Overview
Let us start by saying this…
We are so sorry.
We know you fundraised like crazy to get every drill team member matching garment bags with custom embroidery. We know they cost a pretty penny.
But you don’t need them. And you don’t want them. And in this short article, we’re going to explain why…
What’s Wrong With Garment Bags?
Garment bags are often made from heavy, weather-resistant materials such as canvas. When these heavier materials come into direct contact with the clothing inside, they press in wrinkles and other imperfections. This is multiplied tenfold when they are draped over bus seats, classroom chairs, or laid out on a table.
In fact, this is the very reason that many wealthy individuals with very nice clothes specifically do NOT use garment bags on their luxury wardrobe items.
Because we work so very hard to prepare our uniforms, we want to ensure that they arrive to the competition in tip-top shape, just the way we left them after we completed that preparation.
What Do We Use Instead
The best storage solution for uniform items when it comes to competitive drill team involves two things:
- Plastic Dry-Cleaning Bags
- Cardboard Garment Boxes
The plastic dry-cleaning bags you receive your items in directly from the cleaners are specifically designed to reduce and stop wrinkling. It kind of makes sense that an entire industry relies on these on a daily basis, right? There must be something there that makes sense! On top of that, these items are MUCH less expensive and you can even pick them up in bulk to store in your supply room!
The next major item we recommend are cardboard garment boxes. We like the “Shorty Boxes” from UHaul as they are sturdy and have a heavy-duty metal rail upon which to hang the clothing items! As a bonus these boxes generally fit under most coach busses and in the seats of most school busses! When you place uniforms into them, we also recommend using a strip of duct tape to hold the hangers in place to avoid the uniforms sliding from side to side!
Upon arriving to the competition site, we always recommend bringing a collapsable rolling rack or two. Your program probably already has at least one but if you do not, consider picking some up for drill team use specifically! This way, uniforms can be transferred from the boxes to the racks seamlessly to assist in the dressing process!
The Result
While garment bags are great for a quick-and-easy solution, they’re unlikely to assist you in the context of competitive drill.
By using a combination of plastic dry-cleaning sleeves and cardboard wardrobe boxes, we can preserve the care and attention to detail we’ve put into our uniforms!