Which one you like and what kind it is. I'm just starting out and I would like to know what is better. I heard that feathers are more forgiving and weigh less but wilter when wet. Also that vanes are heavier and less forgiving but cheaper your thoughts would be appreciated

I always used feathers.I buy full-length feathers by the 100 for about $35 and I can get 2 4" fletchings from each full-length.I waterproof my fletchings if I know I'll be hunting in wet weather.

I used vanes switched to feathers and now back to vanes .
Archery is all about personal preference compound /recurve . aluminum /carbon. release/fingers .as long as things are matched they all will preform great

Feathers are the bomb....they work very well, are indeed light weight, and they look really cool! Feathers are also much more forgiving of contact with anything, they merely collapse upon the contact and bounce back to shape after....And they don't kick the arrow around when they straighten back out.

BUT, vanes have their advantages as well. The new Blazer vanes stabilize just as good, and weigh ALMOST as little as feathers. Unless I'm mistaken, which has happened here before, 5" feathers weigh 3 grains/each....Blazers are 5/each....The BIGGEST advantage is wet weather. Feathers don't like to be wet...Yes, there are precautions you can take, but me, I just use Blazers and forget about it.

I did the same as Steve. This year Ill be using quikspin speed hunters. I like feathers, but I dont care for the worry about the weather and I dont like how you have to refletch after a harvest.

why do you have to refletch after a kill?

I agree with JimPic why need to refletch after a kill you have other arrows as well.

I shoot feathers exclusively... I've not even found it to be a problem in the rain; the way I look at it, if it's such a downpour that I'm worried about my feathers getting soaked and not performing well, I shouldn't be taking more than a 20-yard shot anyway -- to ensure a perfect hit so that my bloodtrail is not washed away too quickly.

Two things come to mind, though: One, I've shot field-tipped arrows with saturated feathers in downpours at leaves on the the forest floor and still nailed the leaf I was shooting at, so in my mind that debunks that myth, and --Two, I probably get to sit on stand about as much as anyone in this forum, I would bet --easily close to 150 trips over the last two years. I could count on one hand the number of absolute downpours I sat through. Now admittedly, I do consider myself older and wiser, and have learned that it's pointless for me to head to the woods when it'snot going torain cats and dogs all day and not let up before dark -- I've yet to see a big deer move in our area when it's raining that hard, and I tried for several years.

I like feathers

As most are saying, it is totally personal preferance. I suggest that you fletch two arrows (maybe evenfour) one (or two)with your feather of choice, and one(or two)with your vane of choice. shoot these arrows in all conditions, and see which you like better. People's opinions are valuable, but for this type of subject it is all up to you. You need to be confident in what you shoot. just my ideas, take them or leave them. Thanks, KP

-oh and for the record-i started with feathers, but have been shooting vanes for 4 years with no intentof going back to feathers.