Hoyt Trykon XL Review

Editors' review

Here is the honest hook: the Trykon XL is the base Hoyt Trykon stretched for reach. Hoyt took the 2006 Trykon platform and added three inches of axle-to-axle length, a half inch of brace height, and an extra inch of maximum draw - turning a 33-inch all-rounder into a 36-inch bow built to hold still. It shares the same Zephyr Cam & 1/2 hybrid system and the same XT500 limbs, so nothing about the powerplant changed; what changed is the geometry, and geometry is the whole story here. The trade is small on paper - the longer frame gives up two feet-per-second against the base bow, landing at 314 fps IBO (the industry-standard speed rating measured at a fixed 30-inch, 70-pound, 350-grain setup). The reward is a steadier hold and more sight radius for the taller shooter and the hunter who values a forgiving aim over raw speed. One more thing sets this bow apart: it existed for a single year. The XL was gone from Hoyt's 2007 catalog, its role eventually passed to the 2008 Katera XL, which makes it a genuinely rare one-year Hoyt on the used market today.

Finish

Hoyt's 2006 tune sheet for the Trykon XL is a spec-and-setup document, so it does not enumerate a named finish palette, and the honest position is not to invent one. In practice a mid-2000s Hoyt hunting bow of this class shipped in the era's standard camouflage - the Realtree-family patterns that dominated whitetail woods at the time - alongside a solid black option for shooters who leaned target. Because this bow is a used-market find now, the finish a buyer actually encounters depends heavily on how the previous owner cared for it: the anodized riser and the dip pattern on a well-kept 2006 example still look sharp, while a hard-hunted one may show wear on the shelf and grip throat. That is worth a close look in photos before buying. A refinish is entirely realistic on a bow this age - one of the owner projects that put this platform back in the field simply stripped the riser and repainted it in automotive paint for about thirty dollars, so a scuffed finish is a cosmetic issue, not a dealbreaker.

Riser

The Trykon XL rides on a machined 6061 aluminum riser, the material standard for hunting bows of its generation before carbon migrated down from Hoyt's flagship line. The defining move is length: the riser and limb geometry stretch the bow to a 36-inch axle-to-axle span, three inches longer than the base Trykon, which is what gives the XL its steadier hold and broader stance between the cams. That length is the reason to buy this bow over its shorter sibling. The reflex geometry sets the grip behind the string line to build the 7.5-inch brace height, a hair deeper than the base bow's 7 inches, adding a touch more forgiveness to the shot. Cable containment is handled by a period bar-style cable guard rather than the roller guards that came later, which is one of the few places the bow shows its age. The riser accepts standard Berger-hole rest mounting, so any modern drop-away or blade rest bolts straight on - a relevant point for anyone reviving one of these today.

Grip

The Trykon XL carries Hoyt's mid-2000s two-piece grip, side plates set against the machined riser throat to form a moderately narrow, medium-wrist hand position. It is a directer, harder-feeling grip than the slim rubberized grips Hoyt moved to in later years, and it puts the web of the hand a little higher on the throat. For most shooters that reads as a neutral, repeatable hand placement, though anyone stepping off a modern slim grip will feel the difference the first time they draw. The practical upgrade path is easy: aftermarket side plates and heat-formed grip options fit this riser throat, so a shooter who wants a warmer or slimmer feel in cold weather can change the hand experience without touching the bow's tune. On a used example, checking that both side plates are present and uncracked is a quick, worthwhile inspection.

Limbs

The XL runs Hoyt's XT500 limbs, the eXtreme Technology laminated limb used across the full-size hunting platform, shared here with the base Trykon. They are split limbs seated in machined pockets, and they carry the complete 40-to-80-pound draw-weight range, which is broad enough that a single bow can serve a lighter target draw or a heavy big-game setup. Draw weight adjusts through the limb bolts in the normal way, and the wide span means a buyer is rarely locked out of their preferred poundage. Across Hoyt's mid-2000s lineup the XT limb family earned a solid reliability record, and these limbs are a large part of why a 2006 example is still a safe used purchase - the limb design itself is not the weak point, the aging strings are. On any used bow of this vintage the sensible check is the limbs for stress cracks near the pockets before a first draw, but the platform's history here is reassuring.

