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Storing clothes at shows?

Hi all - first post, but long time lurker.

What do you all do with your clothes during multi-day shows? I have a few garment bags that I use regularly - but I am looking into some alternatives.

Do any of you have trunks or other luggage to keep your clothes clean, wrinkle and dust free?

I recently saw someone with a bar across the backseat of a hatchback car, and shirts, jackets, and breeches all neatly on clothes hangers.

Guess I’m a little confused. Multi day shows, wouldn’t you leave your show clothes at the hotel or in your camper and bring what you wear for the day in a hanging bag or wear it, and keep coat in bag until show time?

It depends when you ride. If I ride in the morning, I might wear my breeches and shirt, with sweater and maybe some sweats over. If I ride later in the day I bring my clothes in a bag and change in the tack room. I leave the clothes I definitely won’t put on until later in the tack/changing room the whole time. These are coats, boots, helmets, gloves, numbers, etcetera, each in a bag all organized. If I’m afraid of them getting “lost” I will put them in a trunk/bin.

http://www.amazon.com/Whitmor-6058-90-Supreme-Garment-Chrome/dp/B0007OBFA8/ref=pd_bxgy_201_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0D2P4KCTN5NW90644F31

and

http://www.amazon.com/Whitmor-6462-389-Supreme-Garment-Natural/dp/B0007MHCWU/ref=zg_bs_16353491_15

Not really space-saving if that’s what you’re going for…but in a dressing room/tack room at a multi-day show it works well, especially for barns sharing space.

[QUOTE=lachelle;8400038]
http://www.amazon.com/Whitmor-6058-90-Supreme-Garment-Chrome/dp/B0007OBFA8/ref=pd_bxgy_201_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0D2P4KCTN5NW90644F31

and

http://www.amazon.com/Whitmor-6462-389-Supreme-Garment-Natural/dp/B0007MHCWU/ref=zg_bs_16353491_15

Not really space-saving if that’s what you’re going for…but in a dressing room/tack room at a multi-day show it works well, especially for barns sharing space.[/QUOTE]

That could be a very cool thing and pretty affordable! Thanks for sharing it.

We currently use a big garment bag. It’s actually from Miller’s! Does Millers even exist anymore? Anyways, it’s huge, plaid, and we monogrammed it so no one could walk off with it. (That’s a big rule as well; monogram or label everything you can.) Everyone on our show team is told to bring a stall hanger thing to hang their stuff in the tack stall. We tend not to leave stuff at the hotel because we need different things for different classes and you never know when something might get destroyed.

I would always contain everything and make it a rule for yourself that you put it back in the garment bag or wherever you are keeping it. That way less things get lost or end up in someone else’s possession.

[QUOTE=lachelle;8400038]
http://www.amazon.com/Whitmor-6058-90-Supreme-Garment-Chrome/dp/B0007OBFA8/ref=pd_bxgy_201_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0D2P4KCTN5NW90644F31

and

http://www.amazon.com/Whitmor-6462-389-Supreme-Garment-Natural/dp/B0007MHCWU/ref=zg_bs_16353491_15

Not really space-saving if that’s what you’re going for…but in a dressing room/tack room at a multi-day show it works well, especially for barns sharing space.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Soaponarope;8400124]That could be a very cool thing and pretty affordable! Thanks for sharing it.

We currently use a big garment bag. It’s actually from Miller’s! Does Millers even exist anymore? Anyways, it’s huge, plaid, and we monogrammed it so no one could walk off with it. (That’s a big rule as well; monogram or label everything you can.) Everyone on our show team is told to bring a stall hanger thing to hang their stuff in the tack stall. We tend not to leave stuff at the hotel because we need different things for different classes and you never know when something might get destroyed.

I would always contain everything and make it a rule for yourself that you put it back in the garment bag or wherever you are keeping it. That way less things get lost or end up in someone else’s possession.[/QUOTE]

Thanks lachelle, Soaponarope and others for the tips. I do like the zippered closet idea for in the dressing room.

Does anyone have a vertical trunk like this one from McGuinn or an alternative? They are large and expensive, but seem like they would last forever. My hesitation is that it is so large, it would be difficult to transport on my own - so I would have to send it on the trailer and store at the barn.

A trunk seems like a lot to lug around. Our barn has this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C91XVQ8?Version=1&entries=0 to store garment bags in our dressing room with a fabric hanging organizer attached to put gloves and helmets. It’s light, portable, sturdy and breaks down very easily.

