I'v got 6 feather fletched arrows I been practicing with since spring. Some are half gone & ones missing a chunk in the middle & theyre all a bit frazzled. I shoot alot as I find it relaxing & just plain enjoyable. Anyway my point is these sorry looking feathers that have flown down range at least 100 times each & likely more still fly true. They do start making a bit more noise once battered like they are but they are practice arrows, no target has jumped the string yet. While I'v heard horror stories about wet feathers I'v not had trouble. I dont use the waterproofing stuff but bring a sandwich baggie to put over them should it pour. Never used it tho as if its raining that hard I either go home or sit in a ground blind. I'm hesitant to shoot a deer in a hard rain for the reason Arthur said about no blood trail. Also like he said they arent likely to be moving around in a downpour.
I think alot of the talk about feathers being worse than vanes comes from guys just doing it the way their told. I know where I live theres not many that shoot with a release that have any use for them & most will talk bad about them all day. Ask them if they ever tried them tho & most havent. I got set up with vanes when I started because thats what they use at the local shop if you dont specify.
They shot ok but didn't last long before I started poking holes in them. I like doing things myself so I bought a jig to fletch my own. I was gonna buy vanes again just because everyone said theyre better but I saw some barred shield back feathers online & had to have them. What a suprise when I found them more forgiving & longer lasting. They look cool too!
The only downside I can see personally is it takes longer for the glue to set up than vanes do.