I have had many questions regarding what the heck the name FOB and StarrFlight mean. This will be the first of a two part explanation. It is long, but I think you all will like the read.
Part One- FOB
It all started some 25 years ago or so. I have been Archery Elk hunting with the same group of folks for that long (yikes I am getting old). Back in the days before internal frame wall tents, setting up camp was quite the chore. This would require cutting ridge poles, side poles and always used lots of rope/stakes. Every year our hunting buddy Mark would show up with a brand new sealed package of yellow braided rope. We would quickly open the packaged and use it to set up camp. Well after about 10 years, we had a slow hunt (being a full moon and hot/dry weather). We were all sitting around camp consuming adult beverages and got to thinking about that yellow rope. It came in a sealed package with a long list of instructions and a very unusual tool, both of which instantly have been thown away for the last ten years. Well our curiosity got the best of us and we dug through trash to dig out the instructions and tool. What rope comes with instructions and a tool we thought?
To our amazement, the braided rope had detailed instruction how to make all kinds of fancy knot-less connections using the tool. The braided rope kind of acts like a Chinese finger puzzle so you can make splices and loops without tying a knot. You use the tool to push the rope through itself in various ways and when you pull the rope back tight. Wallah! A knot-less connection. The tool (as I remember it was called a fobe pronounced phobe). Although doing a recent search on the Internet it is called a fid. Well, needless to say we were intrigued and whatever the tool was called we called it a “FOB”. We razzed Mark about this as he was a Navy man and must have learned every knot and rope in the service but did not know about this wonder rope.
After spending the rests of the afternoon playing with ropes and making every kind of knot-less connection you can imagine, everything from that point forward was related to this amazing discovery. Now I am sure this technology has been around forever, but to us, it was "brilliant"
The next day started out “FOB to you” or “I’ve been FOB” or “good luck FOBBING” When we got back after the day chasing Elk, the first question was “did you FOB anything” or “see any FOBs”. The rest of the hunt used FOB in more ways than you can shake a stick at. It was one of the more fun hunts we had and always looked back at that years Elk hunt fondly.
Many, many years later when we came up with the airfoil (fletching replacement), my friend Cliff and I were wondering what to call it. We looked back on that crazy elk hunt long ago and thought. “FOB”. The rest is history.
The real story is so long, we had to come up with something else so we decided on “Fletching Only Better”. That was easier than telling the real story every time someone asks what FOB means. The FOB is just a funny name originating on a great Elk hunt many years ago with life long friends.
Some of the marketing guys who wanted our money to get started said we were crazy to call it a FOB and said we need to come up with something jazzy or rhymes like “Zip fletch” or “wingy thingy”. I am glad we stuck to are guns. We never have hired a marketing guy. But then again I am not rich yet.
Part two of the story to be continued…..Why StarrFlight??
Here is a hint….It came from another elk hunt! Ha!
Regards,
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