I carry my Lift 33 in a Legend Monstro case for local 3D events. Bow fits great, and the front pocket is the perfect size for an MTM ultra compact arrow case.

 

I was looking at getting a Pelican case and cutting the foam out for my 29.5. Right now I'm using a cheap Flambou? case that I got for about 40$ and I really don't like the way my bow sits in it.

 

I doubt I do much traveling with mine other than 3D shoots at most a state away. I viewed it as I just spent over 2k to get this bow setup so I might as well drop $250 on a solid case to protect it. So I got an SKB.

 

I say get both, put the soft case into the hard case when time comes to travel to have your bow safely arrive to your destination. Then just leave the hard case at your lodging and tote the bow around in soft case, when less weight and that level of protection are not needed.

 

Maybe look at a golf bag case? I have friends that have done that for air travel.

 

I use the pelican #730 hard case( about $200) and the game plan gear pass though 2 soft case

 

check out Elevation bow cases. they have Mathew's licensed cases for a decent price. I would look at their lift specific soft case or if you want more of a travel type case but still on the soft side they have the Jetstream Travel Bow case which is a two case system that works together to protect your bow when traveling. the inner case is their Talon 44 soft case and then there is the outer jetstream case. they do also have a Talon 46 case and the V1 Mathew's topo 41" case too. I am running the V1 with my lift 33 and will be running the Talon 46 with my Title 38.

 

Just get the SKB and be done with it. This way you will be good no matter how you intend to use it...local or air travel. I went with the 3i-4217-db case. It's 41" end to end inside foam and 16" wide (more than enough clearence for my Bridgelocked HHA wo removing it) inside foam to foam. I can fit a full size arrow case in it as well. At the time I bought mine Amazon had the best deal and if you're a Prime member it's free shipping which is huge on an item this size.

 

I had the same questions as you had. The M Lift 33 stretches longer than most compact bows you see in the market. I believe you need at least 40" of clearance.

I had a soft case before, blackout 1.5 and it will fit this bow just fine, however soft cases when hunting can hurt your bow. Your transport may be crammed with other equipment and the last thing you need is a damaged CAM before a big hunt.

I decided to go with a hard case, and the one I found is a little more compact than a full box like the V800 or V730.

If you wanted the full box:
The Pelican V730 or V800 works great, it is heavy duty and it comes with a price tag. You may need to remove your stabilizer to make it work. Mine is 6" and it fits just fine.

Blackout also has an option that will work, but at that price tag you might as well just go with a Pelican Vault.
(Cabelas)

I decided to go with a Plano SE44. It went on sale, $89 CAD. (Cabelas)

I also have a Plano compact bow case for my Bear Approach HC, and it works well enough for my needs.

Pros: It works.
1) Not expensive
2) It provides hardshell protection, which is well acceptable for transporting behind an ATV, TRUCK, or Side By Side.
3) Depending on the quiver you went with, mine remains attached to the bow, no issues at all.

Cons:
1) I would not use this for air travel. I would go with a pelican for that or the blackout hard cases.
2) It is not weatherproof. It can handle light rain just fine but don't expect it to be super dust-tight, or heavy rain proof.

 

For airline travel I would get the the SKB double bow/double gun case, it is way bigger than you need, however it will save you money on baggage fees.
On my hunting trips, I cram it full of stuff, boots, clothes, bow, etc and keep it barely under 50lbs, right at 48lbs to avoid the overweight fee.
Most airline don't charge a oversize fee for archery equipment, just if you go over the 50lbs.
I can always get by with only having to check my bow case only.
I just got back from a trip and the 2 other guys in camp had those pelican cases with all the foam that would only hold the bow and some arrows, they had to check a second bag.
So you figure another $50 going and another $50 coming back, that's $100 roundtrip that they are paying using a smaller bow case.

 

And my Lift 33 fit in there fine with tons of room also.

 

Also the more stuff you have to check, that's the more stuff that can get lost.
On that trip I just got back from, one of the guys didn't get their hunting clothes they had to check until the second hunting day because it got lost.