Levi Morgan won his first professional archery tournament in 2007, when he also went on to win the Archery Shooters Association Shooter of the Year and World Champion titles that year. Since then, he has won the Shooter of the Year title 11 years in a row. Levi is the host of Bow Life, airing on Sportsman Channel.

The following topics are from the column, “Changing the Game” in Petersen’s Bowhunting.

by Levi Morgan

In the following article, I will address:

• How to Overcome Target Panic: The Aiming Drill
• Achieving Perfect Bow Balance
• How to Grip a Bow
• Shooting a Bow: Pushing and Pulling
• Anchoring a Bow: Three Steps to Success
• Write It Down
• Serving a Bow String
• How to Stand When Shooting a Bow
• Paper Tuning a Bow
• Preparing Your Mind for Success: Mastering the Mental Game of Archery

How to Overcome Target Panic: The Aiming Drill

If you’ve shot a bow long enough, you’ve probably heard about – or experienced for yourself – the demon we call “target panic.” The main form of target panic is best described as the inability to hold your pin on the target and squeeze the release slowly enough to cause surprise when it fires. Essentially, you punch the release prematurely. While there are many forms of target panic and just as many ways to cure it, there are a few things you can do to prevent or beat this horrible condition. Surprisingly, the one solution I’m most fond of doesn’t even require you to fire an arrow.

The main form of target panic derives from what I call “anxious aiming.” This occurs when the pin settles in where you want it to and you feel like you have to fire that release immediately. The problem with firing a release on command (the way 90 percent of people trigger their release) is that from the time your mind tells you to fire that shot to the act of your finger actually doing it is enough time to move off the spot. Generally, this is the main cause of inconsistent groups. You may say you don’t have target panic, but if you can’t aim in the middle and slowly fire that shot, then I’ve got some bad news: you have target panic. Luckily there is a cure for this.

You are probably wondering how I can suggest solving this problem without even shooting an arrow, but the fact is, the problem lies between your ears, not in the act of shooting. What you need to do is commit two weeks to the cure; every day or every chance you get, go out in the yard with an arrow nocked, just like you would normally practice. You will simply draw the bow and address the target, aiming with your finger on the trigger – but don’t pull that release; you want to focus only on aiming. Keep that pin where you want to the arrow to hit until your aiming starts to break down. Then let down and reset, never firing the arrow. Treat this just as you would any practice session, except never actually shoot your bow.

This will do two things that benefit you greatly as an archer. First, it will teach your mind that it is OK for that pin to settle on the bulls-eye without firing that arrow. Second, it will increase the length of time during which you can effectively aim before your shot breaks down. Over time, you will be able to add shooting back into your routine, but if you ever feel those anxious or rushed feelings, take a few days and just commit to this simple drill.

Target panic is a horrible thing, and if you don’t know how to cure it, it can really mess with your confidence, taking the fun out of shooting your bow. Even if you aren’t struggling with target panic, this aiming drill can and will make you a better archer, regardless of whether you are a novice or a top-level competitor.

Achieving Perfect Bow Balance

Maybe you are new to archery and trying to learn everything you can. Maybe, however, you have been a successful archer for years and are simply reading this because you are addicted and can’t get enough. Either way, we all want to be better shots, and if you say you don’t, I’d say you’re not a passionate archer/hunter.

There are many things that make up a great archer, but no one thing is more important than having a perfectly balanced bow. The overall goal of finding perfect balance is to be able to draw the bow with your eyes closed, settle in and open your eyes to a perfectly level bubble. This takes away human influence or torque that is necessary to level your bow otherwise. Proper balance will better your aim in all areas. Better aiming then leads to improvements in every aspect of your shot and can even cure most forms of target panic.

To achieve perfect balance, you will need a front stabilizer bar (I’d recommend at least 10 inches), a V-bar bracket that will allow you to adjust side to side and up and down, and a rear stabilizer bar that’s at least 8 inches. In addition, you will want a few weights to play around with.

First, you will need to put the stabilizers on and level the bow from side to side. I would recommend trying 4-5 ounces of weight on the front bar and 10-15 ounces on the back bar. You can fine-tune the weights from here, but this is a good ratio to start with.

Next, draw the bow with your eyes closed, anchor with a relaxed grip and open your eyes. If the bubble on your sight is not level, then adjust the rear stabilizer accordingly until you can repeat this process and your bow is perfectly level from side to side.

Leveling your bow front to back is a little different because you will adjust by adding or removing weights rather than adjusting the bars from side to side. To level your bow front to back, come to full draw aiming at a horizontal line. If your pin wants to dip or bounce below the line then add weight to the back bar or take the weight off the front. If your pin bounces above the line, do the opposite. After this step is complete, your bow should be very close to balanced. While you probably won’t be aiming perfectly still, your aiming pattern should be centered on that horizontal line, not bobbing up or down.

Obviously, we all want to be the best archer we can be. Balancing your bow properly will help you tremendously. Some people say balancing your bow makes it too heavy, but I’d rather carry a few more ounces and hit where I aim.

How to Grip a Bow

The grip is the only part of your bow you actually touch during the shot process, meaning the way you handle it is critical. Despite that, I believe grip remains one of the most overlooked aspects of good shooting form.

Over the years, I’ve seen many variations of how people grip their bows, and guess what? None of them are necessarily wrong. Just like any other aspect of archery, the proper grip is simply one that can be repeated consistently shot after shot. However, there are several things that can make that task much easier. One is to keep the entire grip on the thumb side of your lifeline. Then you want to point your thumb at about 2 o’clock (10 o’clock for left-handed shooters), making sure it isn’t riding up against the shelf of the riser. Lastly, you want to have a loose hand, not squeezing the grip and not with your fingers stuck straight out; just let your hand relax.

There are two main muscles in your hand, one on each side of your lifeline. If your grip crosses over onto both, then it’s a lot easier for you to torque the bow just by tensing your hand slightly. It’s very important to keep the bow on the thumb side of that lifeline only, making it almost impossible to torque with the muscles in your palm.

The best way to do this is to make a thumbs up sign, turn your thumb to 2 o’clock (or 10 o’clock for lefties), open your hand and place it on the grip. This will help prevent your thumb from pressing too hard against the shelf, which can create sideways torque and cause inconsistencies in your balance while aiming.

Now, your bow isn’t going anywhere. So, stop holding onto it for dear life at full draw. Just relax your bow hand. Now, squeeze the grip again and see what it does to the bow and level. That’s called torque, and it’s bad. You want a completely relaxed hand. Just allow your fingers to lie softly on the back of the grip. Don’t stick your fingers way out trying to avoid torque, because when you do that you can’t help but tense up those muscles, which defeats the entire purpose. It’s OK if your fingers are touching the riser, as long as they aren’t influencing it.

