about it because I knew my leatherworking skills weren't up to my vision, so to speak. This past weekend I said to hell with it, I need something to carry my bolts around in! So I knocked this out:
 
No decorative embellishment, and the execution is flawed- it's a bit lopsided and the stitching (mostly in the back, happily) is sloppy, but I'm pleased with how the design came out. Just three pieces of leather, the main body, the top flap, and an additional layer of very thick hide inside on the floor to take the points. There are laces attached at the bottom to tie around the leg so it doesn't flap around at all on the move. The long strap on the cover can be run through all the loops and back up a couple to be closed very securely, as above, or tucked into a slot between the belt loops and out the back to pull the cover out of the way and hold it back for full access, as below:

There's just 6 of my 14" 3/8" diameter bolts in there now, but I'm pretty sure I can get 18 in there easy, once I make them. It handlles a dozen 1/2" bolts without crowding the fletches, too. And if want I can do this:

That's an idea I stole from the beautiful quiver that Pacer shared on this forum quite a while back. He had provision for single bolt in a ready spot, which I thought was cool, so three at the ready would be that much cooler, right?
Gnome

Looks good to me Gnome! Would love to see some pics at different angles if all possible. Two thumbs up!!!

jds6

Looks great, did you use some kind of rigid container on the inside or does it hold that shape from the stiffness of the leather? Also are the bolts ment to be kept seperate or do they just get dropped in?

Thanks! The leather is cowhide over 1/8" thick, I wet it and formed it over a mold and let it dry, so it holds shape on it's own. Right now the bolts are just dropped in. I tossed around a few ideas for securing them seperately but couldn't come up with anything that wouldn't make it a chore to get them back out again. The bullet points would be easy, of course, but I also want to pack broadheads. When I take it out I'll probably just stuff a rag or something in the bottom to keep them from rattling around too much.
Gnome

Nice work Gnome, I like the three ‘ready’ bolt loops.  I am not happy with my hunting quiver yet, It is basically the tube in my avatar, cut down a bit now with a plug of walnut in the bottom.  I was forever adjusting it to prevent loosing bolts, keeping them quiet, bolts falling out as I bent over to cock the bow,  The first deer I saw had a good laugh at me  

In my mind now the criteria for a hunting quiver is that it must allow for ease of movement through the thicket, keep the bolts quiet, not fill with water in the rain, be reasonably light, keep the bolts protected, be quiet to open and allow easy access.
 
There is something to be said for this mounted French crossbowman with a bolt in his cap:

For my longbow I use a homemade Stealth Side-Stalker quiver.

I plan on making a size appropriate one for hunting with my crossbow....quiet...easy access and easy to guide through brush....

In my mind now the criteria for a hunting quiver is that it must allow for ease of movement through the thicket, keep the bolts quiet, not fill with water in the rain, be reasonably light, keep the bolts protected, be quiet to open and allow easy access.
 

Hotspur, that pretty much sums up what I was going for. I'll have to do some field testing to know how well I've succeeded.
Gnome

That quiver looks awesome, I've been thinking about doing up some new leather quivers (one modern, one medieval) for my crossbows.  I'll have to pull my finger out, get them made and get photos up. 

Thanks for the inspiration !!

Thanks, AA! This one was supposed to just be a prototype, but I got lucky with how it turned out and have been using it pretty regularly. I plan on shaping a wooden buck for forming quivers in the future, I think that will make forming the wet leather easier and help keep things lined up. I need to make a much shorter one for my pistol bows, and perhaps a longer one for my more modern full-size bolts that won't fit in this one.
Gnome

Alternatively, you could make some soft blocks to put in the bottom of the quiver, so bolts sit at the right level... but where's the fun in that?  Geezer

Good looking quiver Gnome,one idea keeping the bolts from rattling,would be a piece of 1ins,or 1 1/2ins. piece of styrofoam in the bottom of the quiver,to stick the bolts into,would'nt last forever,but would be easily replaceable