Fletchings

Feathers for wooden arrows and best shot from traditional wooden bows
Plastic vanes best for Aluminium and Carbon arrows, loads of sizes and loads of colours

• Feathers: Used in particular on Wooden Arrows for Longbow, Field, and Traditional Archery, and on other arrows for short distances and Indoor Archery. Feathers provide strong steerage and some drag but are also forgiving of mistakes when making the shot as they can fold flat as the arrow passes the bow handle rather than divert the arrow form its course
• Plastic Vanes: Very widely used on arrows for most forms of archery. Made of soft plastic and used in particular on Target and Field Arrows in Aluminium and Carbon. Plastic Vanes provide less drag than feathers and make for faster arrows. Plastic Vanes come in a range of sizes and colours. There are smaller for shorter or faster arrows, larger if you want more steerage. If you choose too small a vane then the arrow will run out of steerage as it reaches the other end of its flight. This can be seen when the arrow goes from a smooth flight to suddenly starting to spiral about. If this happens you may need a larger size of vane.