Again, there is no right or wrong way to grip the bow if you can do it the same every time, and the method I just described will help you achieve consistency. Keep the grip on one side of the lifeline in your hand, keep your thumb from pressing too hard up into the shelf and relax your entire hand. A consistent grip is absolutely crucial to accurate shooting.

Shooting a Bow: Pushing and Pulling

We all realize that to shoot a bow, some form of pushing and pulling has to take place – but probably not as much as you’ve been told. My entire life, I was preached to on how I needed to push my bow arm at the target and pull on my release arm firing the shot using my back muscles. I quickly realized that doing that the same way each time was next to impossible. Archery, as I’ve always said, is a game of repetition, and trying to rip the bow in half just wasn’t something I could repeat. One day I’d do great, the next I’d be pulling harder and hit to the right or pushing shots out to the left. The inconsistency was really frustrating.

Now, many of my struggles were from the equipment I was using combined with this push/pull method. But mainly, it was

because this entire method is flawed, in my opinion. Back when this “back tension” method was introduced, bows had hardly any let-off and spongy back walls. Pushing and pulling really hard probably was the most consistent way to shoot that setup. These days, however, bows are built with solid back walls and high let-off, and when you start pushing and pulling on something that doesn’t give, it just doesn’t work. Think about it; you’re shooting a bow with a solid wall, and when you pull, something has to give. In this case, that would be your bow arm. And when you push and the bow can’t give, then the movement is transferred to your release arm. I truly believe this is the reason so many people struggle with this technique. It’s not that they’re doing it wrong. It’s that the entire process is no longer necessary.

I understand that to keep the bow at full draw, some form of “back tension,” or pushing and pulling, has to take place. I also believe that’s about all you need, just enough to keep the bow at full draw. You have to look at your cam system, holding weight, bow weight and type of draw stop to come up with a consistent push/pull method that suits you. However, if you’re shooting a bow made in the last decade, more pushing and pulling probably isn’t the answer to making you a better shot.

If you are struggling with aiming or consistent groups and you have been taught to push and pull on the bow, let’s try a different approach. Try to relax a little more in your shot. Pull just hard enough to keep the string against the stop and let the bow do the rest. After a while, you should find a really comfortable, less stressful way to fire the shot. This will be way more repeatable for you, and you will be engaging fewer muscles than before. Yes, the fewer muscles during the shot the better. When you’re nervous, that’s what causes tension and shaking, and that’s what gets us tired. So, the fewer muscles used the better. The days of ripping the bow apart are over. It’s time to relax and let these bows shoot themselves.

Anchoring a Bow: Three Steps to Success

If you know archery, you know how important a consistent anchor is. Most people just think of anchor as a being only one thing. But the truth is, having a repeatable anchor position involves three major components. Everyone’s anchor involves – or at least should involve – the following: release-to-hand contact, hand-to-face contact, and string-to-face contact. If you have these three components down, you will have a solid anchor position.

Release-to-hand contact is very crucial in all parts of your shot, but none more so than your anchor. If you are shooting a handheld release, that importance doubles. You can literally change your draw length and entire form just by positioning the release differently in your hand from one shot to the next. It is critically important to find a comfortable spot in your hand where the release just seems to fit. It’s not a bad idea to even mark that on your hand with a marker or tape while you practice. Make a conscious effort each shot to place that release in your hand exactly the same. Soon, that will be the only place you can comfortably place the release, and any slight change will be noticed immediately. At this point, the marking and/or tape is no longer needed.

A consistent hand-to-face contact point can be a little trickier. I’ve seen guys and girls mash their hands into their faces, and I’ve seen them completely avoid any contact with their face at all (both are disasters). You want to find a comfortable pressure point somewhere along your jawbone. I like to slide my jawbone between my first knuckle and middle knuckle. I don’t mash my hand to my face. I just very lightly touch my hand to that spot on my jaw so I can execute my release properly. I’ve found that the more pressure I put on my face, the harder it is to execute the shot. On the other hand, no contact or a floating anchor even worse, in my opinion. How can you ever know when you are anchored if you can’t feel any contact with your hand?

The final piece of the anchor is the contact between your face and the string. While you need this contact, you absolutely can’t press on the string with your face, as this will cause nightmares with shooting consistency. The absolute best and most repeatable string-to-face contact point I’ve found is to very lightly touch the string to the tip of your nose. If you use your cheek or the side of your nose, it’s hard to put the string in the exact same spot every time. The tip of your nose is always in the same place.

Just like every other aspect of archery, there is no right or wrong anchor – if you can repeat it from shot to shot. Having the correct draw length is very crucial in comfortably anchoring with the method I’ve just described. Assuming your equipment fits you perfectly, this three-part anchor method is, in my opinion, the best way to go about fine-tuning your archery game. Always remember your release-to-hand, hand-to-face, and string-to-face contact points. Stay consistent with all three and your anchor position will never fail.

Write It Down

Everyone has had that one setup that was money – that one bow they always shot better than any other. The problem is once you replace the strings, cables or limbs, it’s never the same. You can go to the same model, poundage and draw length, but it still doesn’t feel right. If only you had taken notes on everything. There are some key things you always should write down once you have that dream setup you are in love with. First, write down all the measurements on the bow. Then take notes on how your arrows are built. Lastly, take notes on other things in your shot more along the lines of feel and execution.

When we have the best set up of our lives, we need to realize that bows change with use, and before it’s too late, we need to write down everything about the setup. Some of these things are draw length measured from the throat of the grip, d-loop length, peep height from the loop, nock height from axles, draw weight, holding weight, axle to axle, brace height and let-off. Then, move on to things like stabilizer lengths and weights, sight choice, fiber size, lens magnification, peep aperture size, rest location from burger hole and, if you shoot a blade rest, what size launcher. Nothing is too small or unimportant to write down about this setup.

Next up are your arrows. Nothing is more critical to a forgiving and accurate setup than your arrows. You need to log all of this info as well. How long are your arrows carbon to carbon? What model arrow are you shooting, including spine? Vane selection and the helical or offset on those vanes are very important. Write down what nock, what grain point and then overall arrow weight. Arrows come in so many sizes and spines these days that if you can’t remember what arrow you had, all the other info isn’t nearly as important.

Lastly, you need to log every part of how you are executing your shot. Are you relaxed at full draw or are you pulling hard on the wall? What is your bow arm positioning? Straight arm or slightly bent? Same goes for release arm and even how you hold your release. Write down how you are anchoring in and what release you’re shooting. Bow grip is another crucial piece, but it’s very hard to write down specific details about

Venison usually refers to deer meat but it can also include any wild game meat such as elk, carabao, and antelope. Canning venison is a great way to preserve the fall harvest and fill your shelves with shelf stable foods for quick meals.

