I don't want to use plastic vanes or something but it bothers me why a few archers (olympic ones, compounders etc.) prefer plastic vanes over feathers. As far as I know feathers are superior in all respects. Why would one take vanes then?

Because there are no ODD ones. Seriously, because they work in rain. Ever hunt in western WA? Fletch matts down in all-day rain. Even with Gink on them.

Because plastic is weather proof and you can make as many of any shape and style you want. Dont have to worry about left-wing or right wing and you can buy them in Wal Mart or the tractor store. That's why I only shoot feathers. Put a bag over them if it rains.

Not all traditional archers shoot off the shelf. And the vane will stand up to rain better than feathers. I prefer feathers and shoot off the shelf.

A lot of the Olympic shooters use those "Curly" vanes that are not rigid but stabilize their arrows and won't deflect if they hit their test or riser. Have you seen their arrows? They are teeny tiny shafts. They don't require much to stabilize them anyway. They're not going to be shooting heavy shafts with front loaded inserts and super heavy Broadheads.

I get aggravated sometimes with my feathers. I've went out after it rains to shoot and came in and found my arrows all deformed and had to boil some water to straighten them out. No rain got on them. I guess the very high humidity in the air done it.

Not sure who told you that feathers were superior in all respects but you were misinformed. It's a personal choice just like the type of bow you shoot, how you aim (or not) and the shaft material that you select.

Have any of you experimented with other materials?

vanes are weather proof...but I just put powder waterproofing on my fletching and it last most of the year.

to me the care and upkeep of fletching is no more than the care and upkeep of a flemish twist string, sealing and regular care of a selfbow, or sharpening a fixed blade knife. After rain you take care of them....and if you know you are going in rain you take precautions.

Feather-Pruf on my fletching...or a adhock fleece covering or a gallon zip loc baggie...all work in pinch..even a spare wool beanie.

keep em sharp,

ron herman

My arrows shoot just as well with or without feathers from my bows at ranges from 15 to 30 yards, feathers are pretty...wing

Vanes can also be mass produced to be exactly the same shape, stiffness and weight and fine tuned by choice of material.

I have no idea why you feel "bothered" that some archers prefer to use vanes over feathers. Just another choice. I prefer feathers but some prefer vanes for reasons mentioned by others.

Ollie I'm not a native speaker :) I just wanted to say "makes me think". I'm absolutely fine with archers using vanes if they are happy with them! ;P No worries...

Max Hamilton invented Plastifletch in the late 40's or early 50's. They were small, and actually hard plastic, but you could tune them to clear just like any setup. Max used them, plus an elevated home made rest, to win the 1952 NAA National Tournament, so they have been around enough to be considered traditional. They were the thing in the 70's and 80's; easy to fletch, weatherproof, and then the soft vanes were everywhere. I used them for several years and actually liked them. You can put as much twist in them as you like and you don't worry about RW or LW stuff. And with the cost of feathers about five times more than vanes, they are looking better everyday. They also have some awesome colors. ))

Not sure why it would bother you that someone chose vanes over feathers.

Feathers have their place, but so do vanes. They do different jobs.

limbwalker, I'm not a native speaker. I didn't want to sound negative or rude. I just wanted to say "I wonder" or "it makes me think". :) No worries... absolutely happy with vane-shooting fellows :D

I shoot vanes off the shelf quite often...with a properly spined arrow the fletching never touches the bow on the way by

DDave

I've read that vanes are quieter but feathers are faster.

Water proofing is a plus.

It truely is preference, but the fact that you don't have to do as much to them is one reason why they're probably so popular. People also just naturally tend to lean towards newer trechnology. If you or someone you know has an I phone: i bet they either have the 6th or possibly the 5th. And on here: most of us shoot recurves or laminated longbows. Not saying that its the end all be all answer but it does speak for a good number.

Why trad people use feathers so much then? You got me there, i've been told differently about how vanes will mess up the shots and I can see their logic. Maybe I just like feathers with a trad bow?

If you ever had to shoot four skinny target arrows into 56 targets for two days in hard rain, then you might have used plastic vanes. A fellow named Hamilton sold plastiflex, which were small hard plastic vanes long ago and they were popular with our short Easton 24srt arrows with nibs shot from early 1960 massive risered target bows over raised arrow rests. You could get them super short and real narrow. Provided all the stability needed for those long 50 to 80 yard targets

But they never looked as cool as feathers. Often used 2.5 inch feathers on my zinc chromate and laquer dipped arrows, but had a box of plastiflex for my 1616, 27-inch arrows in 1963.

Dunno why folks now with hunting on their mind or shooting 3-D would shoot plastic as everyone looks at your arrows, so you gotta have cool looking ones with real feathers.

I shot a 3d last Saturday, mostly mist damp drizzly conditions. My feathers all matted down, but they were tuned well enough to still do their job. Nothing against vanes,they're just not for me.

Vanes and feathers have their advantages and disadvantages. I use both for any of the above reasons. I can still afford to buy the "best" in fletching but have not found it yet. Yes, feathers are supposed to be more forgiving but I believe it is tuning that makes the difference.

Back in my compound days (early 70s), I noticed one day while shooting in a fairly brisk cross wind that my feather fletched arrows were more affected by wind drift than my vane fletched arrows. The difference was noticeable and the vanes made for a tighter group consistently. If I were shooting off an elevated rest now I would always have some vane fletched arrows on hand for wet weather.

I use vanes.

The only thing feathers do better is create more drag.

If you know how to tune, and how to shoot, the extra drag that feathers create is unnecessary.

Vanes last. Feathers don't.

Vanes clean up easy. Feathers don't.

Feathers are pretty. Vanes aren't.

I like functionality before aesthetics, so I choose vanes.

