In my opinion, absolutely nothing will beat the all-around utility of a 1" military leather sling. Like any other leather item, it needs to be treated for water resistance, scuffing, mildew, etc. as was stated in a previous post, but so do leather boots, gloves, and even leather car seats! Every time I see someone touting the use of shooting sticks, I have to wonder why no one seems to remember how to stand up on their hind legs and shoot like God intended, or drop into a sitting or kneeling position and "sling up" (which is really hard, if not impossible, to do with a synthetic sling).