It will also free up freezer space and help prepare you for power outages.

Neither my husband nor I grew up in a hunting family, fishing yes, hunting no. However, when we moved to this area we met many people who hunt and over the years we have become a family who eats wild game. Each fall you’ll find me canning venison as it’s my favorite way to preserve venison (and beef).

I’ve had a love/hate relationship with venison since the first time I ate it at a friend’s house. There have been times I had it and it was wonderful and at times hardly edible. There are a lot of variables such as the age of the deer and how it was butchered that will determine how “gamey” the meat is. We (as in I) do not like the “gamey” taste although I know many people who do.

Canning venison seems to remove the gamey flavor and once you add onions and garlic it really makes for a nice quick main dish.

In full disclosure, I have to say that I was a bit worried about eating canned venison the first time. The finished product doesn’t look very appealing (in the jar). However, when I opened the jar my daughter said “That smells good!” and you know what? It did.

I put it in a skillet, simmered it for 15 minutes and added some flour to make a gravy. The meat was very tender and tasty. I’ve been canning venison (and lots of other meats) ever since.

Tips for canning venison

Contrary to what some sites say, you do have to use a pressure canner to can meat. It is a low-acid food which is not safe to can in a water bath canner.

Also, you cannot put the flour in the jar to make the gravy ahead of time – the flour can coat the jar and mess up the process.

If you’re worried about the meat tasting strong or gamey, you can add a little tomato juice or sauce to the jars before canning. This will mellow the flavor of strong-flavored wild meats.

Canning venison is just like canning any other meat and you can use these same directions for canning wild game, such as elk or moose, and beef or chicken. The process is the same.

Even though venison doesn’t have much fat, remove any excess fat and any silver skin, which is the connective tissue. It can seem tedious but it really does go quickly and will make for a better end product.

Each quart jar will hold about 1 1/2 pounds of cubed venison or beef. That should help you figure out how many jars you need.

It’s recommended that salt be added to the canned meat, it’s just for flavor not for safety so it can be omitted if you want to. Also, you don’t have to use canning salt, any pure salt is just fine.

You can also add any dry spices such as black pepper, garlic or onion powder to the jars without compromising the safety.

Here are some tips for using a pressure canner. Pressure canning is super easy, just follow the directions that came with your canner. This is the pressure canner I have and I really like it. I like that it doesn’t have a gasket I have to worry about and that I can can 7 quarts or 18-19 pints in one batch.

I also like to use Tattle reusable lids for our canned venison. I try to use them for any canning that I do for our family as it really cuts down on the cost of canning. If you’re using metal disposable lids, make sure to use new lids as they are for single use only.

I like to keep track of all my home preserved food with these worksheets. You can get a copy emailed to you by filling out the form below.

Raw pack vs hot pack for canned venison

There are two ways to can venison (or beef) and both result in super tender meat. You can either raw pack or hot pack the venison.

Sometimes I choose to raw pack the meat simply because it’s faster, but I do think I get a better end product for storing when I hot pack the venison. Sometimes when I raw pack venison there isn’t enough natural meat juices to cover the meat.

You don’t need to add water or broth when you raw pack venison as the meat will make it’s own juice during the canning process.

Just know that it might not make enough juice to fully cover the meat in the jars, and it’s totally fine. The meat is still safe, but the meat not covered will darken over time.

Canning venison with the hot pack method means that you precook the meat in a small amount of fat before you put in the jars. Then you pour the drippings, broth, or hot water over the meat. This helps you know that there will be enough liquid to cover the meat in the finished product but it takes a little longer.

When you serve the meat you need to heat it up, some resources recommend boiling home canned meat and vegetables for 10 minutes before serving but that is no longer the recommendation from the National Center for Home Food Preservation. But it’s probably not very tasty straight out of the can, so go ahead and heat it up.

How to can venison with the raw pack method

1. Wash canning jars and lids in hot soapy water.
2. Put the pressure canner on the stove and add water according to the manufacturer directions.
3. Turn the heat to medium high to heat the water – you want it hot but not boiling (about 140F)
4. Put the clean canning jars in the pressure canner to keep them hot while you prepare the venison.
5. Cut the raw venison into cubes, remove any excess fat and muscle tissue (silver skin)
6. One by one, remove the jars from the canner and fill each jar with the raw meat and leave a 1-inch headspace. You’ll want to firmly pack the meat down.
7. Add onion and garlic to each jar if desired, if you add onion and garlic you might need to remove some meat so you still have a 1-inch headspace.
8. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt per pint and 1 teaspoon of salt per quart, if desired.
9. Wipe jar rims with a clean damp cloth.
10. Top the jars with lids and screw bands on. I really like to use canning reusable lids on these because I don’t normally give these as gifts.
11. Place filled jars into the pressure canner (prepared per manufacturer guidelines).
12. Lock the lid
13. Turn up the heat to medium-high
14. Once it’s boiling and you hear steam coming from the vent, let the steam vent from canner for 7 minutes, then put weight on the vent,
15. Continue heating until you reach 10 pounds pressure (adjusting for altitude if necessary)
16. Process pint jars at 10 pounds of pressure for 75 minute, and quart jars for 90 minutes
17. After processing time is finished, turn off heat and let pressure go all the way to zero psi
18. Once the canner is completely depressurized, remove lid.
19. Let the jars cool in the canner for about 10 minutes.
20. Remove jars with a jar lifter and put them on a towel on the counter to cool overnight.
21. Once they’re cool, remove bands, wipe jars, and store in a cool, dry place.

How to can venison with the hot pack method

1. Wash canning jars and lids in hot soapy water. The jars will need to stay hot while you prepare the meat.
2. Turn the heat to medium high to heat the water – you want it hot but not boiling (about 140F)
3. Put the clean jars in the pressure canner to keep them hot while you prepare the venison.
4. Cut the raw venison into cubes, remove any excess fat and muscle tissue (silver skin)
5. Brown raw meat in a small amount of oil. No need to cook it all the way through, just until it’s at the rare stage and releasing it’s juices.
6. One by one, remove the hot jars from the canner and add the partially cooked venison to each jar.
7. Add onion and garlic to each jar if desired.
8. Add 1/2 tsp salt per pint and 1 tsp salt per quart if desired.
9. Fill each jar with the hot venison and leave a 1-inch headspace.
10. Pour the drippings over the meat leaving a 1-inch headspace.
11. Use a bubble remover or silicone spatula to get air bubbles out of the jar by sliding the bubble remover between the jar and the meat and gently pressing the meat towards the opposite side of the jar.
12. Add hot water, broth or tomato juice to the jar to cover the meat.
13. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean damp cloth.
14. Top jars with lids and screw the bands on. I really like to use canning reusable lids on these because I don’t normally give these as gifts.
15. Place filled jars into water in pressure canner (prepared per manufacturer guidelines).
16. Lock the lid
17. Turn up the heat to medium-high
18. Once it’s boiling and you hear steam coming from the vent, let the steam vent from canner for 7 minutes, then put weight on vent
19. Continue heating until you reach 10 pounds pressure (adjusting for higher elevations if necessary)
20. Process pint jars for 75 minute, and quart jars for 90 minutes
21. After processing time is finished, turn off heat and let pressure go all the way to zero psi
22. Once the canner is completely depressurized, remove lid.
23. Let the jars cool in the canner for about 10 minutes.
24. Remove jars with a jar lifter and put them on a towel on the counter to cool overnight.
25. Once they’re cool, remove bands, wipe jars, and store properly.