Eccentric System

The heart of the Trykon XL is the Zephyr Cam & 1/2, Hoyt's mid-2000s hybrid cam - a control cam on top and a power cam on the bottom joined by a slaved cable, engineered to deliver single-cam-style nock travel with the speed of a two-cam system. The signature feature is let-off you choose: swapping modules sets the holding weight to either 65 or 80 percent of peak. That is a genuinely useful fork - a target-leaning shooter runs 65 percent for a firmer, more definite wall, while a hunter runs 80 percent to cut the holding weight and stay settled longer while a buck closes the distance. Think of the 80-percent setting as holding roughly 16 pounds at full draw on a 70-pound bow versus about 25 pounds at 65 percent. Rated speed is 314 fps IBO, two feet-per-second behind the base Trykon - the price of the longer, steadier frame, and a difference no hunter will ever feel in the field. No Trykon XL-specific chronograph data exists, but the shared Zephyr platform tells the real-world story honestly: on a base Trykon, a tuned 65-pound setup with a 338-grain arrow chronographed in the high 280s to high 290s, which is the usual gap between an optimistic IBO number and a real hunting setup with a real-weight arrow. Owners agree the Zephyr cam is what defines this bow's character; it is a moderate draw for its era rather than an aggressive speed-cam pull, which is exactly what a stability-first buyer wants.

Draw Cycle/Shootability

Drawing the Trykon XL is a moderate, honest pull rather than a harsh speed-cam ramp - the Zephyr hybrid loads progressively and rolls into a defined valley without a violent hump, which is a large part of the reputation the platform earned. On the 80-percent modules the back wall softens and the valley lengthens, giving a hunter room to settle; on 65 percent the wall firms up for a shooter who wants a crisper anchor. Where the XL genuinely separates from the compact bows that followed it is the hold: the 36-inch axle-to-axle frame plants and stays put, and the extra mass - this is honestly a heavier bow than a modern hunter - works with that length rather than against it. In my experience a longer, heavier riser like this rewards a shooter who lets the pin float and breaks the shot clean, and owners describe exactly that, framing the weight as a feature: the heavier the bow, the steadier it sits on target. The stock shot signature has the mild buzz typical of a mid-2000s aluminum riser, but this platform responds strongly to damping - a fresh custom string set plus limb and string silencers quiets it noticeably, turning an older bow into a genuinely pleasant shooter. I would not buy one expecting flagship-quiet out of the box, but I would expect a tuned example to shoot smooth, hold like a rock, and finish the shot with no drama.

Usage Scenarios

The Trykon XL is a hunting and crossover bow that plays to reach and stability. Picture the tall archer with a 31- or 32-inch draw who has spent years maxing out shorter risers - this bow finally fits, and the long frame turns a marginal anchor into a comfortable one. It is a natural treestand and ground-blind whitetail rig for the hunter who prioritizes a dead-steady hold over shaving ounces, and the full draw-weight range takes it up to a legitimate elk or big-game setup at 70 or 80 pounds. The same length that steadies a hunting shot makes the XL a comfortable crossover for casual 3D and backyard target work, where the extra sight radius helps a shooter group tighter at distance. It is honestly not the choice for a tight ground blind or a spot-and-stalk hunter counting every ounce - a compact bow serves those better. But for the shooter who does most of their hunting from a stand and wants one forgiving bow that also enjoys a summer on the 3D course, the long geometry earns its keep.