Rick

Feathers will fly when wet, but not at distance since the weight will make them slow and drop much quicker. Do an honest test sometime by soaking feathers and shooting them out to bout 30 and further side by side with dry ones. You will see a difference. Now at hunting distance that is neither here nor there I suppose. I use feathers pretty much exclusively nowadays, but I try to keep them dry. I may make up a few with vanes this year to keep in the quiver.

I have a arrow or two with vanes for when it's raining, other than that it feathers.

Vanes were brought out long ago even by Bear archery because feathers got wet they are useless, or at least were thought to be. Bear called his weathers(stood for all weather feathers). Fethers also have more drag so at 80yard field archery range and 90meter Olympic vane made for a flatter shooting arrow, thus a larger target to hit. Some of the Olympic archers use the old mylar vanes(which have been improved on by now I'm sure). They were thinner, lower profile, and super light weight. They were even flatter shooting and a lot less effected by wind. People used rests mostly so didn't matter they figured. Well now we all know because of slow mo cameras that it doesn't matter even off the shelf if the arrows right for the bow.

the main reason my "go to" hunting bow, IS my go-to, is it's set up with an NAP flipper rest and I can use vanes on it.

Rick and Camodave,

You guys are shooting vanes off the shelf?

Rick, I was gonna say the opposite about how long each lasts. I have old arrows with vanes that are dried up and broken, crumbling off. The same age arrows with fletch have intact feathers. Arrows in this quiver are all the same age. I have a couple dozen more in an old quiver with crispy old broken and stiff, mis-shapen vanes that need to be replaced. One of my next projects. I'm replacing them with hand-crafted fletch from turkey feathers I harvested. I carry this one as a stump shooter and/or finisher. it will soon have feathers instead.

I used to use a little Armour All to keep 'em from drying out too much.

Feathers are more forgiving but not superior. I use feathers, need all the help that I can get.

I use feathers even tho I know they're inferior. They're purdier,lol. And for me nostalgic.

JSD...folks have been shooting vanes off of different shelf configurations for years and years.

Paul Shafer shot vanes. We only learned they wouldn't work during the "resurgence". :)

John, yes, vanes off the shelf. Takes a little more doing for the tuning & setting up, but once done it's well worth it.

I use the same rig for hunting, that I compete with. Always have, and always will. If it weren't for the classes I compete in not allowing them, I would just use an elevated rest.

I love the look of nice feathers, but I hate refletching.

The vanes clean up easily after running them through an animal. The feathers do not.

The vanes will last for years if taken care of.

Rick

Calvin, some vanes will dry up like that when laying out in the sun, and most will deteriorate from UV rays.

I use the Marco soft vanes, and as long as I don't lose an arrow where it lays out in the elements for a long period of time, the vanes never go bad.

Rick

Even in the early 70s I kept a vane fletched arrow in the quiver for my rain arrow.

Flight shooters were known to use razor blades as vanes. :^O

There are mentioned leaves ,parchment and leather used to stablise arrows thousands of years ago .Vanes are not new just the materials used to produce them has changed.I like feathers too but vanes are OK for lots of folk and I have used them and may do so again. OSRt

I shoot and like both. I prefer feathers and use them when I hunt. However, if it's wet out, I go with vanes, as they are weatherproof. I can disregard the weather and concentrate on hunting.

Joe

Rick, yes, I do agree, I could have taken better care of those vaned arrows. They've sat in a box, part of the time in a storage trailer, and they are 30 years old. Or crammed in my too-small quiver. Vanes got bent and brittle, and stayed that way. Result of moving too many times and taking a hiatus from bowhunting and target shooting. Its time to give them an overhaul no matter what. Time to resurrect them...

Feathers don't HAVE to create any unnecessary drag, but they certainly CAN if you use more than you need. So if you tune properly, you can use what you like, penalty-free. I think a lot of folks (myself included) probably use larger fletchings with more offset or helical than we really need, just because we like the way they look. Not that it probably matters inside of 25 yards.

I'm thinking I should have some vanes for wet weather hunts. After all.... Vanes are just feathers harvested from rubber chickens....

Vanes really fell out of favor about mid-later eighties when some guy in a fedora was widely understood to have said that they were Evil. What he actually said was somewhat more subtle - the point was that a BEGINNER should never be saddled with the vanes of that day - but he (an Expert) also professed a preference for 5" feathers - four-fletched. So if HE was using a whole lot of real feathers....

Kinda makes me feel better about not ever being able to tune very well using his instructions...

because the compound was invented

Please.

Recurve archers and yes, even some longbow archers, choose vanes to suit their particular needs. It has nothing to do with a compound.

And feathers are still superior in some applications, which is why so many world class archers use them indoors to this day.

John, you got that right. Feathers are far superior to vanes in an indoor application where you are actually detuning a rig to give you a 20 yard point on using full length arrows. Been there, and done that.

Also, to be honest, feathers are much more forgiving to bad releases, and bad form in general.

I still prefer the vanes for everyday use in hunting & 3D shooting.

Another plus to vanes are, they are much quieter in flight than are feathers, and I believe when animals duck the arrow it is often more attributed to the noise of the arrow, than to the noise of the bow.

Rick

Sorry to disappoint you elkpacker1 but when compounds came out they used the same arrows, same vanes or feathers, same sights, same quivers, same stablilizers, well you get my point. Compounds only difference was wheels n cables and their only advantage was 30 percent let off and later when 2 wheelers came out around 77 or so 50 percent let off. They were no faster than stickbows but had letoff. Actally I had a howatt hunter that was faster than my friends Jennings shooting star at the same weight. A 70lb compound in 1980 shot about 190 fps. vanes are faster at distance, feathers faster at short range and feathers stablilize better.

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