Adjusting Pressure for Altitude:

If you live 1000 feet or more above sea level you’ll need to use a pressure higher than 10psi for canning meats. Use the graph below which is from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

How to cook canned venison

Home-canned- venison is wonderful even if it doesn’t look so tasty in the jar. There are three ways I like to use canned venison.

Our favorite way is to put it in a skillet and add flour to make a gravy. I just put a bit of water in the empty mason jar and add a heaping tablespoon of flour. I mix is up to get rid of clumps. Then slowly pour it into the hot meat and stir. If it needs to be thicker I add more flour, if it’s too thick I add a bit of water. I add salt and pepper. If I want something more like Mexican carne guisada, I add cumin and a bit of chili powder. I serve it over mashed potatoes, using canned potatoes when I’m short on time.

Sometimes, we’ll cook the meat and let the juices evaporate then add bar b que sauce for bar b que sandwiches.

Lastly, I’ll sometimes use canned venison and other home canned vegetables to make a quick stew.

More Venison Recipes

Venison can be used as an alternative in any recipe that calls for red meat, although the flavor may be a little different since wild game meat is leaner than beef and most other red meats.

If you have a freezer full of venison and don’t want to can it all, there are plenty of other ways to prepare it. We love making venison jerky with some of our deer meat.

Here are 50 recipes to make delicious venison burgers, steaks, stews, chili and much more!

Do you can venison or other meats? If so, share your ideas in the comments.

Thanks for sharing with your friends!

There are many different companies and brands that produce archery equipment, with many of them producing modern compound bows. With all of these choices, it can be a little difficult to decide on the best compound bow brands for your next purchase.

Whether you are looking for your very first beginner compound bow or are a seasoned shooter, you will want to stick with a good bow brand to ensure you get the proper quality, service, and designs. Let’s go over what makes a good compound bow brand, and a few of the best brands out on the market today!

Elements Of Good Compound Bow Brands

Bow Quality

One of the most important aspects of a bow is the quality. Some brands are known to produce higher quality products than others, so you must choose carefully in order to ensure you are purchasing a bow and other archery equipment that will perform properly and last you for years to come.

Customer Service

Customer service is often overlooked when deciding between brands, but it can be an extremely important factor should you ever need it. From getting your bow serviced to fixing potential problems, customer service can make or break your experience with a particular brand.

Warranty/Guarantee

The best bow brands believe in their products and are proud to support people who buy them. Because of this, they generally offer some type of warranty or guarantee for their equipment just in case you run into any issues or potential defects.

Bow Features

Good bow brands continually innovate and improve upon their designs. In turn, their bows have a wide variety of features including cam designs, grips, materials, and other tech that turns a simple bow into a great one.

Bow Design

Speaking of designs, great bow brands provide a wide variety of different designs and models of bows for different applications. From hunting to competition bows, they offer plenty of different options to choose from.

Top Compound Bow Brands To Consider

Bowtech

Bowtech is a brand that was founded in 1999 and known for its quality. Based out of Eugene, Oregon, they have continued to grow their reach and share of the archery industry.

Bowtech does all of their manufacturing in-house for all of their products and strives to maintain a standard of quality that their customers have come to expect. Besides their excellent quality, Bowtech is also very well known for their customer service. With their motto being “Refuse to Follow”, they offer a lifetime warranty on their products and are always willing to go the extra mile in order to help their customers however they can.

Elite Archery

Elite Archery is a little newer to the archery game than others here on our list but has still been around since 2005. They started in Washington, but are now based out of Rochester, New York. Elite also produces all of its products here in the United States and prides itself on selling “the World’s Most Shootable Bows.”

Elite Archery rose to popularity thanks to its bow designs that give the lowest levels of hand shock and vibrations. With their unique designs of cams and risers, you can instantly recognize a bow that is made by Elite. They also offer a lifetime warranty on all of their products.

PSE Archery

PSE Archery is one of the oldest bow brands here on our list and was founded in 1970 by an engineer named Pete Shepley. Although first established in Illinois, the company is now based out of Arizona and produces everything it makes here in the US. Since its creation, it is now the largest privately owned bow manufacturer in the US, and one of the largest bow companies in the entire world.

PSE also owns over 20 different archery design patents, allowing them to be a leader in design and innovation every year. With many different models of bows available and a great warranty on their products, it is easy to see why so many people shoot a PSE bow!

Hoyt

Among names like PSE and Bowtech, you are sure to hear Hoyt thrown into the mix. Hoyt is also one of the oldest and most established bow brands in the world, tracing its start all the way back to 1931. Although it started off as a knife company, they have since grown to be a leader in design and innovation in the archery world and is one of the most recognized brands out there.

Hoyt is now based out of Utah, and while extremely popular in the bowhunting world they also specialize in competition shooting. In fact, Hoyt bows have won more gold medals at Olympic events than all other bow manufacturers combined. They offer great quality, design, features, and warranties on all of their bows. It is no surprise why Hoyt is as popular as they are.

Bear Archery

Bear Archery, like Hoyt, is another very old company that started off in a different industry. Founded in 1933 as a marketing company, its founder is the legendary archer Fred Bear that quickly changed the company’s focus to archery. While focusing on traditional archery bows and equipment, they eventually got into compound bows as well.

These days, Bear Archery is well known for producing a wide variety of different bow models and being much more on the affordable end when compared to other bow manufacturers. While still producing their recurve bows, their compound bows are designed and engineered to be easy to shoot and reliable.

Mathews

Mathews is a bow brand that is often seen leading the way in new designs and innovations. In fact, they are the ones that came up with the single-cam technology, which many other bow manufacturers soon replicated. Ever since their beginning in 1992, Mathews has continued its commitment to giving archers the designs and features that they ask for.

