It is the fletching of choice for about the last 60-70 years and the fletching of choice for the 60,000 - 70,000 years prior. Think you know everything there is to know about these two? Think again.
If you're remotely familiar with archery or arrows, you will be familiar with fletchings. These are the vanes or feathers at the nock end of the arrow that work to guide and steer the arrow after it is launched from a bow.
Fletchings help to keep the point of an arrow flying straight and can initiate spin to keep an arrow stabilized throughout its flight.
If you are curious which of the two is right for your setup, there are many factors you will need to consider when making this determination. Prior to making that decision, let's discuss the purpose and use of each.
Purpose
Think of fletchings as propeller fins for your arrow. They induce spin and stabilize its flight. As the shaft slices through the air, the wind flows over the fletchings, which spin and help align the shaft toward your aiming point.
Arrows are most commonly fletched with three feathers or vanes. Some archers use four to stabilize large broadheads or to allow them to lower the profile of all the fletchings.
Composition
Feathers are just that. They typically are made from the primary flight feathers of a turkey wing. Vanes, on the other hand, are plastic. Although they can be treated to protect them from rain, feathers are prone to getting water logged, where vanes can withstand any weather.
Feathers impart more drag and spin on the arrow, along with being lighter and more flexible than vanes. Vanes are more durable. Whatever you decide to use, put one or the other on each individual arrow. For example, don’t put two feathers and a vane on an arrow.
Traditional archers often shoot arrows directly off the shelf of the riser, which leads to much more fletching-to-bow contact. For this reason, they mostly choose feathers, which easily give way to that contact without causing erratic arrow flight and inaccuracy like vanes would with direct contact.
Use
A traditional or recurve archer using an elevated rest, like a rest-and-plunger combination or a stick-on style rest, may choose vanes because of the greater arrow clearance afforded by the elevated rest. The vanes would be preferable in rainy conditions, because feathers can get soaked to the point that they simply lay flat.
Indoor compound archers seem to be split between feathers and vanes. There’s no wind or rain to contend with, so the climate will always be prime for both. Feathers are said to be more forgiving, because they flex and fold in the air and around parts of the bow as an arrow is released. Both vanes and feathers have great steering capabilities indoors.
Indoor Olympic recurve archers tend to choose feathers for their forgiveness sliding across rests and risers. But there are those archers who simply shoot their outdoor arrows indoors, and therefore shoot vanes.
And speaking of outdoors, most competition compound and Olympic recurve archers shoot vanes outdoors. You can get much less wind drift using low-profile vanes, plus, they’re waterproof. Olympic recurve archers frequently use curled Mylar vanes, such as those made by XSWings, Range-O-Matic, Eli and Gas Pro, which promote maximum spin, outdoors.
Bowhunters these days commonly use vanes to withstand the elements, but there are some who still put feathers on their arrows for maximum guidance when using fixed-blade broadheads. Both are great for steering arrows tipped with most fixed or expandable broadheads.
Pros and Cons
We touched on each of these briefly above, but we can lay them out here for easy guidance.
Vanes are inherently more durable when compared to feathers, given their solid construction. Vanes will also weigh more because of this, though.
Because of their lightweight and 'foldable' nature, feathers can be larger without adding too much weight to the rear of your shaft or causing clearance issues with your shelf, riser, or rest.
Vanes can be easily shot through more advanced target/hunting rests as well as the traditional whisker biscuit style without any issues. Because of their solid construction, you cannot shoot vanes directly off of traditional bows without assistance from a rest in some capacity.
You can also use feathers through more advanced target/hunting rests, but feathers will struggle if used in conjunction with a whisker biscuit - best to avoid that practice. Feathers can be shot directly off of shelfs, though, in traditional shooting situations.
Vanes are more consistent in inclement weather than feathers. The plastic construction of vanes prevents rain from being a factor on steering performance.
Feathers are prone to becoming waterlogged when exposed to rain. This will cause them to fall flat and lose consistency and steering abilities. Waterproofing treatments for feathers exist, though.
Due to the larger and more forgiving nature of feathers, they are superior at steering large broadheads when compared to vanes. Feathers impart more drag on the arrow, though, when compared to vanes.
Though vanes vary in their noise levels when in flight, vanes will be quieter than feathers in most cases.
Which One is for You?
Given everything above, and like our Pro Shop experts like to say, there is a lot to consider. What it all boils down to is your use case. Unless you need feathers for shooting directly off the shelf, there isn't necessarily a right or wrong answer.
Many archers use feathers for 3D and target shooting and swear by it, while even more utilize the many vanes on the market, too.
There are professional hunters with decades of experience under their belts that exclusively use feathers, and the same can be said for vanes. It all comes down to environment and preference.
If you are whitetail hunting in the East and use large fixed blades, feathers will work just fine as long as you're okay with the occasional waterproofing treatment. Much the same, depending on your broadhead, you can choose from a great number of vane shapes, sizes, and materials to dial in your whitetail arrow system.
As far as target and competitive archery are concerned, use what feels best and shoots best for your setup. Try out various vanes and feathers and use what you feel gives you the best chance of success.
Start with the information in this article and let it guide your initial choices - run with your experimenting from there.
You can view all of our Feather and Vane options at these links. Good luck!