Versions

The Trykon XL was sold as a single configuration for the 2006 model year: one Zephyr Cam & 1/2 platform on XT500 limbs, 36-inch axle-to-axle, 7.5-inch brace, 26-to-32-inch draw length, 40-to-80-pound draw weight, offered in right- and left-hand. Let-off was the only in-model choice, set by module to 65 or 80 percent, and it did not create a separate SKU - a buyer selected modules for their preferred holding weight. Hoyt did not print an MSRP in the catalog, and no period price survives, so today the only honest price frame is the used market, where these trade as an affordable older Hoyt. Note the family around it: the standard Trykon (2006-2007) is the shorter 33-inch version of this same platform, and the smaller-frame Trykon Sport and youth Trykon Jr arrived in 2007 for shorter-draw and younger shooters. The XL's direct successor in spirit is the 2008 Katera XL - a shopper cross-shopping this used bow against a slightly newer Hoyt should keep that model in view.

Trykon XL vs Switchback XT, Allegiance

Bow	Hoyt Trykon XL	Mathews Switchback XT	Bowtech Allegiance
Version	2006	2008	2008
Picture
Brace Height	7.5 "	7.5 "	7.25 "
AtA Length	36 "	31 "	33.25 "
Draw Length	26 " - 32 "	25 " - 30 "	26.5 " - 30.5 "
Draw Weight	40 lbs - 80 lbs	40 lbs - 70 lbs	50 lbs - 70 lbs
IBO Speed	314 fps	315 fps	317 fps - 335 fps
Weight	lbs	4.25 lbs	3.8 lbs
Let-Off	65% or 80%	65% or 80%	65% - 80%
Where to buy Best prices online	$220.5 to $700 Compare prices	$299 to $850 Compare prices	$175 to $450 Compare prices
	compare more bows

Three mid-2000s hunters, three different philosophies of the same era. The Mathews Switchback XT was the forgiveness benchmark of its day, and on paper it lines up remarkably close to the Trykon XL: an identical 7.5-inch brace height and a 315 fps IBO within a single frame-per-second of the Hoyt. The difference is the powerplant and the frame - the Switchback XT runs Mathews' single-cam system, famous for a quiet, low-maintenance shot, on a 31-inch axle-to-axle chassis, so it trades the Hoyt's five extra inches of stance and its module let-off choice for proven Mathews quietness and simplicity. The Bowtech Allegiance comes at the same hunter from the speed side: its binary-cam system pushes 317 to 335 fps IBO on a 33.25-inch frame with a firmer, faster-feeling draw, appealing to the shooter who wants energy first. Against both, the Trykon XL's case is its 36-inch axle-to-axle length - the longest of the three - plus the ability to dial 65 or 80 percent let-off from one bow and a full 40-to-80-pound draw span. All three trade used only now, at similar affordable older-flagship money. The decision comes down to priorities: the Switchback XT for the shooter who wants the quietest, simplest single-cam shot, the Bowtech Allegiance for the one who wants the most speed and the firmest wall, and the Trykon XL for the long-draw hunter who wants the steadiest, most forgiving hold and the flexibility of a selectable let-off.

Summary

The Hoyt Trykon XL is the base Trykon built for reach and stability - a 36-inch axle-to-axle frame, 7.5-inch brace, and draw length out to 32 inches, riding the same proven Zephyr Cam & 1/2 hybrid and XT500 limbs as its shorter sibling. Its rated 314 fps IBO gives up just two feet-per-second to the standard bow, a price no hunter will feel in exchange for a steadier hold and more sight radius. Hoyt never published a mass weight or an MSRP for this model, so the honest frame is a used-market find, and a rare one - the XL lasted a single 2006 model year before disappearing from the catalog, its role later filled by the 2008 Katera XL. On a tuned example the module let-off choice and the long, planted frame add up to a forgiving, versatile shooter; in my experience the extra length and mass reward the archer who lets the pin float and breaks the shot clean. Buy a used one with an eye on the strings, and budget for a fresh set - a quick, cheap step that turns a fifteen-year-old bow into a quiet, honest hunting and crossover rig. An excellent bow for the long-draw hunter who wants a steady, forgiving hold from a treestand and a comfortable crossover for casual 3D, particularly strong when a dead-still aim matters more than the last few feet-per-second. Buyers prioritizing the quietest single-cam shot should also look at the Mathews Switchback XT, and those who want the most speed and the firmest wall should weigh the Bowtech Allegiance.