Mathews is also well known for its excellent customer service. Their company motto is “people first, business second”. With amazing products and a motto like that, you know that every time you shoot a Mathews bow you will have a great experience.

Diamond Archery

Diamond is actually a child company of Bowtech, so you already know that you can expect much of the same quality and commitment that Bowtech offers to its customers. But, unlike Bowtech, Diamond offers its bows at a much more affordable cost in order to target a different market of customers.

Even with lower prices, their affiliation with Bowtech ensures that quality stays the same. With many different models and designs to choose from, Diamond strives to provide a bow with everything a shooter could want without breaking their bank account.

Quest

Quest is a company that is under another company called G5 Outdoors. Very similar to how Diamond is under Bowtech and offers more affordable options to their line of bows, Quest takes the quality of Prime bows and offers them to a different segment of the market at a reduced cost. While you will not see the same designs and features on a Quest bow that you will on a flagship Prime bow, you can still expect similar quality and customer service.

Although Quest bows may not cost as much as a Prime bow, they are still super solid and reliable bows. Not only are they extremely comfortable to shoot, but they are a great blend between high-quality materials and the bare basics to get you an accurate bow that will get the job done regardless of your archery expertise.

G5 Prime

Just like Quest, Prime Archery is owned by G5 Outdoors. G5 Outdoors is a privately owned company based out of Michigan. They were originally not in the bow business, but in the 1980s after purchasing an engineering firm, they created a broadhead company. Finally, in 2009, they created Prime and Quest to better serve archers all around the world.

Prime stands apart from Quest in that its bows feature all of the company’s latest designs and innovations, leading to a higher price tag. A perfect example of this is their Parallel Cam system, which helps avoid cam leaning and provides a more secure shot. Prime continues to impress archers by creating new innovations just like this, allowing them to grow in popularity year after year.

Martin Archery

Martin Archery is another brand that has been around for some time, and during their years of business, they have grown their reputation and quality of products. For over 60 years, Martin has been known for building some quality bows out of the state of Washington and giving archers affordable options for purchasing new equipment.

In 2013, Martin went through a large effort to revitalize its brand and company, and the results can easily be seen today. Not only have they given new dedication to the design and quality of their bows, but their customer service and warranty have been given an update as well. If you are looking for a quality bow from a reputable company, Martin is always a good choice.

Darton Archery

Getting their start in 1950 by producing leather archery accessories, Darton Archery expanded its business after a few years to start making traditional recurve bows. After the introduction of the compound bows, they began production of their own and have since gone on to become a staple name in the archery industry.

Darton has just recently celebrated its 70th year anniversary and still remains committed to giving its customers what they need to be successful. While not as mainstream as other brands such as Hoyt or Bowtech, Darton has been around long enough to prove that it makes good archery equipment and that they will take care of their customers whatever the costs.

Choosing the Right Compound Bow Brand

As you can see there are many different options when it comes to a compound bow brand. How do you choose the right one for you? An easy way to narrow down the list is to consider your personal needs and wants, as well as your budget. If there is a specific feature or design that you need, some companies may offer it while others will not.

Budget can also play an important role in choosing a brand. Many brands are known for producing top-of-the-line, high-quality bows that will run up your price tag. Others are better known for middle-of-the-road, affordable compound bows.

Lastly, it is important to consider how much things like warranties and customer service matter to you. Some people don’t care at all about these things. Others, however, consider it to be a deal-breaker. If you want to be treated well should you run into issues with your bow, it is important to choose a brand that is known for taking care of its customers.

Final Thoughts

Although there are many different compound bow brands to choose from, there is sure to be one or two that fit you and your needs perfectly. Every company has certain things that they excel at, and they all produce bows that are very different from one another. With a little bit of research and thought, you can find the best compound bow brand for you! If you’re looking for compound bow recommendations, check out our recommendations page to see a few bows that we recommend to new archers.

Small game hunting is a time-honored tradition, and it’s the perfect way to get first-time hunters into the woods. Squirrels are everywhere, and they don’t require specialized equipment, scent maskers, hunting blinds or 4 am wake-up calls.

They also don’t require half a day to clean and dress. With a little practice, you can clean and gut a squirrel in under a minute.

Generally, large grey squirrels are hunted for meat. Red squirrels are much smaller, but they still have a substantial amount of meat for such a small body.

I have yet to weigh a squirrel before and after dressing, but I’d guess they dress out to about 60% of live weight. By comparison, woodchucks dress out to less than 30% live weight.

If you’re a small landowner or homesteader, the size of the squirrel isn’t always correlated with the damage they cause. We’ve had a bumper crop of red squirrels this year, and they’ve destroyed more than one crop. When they tore into the side of the house and started noisily defending our attached greenhouse as their territory, they quickly added themselves to the menu.

A few days later, a well-placed shot with a .22 took out this particular squirrel after he left the greenhouse. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to cleaning this particular catch. I assumed it’d take forever to skin a squirrel, but a bit of quick internet research showed me differently.

For the most part, we process hogs here on the homestead, and the hides on those beasts are well attached. It takes a lot of work with a knife to tease meat away from the hide.

Squirrels are different, and you can more or less pull the whole pelt off in one clean piece.

I watched a few youtube videos on skinning squirrels in particular, and all of them showed the same technique. Start by removing the feet, and then cut loose the skin at the base of the tail. Step on the tail and pull up.

The whole pelt should come off in one piece, except for the back legs. Those are peeled off after the fact, by hand or with a pair of catfish skinners.

Sounds simple enough. I ended up using a slightly different technique that’s very fast, and once I got the process down it takes about 1 minute to clean and gut a squirrel. I’ve written up the detailed instructions below, but I also made a quick video showing the process at full speed.

The first step is to remove the feet. My 3-year-old daughter wanted to help, so I gave her a pair of scissors to remove the feet, but a knife works well too.

The bones are delicate, and it doesn’t take much pressure to remove them. Since there are so few cuts, you could clean and gut a squirrel start to finish with a small pair of scissors in a pinch.

After the feet are removed, it’s time to make the first (and only) cut into the hide.

Grab the squirrel by the tail and locate the anus.

Take a sharp knife and slice just above the anus to sever the tailbone. The idea is to sever the tailbone, but leave it attached by a flap of squirrel pelt. Cut up along the back short ways so that there’s a good-sized flap of skin.

Be sure to remove any meat attached to the pelt. If you’ve cut into the squirrel hind quarter meat and left it on the pelt, it’ll pull the squirrel apart when you go to strip the squirrel pelt.

The next step is where my instructions differ from the experts. Perhaps it’s because I’m skinning a red squirrel instead of a larger grey squirrel, but “stepping on the tail and pulling up on the body” didn’t skin the squirrel.

All it did was skin the tail. I now have a piece of tail pelt and a fully stripped tailbone.

So I tried again, this time I stepped up higher on the tail, closer to the base.

The whole tail just ripped right off.

That’s been my experience in general with red squirrels, and they don’t require stepping to come apart. A small amount of finger pressure and the whole squirrel suit comes off in one clean piece.

No need to step on a tail, or get out the catfish skinners.

Just slip your fingers into the skin and in around the hips. Pull the base of the tail toward the scruff of the neck.

The skin will easily pull up off the entire back of the squirrel.

When you get up to the shoulders, slip your finger in and help free the upper arms.

Then go down to the back end and slide the squirrel pelt off of the hind legs.

At this point, the only thing holding the squirrel pelt on is the head.

Since this squirrel, I’ve cut off the head at the same time as the feet at the beginning. That allows for a much smoother process.

And there you have it, with just one cut at the base of the tail (and a few more to remove the feet and head), the squirrel is completely skinned.

The next step is gutting, which goes just as quickly.

Make a shallow knife cut down the center of the squirrel, starting just below the rib cage. Avoid puncturing any of the gut.

Pull out the organs, and then be sure to use a finger to remove the organs in the chest cavity. Those include the lungs and heart, and they’re separated from the other guts by the diaphragm.

If you’ve never gutted an animal before you might miss this part because it’s in a separate internal chamber.

Once all the organs are removed, split the pelvis and remove any last bits of intestine hiding within the pubic bone.

Since the squirrel is so small, it’s easy enough to leave it whole. But if you’d like, squirrel meat also breaks down easily into parts.

Dusting the pieces of the squirrel in flour and browning the meat will help retain moisture, just like they do in this squirrel stew with paprika and greens recipe.

Since making this original tutorial, I made a quick video showing the whole process.

After the initial setup, I do talk you through the whole process in just about 1 minute of video time.

Now that you’ve cleaned and gutted a squirrel, how on earth do you cook it? For the most part, a squirrel is cooked like a rabbit. I’ll have a few squirrel recipes up on the blog soon, but here are a few to get you started.

• Cider Braised Squirrel from Bon Appetit
• Braised Squirrel With Bacon, Mushrooms, and Pinot Noir from Field and Stream
• Instant Pot Squirrel
• Buttermilk Fried Squirrel

by Tom Gaylord, a.k.a. B.B. Pelletier

Part 1 Part 2 Secrets of loading the Benjamin Marauder magazine

Benjamin Marauder

Today, I’ll begin a look at accuracy for the Benjamin Marauder precharged pneumatic air rifle. If the Marauder was a normal PCP, this would be one quick report, but it isn’t. The owner has the ability to change not only the rifle’s power, but also the fill pressure the reservoir will accept. That makes testing a Marauder potentially complex if you want to try everything, and we certainly do want to do that here. So, today will just be a first look at potential accuracy, after which I’ll determine the shot count the rifle now gets with the best pellet, and then tune it to a preselected optimum range and test it again to see if the shot count increases. Neat, huh?

I know I’m going to shoot this rifle a lot, so I selected one of the best scopes I have — a CenterPoint 8-32x with parallax adjustment. The scope I chose is an old one from the time when Centerpoint was having Leapers make all their scopes. It’s no longer available, but a close equivalent would be this UTG scope.

Where to begin the test Oh, boy, where do I start? I thought it would be good to test a number of premium pellets and try to find 1 or 2 that stand out for accuracy. Then, I’ll concentrate on those pellets, which will help me focus on what has to be done.

I shot at 25 yards indoors because that’s the distance at which things start to happen. If a pellet is going to be accurate, 25 yards is usually far enough for it to stand out.

This is one time where 5-shot groups come in handy. I decided to shoot all the pellets I’d selected in 5-shot groups and see if 1 or more of them stood out as exceptionally accurate. Five-shot groups save time, pellets and air; and when you’re faced with testing 8 different pellets, as I was, it makes a big difference.

If there was no favorite pellet, I would just have to pick a couple pellets and proceed to work with them. But as it turned out, this rifle does have a favorite. When I show you how much better it is than the others, you will probably say what my wife, Edith said when she saw the groups. She couldn’t believe that 1 pellet was so much better than all the rest, and exclaimed, “Woohoo,” involuntarily.

Marauder’s noise level But before I get to that, when I walked into her office to show her the groups, Edith asked me what airgun I was testing because she couldn’t hear it. She thought it was some low-powered air pistol. And our female cat, who normally runs around the house complaining whenever I shoot, slept through the whole session. As it stands right now, the Marauder I’m testing is about as loud as a politician volunteering to do something proactive in a non-election year.

Pellets tested I selected the following pellets to test:

Crosman Premier 10.5-grain Crosman Premier 7.9-grain JSB Exact Heavy (10.34 grain) JSB Exact RS RWS Superdome Beeman Kodiak JSB Exact Monster JSB Exact Express

I did sight-in the rifle, but not so it would hit the center of the target because that would destroy the aim point. Nevertheless, a couple pellets did do just that. Fortunately, it was at the end of the 5 shots and no harm was done.

Average groups The Marauder is accurate no matter what pellets it shoots. It’s better with some pellets than others. Take a look at some of the 5-shot groups.

Five RWS Superdomes made this 0.528-inch group at 25 yards.

Five 10.3-grain JSB Exact Heavys made this 0.376-inch group at 25 yards. It’s better than the Superdomes, but still not great.

Five JSB Exact Monsters made this 0.316-inch group at 25 yards. It’s the second-best 5-shot group of the test.

Okay, I could live with the JSB Monster group, and there were a couple other pellets worthy of further examination if that was the best the Marauder was going to do. But it wasn’t. When I shot 5 Crosman Premier lites, the whole test changed.

Five Crosman Premier lites made this 0.139-inch group at 25 yards. It is hands-down the best 5-shot group of the test.

It should be obvious that Crosman Premier lites are the best pellet of those tested. On the basis of the 5-shot group, they’re twice as accurate as the next best pellet. Now, it was time to shoot a 10-shot group with them and see where that took us.

Ten Crosman Premier lites made this 0.285-inch group at 25 yards. This is exactly what I was looking for.

Obviously the 5-shot group was no fluke. This rifle really likes this pellet.

What’s next? Where do we go from here? First, I’m going to fill the rifle again to 3,000 psi and shoot nothing but Premier lites to determine the total shot count with the gun as it’s currently tuned. You may remember that we found this rifle was tuned to the max when we did the velocity test in Part 2. While that high speed obviously doesn’t hurt the accuracy of the Premier lite pellet, wouldn’t it be nice to get several extra shots from a fill and keep the same accuracy? The rifle currently shoots Premier lites at an average 1,015 f.p.s., and I think an average 900 f.p.s. will be just as good. That’s where I’ll be adjusting the rifle. Several of you have asked how the power is adjusted on the Marauder, so this will give me the opportunity to show how it’s done.

Then, I’ll count the total number of shots at that new velocity, and we’ll see what reducing the velocity gains, if anything. I’ll also test the accuracy at the new lower velocity to see if the rifle is still just as accurate.

After that, I plan to adjust the maximum fill pressure of the rifle. I’ll experiment with the rifle operating at a lower fill pressure while still getting the same velocity. This will be at the new velocity of around 900 f.p.s. We’ll see what benefits there are to having a lower fill pressure.

I do plan on shooting the Marauder at 50 yards, too, but that will come after all the adjustments have been made and evaluated. By then, we should know the test rifle very well and be able to tune it for the best performance. There’s a lot more in store for this rifle!

Lighter Score Weight When Filled Fuel Pre-filled? Top Pick: BIC Mini Lighter 0.39 oz Butane Yes Runner-Up: Clipper Mini Lighter 0.39 oz Butane Yes Best for Adverse Weather: UCO Stormproof Torch 3.21 oz Butane No UST Wayfinder Lighter 1.27 oz Butane No Zippo Matte Lighter 2.15 oz Zippo Lighter Fluid No

We bought 5 of the best backpacking lighters available and set about testing their water-resistance by soaking them in water, their wind-resistance by trying to blow them out, and their reliability by striking them until we got blisters. Our tests confirmed what backpackers have long known: the BIC Mini Lighter (commonly called the “Mini BIC”) is the best lighter for backpacking.

It is ultralight, reliable, decently water-resistant, and a great bang for your buck.

The Mini BIC’s only downside is it’s not wind-resistant. A simple windscreen can usually solve this problem though.

If you need a lighter for backpacking in extremely wet or windy conditions, we recommend the UCO Stormproof Torch. It was the most wind- and water-resistant lighter we tested.

Also, it’s important to point out the Mini BIC earned the top score in our tests by the slimmest of margins. The Clipper Mini Lighter is an excellent alternative. It isn’t as easy to find in the US, however — you’ll likely have to pick one up online or at a head shop.

Read on for our full reviews.

Top Pick: BIC Mini Lighter

Supremely affordable and available everywhere, the Mini BIC earned our Top Pick award because of its reliability, value, and ultralight weight.

When I struck the BIC 200 times, it lit a perfect 200. BIC has perfected lighting consistency.

The Mini BIC is also decently water-resistant. After performing 3 “Soak Tests” with it — submerging the lighter in water, shaking it out, and then trying to light it in 1-minute intervals — it took an average of 2 minutes before it started lighting again consistently.

(To dry it out quicker you can also run it up and down a piece of wood or your pants leg for 30 seconds.)

The BIC’s main drawback is how poorly it holds up in windy conditions. The flame is difficult to light in even a slight breeze.

It’s an easy problem to overcome though — I usually have luck with using my hand or windscreen to block the wind long enough to light my backpacking stove.

If you’re worried that you need something beefier to take into the backcountry, don’t be.

BIC lighters have been put through the ringer countless times by backpackers of all varieties. Every year plenty of AT and PCT thru-hikers complete their hikes having used only Mini BICs. And adventurer Andrew Skurka uses a BIC in his Cadillac Stove System.

Runner-Up: Clipper Mini Lighter

The Mini Clipper is another excellent backpacking lighter.

While not nearly as ubiquitous as the Mini BIC, it performed actually better in our tests.

For starters, like the Mini BIC it lit a perfect 200/200 times.

It is also slightly more wind- and water-resistant than the Mini BIC.

Where it took the BIC 2 minutes on average to start lighting consistently after having been submerged in water, it took the Clipper 1 minute. I was also able to light the Clipper more easily in a slight breeze.

You might be wondering at this point…

“If it performed better in your tests, why didn’t it get a higher score?”

Based on reports I read of backpackers who had used a Clipper for a long time, the general consensus was that a Clipper’s flint wore out quicker than a BIC’s. As such I docked it some points for being less reliable over the long-term.

In my view you still can’t go wrong if you take a Clipper on your next backpacking trip. Let price and availability be your guides if you’re undecided between the two.

Mini Clippers ship pre-filled but unlike BIC lighters they are refillable with butane. You can also purchase replacement flints and replace a used-up one yourself.

Best for Adverse Weather: UCO Stormproof Torch

Most backpackers — whether you’re a beginner or seasoned thru-hiker — don’t need this lighter.

It’s heavy, bulky, and costly relative to BICs and Clippers.

Its flame is impressive but unnecessary for all but the most adverse weather conditions.

But should you truly need a weather-resistant lighter, the UCO Stormproof Torch is your best option.

While neither truly windproof nor waterproof like UCO’s incredible stormproof matches, this lighter was the most wind- and water-resistant that we tested.

When submerged with the cap on, the inside of the lighter remained completely dry and lit immediately after shaking off the excess water. As marketed, the case is waterproof.

When submerged without the cap, it took just one minute of drying in my pants pocket before the lighter started lighting again consistently.

Its wind-resistance isn’t anything to write home about — it was pretty easy to blow out — but it was the best lighter we tested in this regard, just edging out the competition.

I do have some long-term reliability concerns with this lighter however. The more I struck it the more the flame started to sputter. If you do go with the Torch, take a back-up ignition source with you just in case.

There are two versions of this lighter: one comes with a bottle opener, the other with duct tape. I tested the duct tape version.

UST Wayfinder Lighter

The Wayfinder Lighter from UST, like the UCO Torch, is a butane lighter with piezo-electric ignition.

UST says it “performs without fail in the most adverse conditions.”

I found it to be reliably unreliable.

When I struck it 200 times, it lit just 87, the least of any lighter by far. It is marketed as “windproof” and is apparently able to withstand winds of up to 80 mph. I didn’t test it in those conditions, but I was able to blow it out by blowing air at a moderate rate.

The Wayfinder’s performance was heavily affected by being submerged in water. The inside of the lighter got wet even when the cap was on. Also, air bubbles came out of the fuel refill port, which made me wonder if water was entering the fuel chamber.

It took an average of 9 minutes of drying the lighter in my pants pocket before it lit again, and over 20 minutes before it started lighting consistently.

One of my main gripes with the Wayfinder is that there’s no way to know how much fuel is left. On backpacking trips, especially long ones, this in an important thing to know.

Overall I wasn’t impressed. The unreliability and high price point make this lighter a less than ideal choice for your next backpacking trip.

Zippo Matte Lighter

The Zippo is a classic, but it makes for a bad backpacking lighter.

The biggest drawback of this lighter is its unreliability.

Now, I don’t mean this lighter doesn’t light consistently. It does. The Zippo was the third most reliable lighter in that regard, lighting 175 out of 200 times.

In this case, I mean it’s unreliable because of the issues that stem from its fuel.

First, I had an issue with the fuel leaking. After soaking the lighter in water to test its water-resistance, the fuel started leaking on my hands, in my pants pocket, and on the outside of the lighter.

This poses two threats when out in the backcountry:

1. It increases your chances of running out of fuel
2. It poses a fire hazard should you light the lighter without realizing it’s been leaking

What’s more, the fuel evaporates slowly out of the lighter. There are numerous accounts online of people complaining about this and trying to come up with their own fixes to the problem.

This even happened to me when I took these lighters with me on an overnight backpacking trip. The Zippo had fuel in it when I left. When I returned just a day later, despite lighting it only a handful of times, it was empty.

The last thing you want on a backpacking trip is for the fuel in your lighter to leak or evaporate. As such, we don’t recommend the Zippo.

And that’s good news actually — the Zippo has the highest retail price of any of the lighters we tested, you need to buy fuel for it and refill it yourself, and it’s heavier than a backpacking lighter needs to be.

Save yourself a couple ounces and a handful of dollars: pick up a Mini BIC or Mini Clipper and be done with it.

Summary

Here are the best backpacking lighters:

• BIC Mini Lighter
• Clipper Mini Lighter
• UCO Stormproof Torch
• UST Wayfinder Lighter
• Zippo Matte Lighter

Alternative Ways to Light Your Backpacking Stove or Start a Campfire

In my experience, lighters are the most popular way backpackers light stoves and start campfires.

There are other ways, though, which we’ve also written about. Consider these other products if you’d like an alternative to lighters (click on the link to see our reviews of the top options):

• Fire starters
• Stormproof matches
• Waterproof matches

Even if you do go with a lighter, you might want to take a back-up ignition source just in case. Most backpackers I know who do this will carry one in the form of a ferro rod, magnesium fire starter, or pack of waterproof or stormproof matches.

How to Choose the Right Backpacking Lighter for Your Needs

Weight

When it comes to backpacking gear, lighter is always preferable.

The lighters we tested ranged from 0.39-3.21 oz. That isn’t terribly heavy in the grand scheme of things, but relatively speaking the heaviest lighter weighs over 8 times as much as the lightest.

Unless you want to go with our top option for adverse weather, the UCO Stormproof Torch, a lighter shouldn’t cost you more than an ounce in pack weight.

If you’ll be backpacking for an extended amount of time you might want to consider bringing a back-up lighter or, if your lighter is refillable, extra fuel.

Flint vs. Piezo-Electric Ignition

Flint lighters — like the BIC, Clipper, and Zippo — use a flint to generate sparks.

Piezo-electric lighters — like the UCO and UST — use a spring-loaded hammer to hit a piezo-electric crystal and create an electrical charge.

I found the flint lighters to be much more reliable over the long-term than the piezo-electric lighters.

Unless you need a highly weather-resistant lighter such as the UCO Stormproof Torch, I’d recommend you go with a flint lighter.

There are also battery-powered electric lighters (aka plasma lighters). These are not water-resistant and thus are less than ideal for taking into the backcountry.

Weather-Resistance

There is no perfectly windproof or waterproof backpacking lighter. However, all the lighters we tested sported some degree of weather-resistance.

Although, just because you expect to encounter adverse weather on your trip doesn’t mean that you need to bring along a highly weather-resistant lighter.

While I would generally recommend you go with a Mini BIC or Mini Clipper for the weight and cost savings, there are some situations where a highly weather-resistant lighter might be preferable — such as emergency or survival scenarios. Also, if you aren’t concerned with the extra weight and bulk it’s hard to put a price on peace of mind.

Pre-Filled vs. Empty

BICs and Clippers come pre-filled. The other three lighters we tested come empty and you must fill them with the appropriate fuel, which you also must buy.

Pre-filled lighters are less hassle and cheaper upfront. You don’t have to buy fuel or fill the lighter yourself.

Empty lighters you must buy fuel for and fill yourself. They are refillable and thus may work out to be cheaper in the long-run. The two types of fuel we used were butane for the UCO Stormproof Torch and UST Wayfinder Lighter and Zippo lighter fluid for the Zippo Matte Lighter. (The Mini Clipper can also be refilled with butane.)

Type of Fuel: Butane vs. Lighter Fluid

Backpacking lighters are generally butane lighters. The fuel they use is premium butane.

We also tested the Zippo Matte Lighter which uses Zippo Lighter Fluid.

After testing these lighters side-by-side, I personally would never take anything other than a butane lighter on the trail.

The reason?

The Zippo started leaking fuel after being submerged in water. The fuel got on my hands, on the outside of the lighter, and on my pants pocket where I had placed the lighter to dry.

How We Tested

Soak Test

For each lighter I did the following 3 times and averaged the results:

1. Submerged it in water for 5 seconds
2. Shook off excess water for 10 seconds
3. Tried to light it
4. If it didn’t light, I stuck it in my pants pocket to dry and took it out and tried to light it in 1-minute intervals, recording how long it took before each lighter started lighting consistently again

Results:

• Mini BIC: 2 minutes
• Mini Clipper: 1 minute
• UCO Stormproof Torch: immediately when submerged with cap on; 1 minute when submerged with cap off
• UST Wayfinder Lighter: 9 minutes when submerged with cap on; didn’t bother testing with cap off
• Zippo Matte Lighter: 20+ minutes when submerged with lid closed; didn’t bother testing with lid open

(H/T to this reddit thread for giving me the idea for this test, as well as the idea to test a Clipper lighter in the first place.)

Reliability Test

This was a straightforward test: I struck each lighter 200 times and recorded how many times each one lit.

Results:

• Mini BIC: 200/200
• Mini Clipper: 200/200
• UCO Stormproof Torch: 200/200
• UST Wayfinder Lighter: 87/200
• Zippo Matte Lighter: 175/200

Since I didn’t have time to test long-term durability, I then read reports of backpackers who had used these lighters for extended periods of time. If other hikers consistently reported that a lighter was unreliable over the long-term, I incorporated that into my final reliability rating.

Note: I removed the metal safety band from my Mini BIC prior to testing.

“Wind” Test

I don’t have a fan or leaf blower, but I do have lungs.

I lit each lighter and then tried to blow it out, starting by blowing lightly and getting progressively more forceful. It was an admittedly crude test.

Overall, I was disappointed in the wind-resistance of these lighters. If you’d like something that is truly windproof (and waterproof), read our reviews of the best stormproof matches. Otherwise, just be sure to bring along a windscreen to block the breeze.