[QUOTE=NowOnTarget;8400699]
Does anyone have a vertical trunk like this one from McGuinn or an alternative? They are large and expensive, but seem like they would last forever. My hesitation is that it is so large, it would be difficult to transport on my own - so I would have to send it on the trailer and store at the barn.[/QUOTE]

Just to be honest: if I worked at your barn and you showed up with that and said we would be bringing it around to shows for you moving forward, I would be kinda bummed about that.

[QUOTE=Soaponarope;8400124]
That could be a very cool thing and pretty affordable! Thanks for sharing it.

We currently use a big garment bag. It’s actually from Miller’s! Does Millers even exist anymore? Anyways, it’s huge, plaid, and we monogrammed it so no one could walk off with it. (That’s a big rule as well; monogram or label everything you can.) Everyone on our show team is told to bring a stall hanger thing to hang their stuff in the tack stall. We tend not to leave stuff at the hotel because we need different things for different classes and you never know when something might get destroyed.

I would always contain everything and make it a rule for yourself that you put it back in the garment bag or wherever you are keeping it. That way less things get lost or end up in someone else’s possession.[/QUOTE]

Manhattan Saddlery has been located in the same space as Miller’s was for about 10 years or more now.

If your barn colors are blue, I feel like this might look amazing in a shared dressing room: http://www.amazon.com/Songmics-Portable-Wardrobe-Organizer-URLG45Q/dp/B0105HAXNQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1447465102&sr=8-4&keywords=plastic+wardrobe+closet

After helping move in a (small) barn’s worth of stuff to a show in the last two days, I think I would cry if someone asked me to move that wooden clothes cabinet.

How much clothing are you needing carried exactly? This seems unnecessarily complex.

Keep the bulk of it at the hotel or in your house and carry what you need for the day in anything at all - backpack, garment bag… I carry mine around in a Vera Bradley bag my sister in law gave me!

We use Schneiders Easy Up components in the tack stall. This clothing rack holds tons, we keep garment bags hanging from it, as well as coats (as in outerwear) and the like. It can be either compact, or spacious, depending on how wide open you hang it.

http://www.sstack.com/tack-racks-clothing-racks/easy-up-clothing-rack/

We also use these folding shelves. Helmet bags and other stuff go on top, and we hang boot bags with double ended snaps from the underside of the shelf, thru the grid of the shelf.

http://www.sstack.com/tack-racks-clothing-racks/easy-up-fold-up-hanging-shelf/

The great thing with these two items is that they don’t take up any real estate on the floor of the tack stall. And they fold down flat. They are quite strong and can hold a LOT of gear. We also use the saddle rack system and other components of the Easy Up line.

We put a lock on the tack stall, of course. :wink:

[QUOTE=AmmyByNature;8400912]
How much clothing are you needing carried exactly? This seems unnecessarily complex.

Keep the bulk of it at the hotel or in your house and carry what you need for the day in anything at all - backpack, garment bag… I carry mine around in a Vera Bradley bag my sister in law gave me![/QUOTE]

I don’t pack lightly… that might be the problem!

I typically bring three or four jackets, shirts and breeches, boots, gloves and two helmets. I generally have to travel for shows and do fly most of the time - have not lost any luggage yet but it is a fear.

I guess I’ll have to chat with my trainer and see what he thinks.

I use the same hanging shelf that Keysfins posted; it is easy to transport in my trailer (folds flat) and easy to put up once we arrive at the show. Most of my trainer’s clients bring their clothes in garment bags and we simply hang those from the bar that attaches to the shelf.

For the record, my all time favorite garment bag is the one made in Baker fabric; I’ve had mine for years and it’s held up like iron. http://www.equusnow.com/products/baker-garment-bag.html#reviews

The McGuinn trunk is stunning. I personally have fantasies about the barn office/tack room I will have someday, all tricked out in their beautiful wood & brass, with Baker accents and a nice Oriental rug, so I get your admiration for the clothing trunk. But I am realistic enough to know that no one is going to want to drag that around for you - especially for weekend shows. Even for those who go to the winter fantasyland that is Wellington for the duration of circuit, that might be a bit over the top.

If you like, I will sob with you. It’s so pretty.

[QUOTE=NowOnTarget;8401074]
I don’t pack lightly… that might be the problem!

I typically bring three or four jackets, shirts and breeches, boots, gloves and two helmets. I generally have to travel for shows and do fly most of the time - have not lost any luggage yet but it is a fear.

I guess I’ll have to chat with my trainer and see what he thinks.[/QUOTE]

All of that for a day? I use a garment bag from SmartPak in our barn colors for what I need that day. Everything else stays at the hotel until needed the next day. When I unpack at the hotel I stream/iron as needed.

I have a garment bag from Lands End, an old one that is really big and sturdy with big pockets. I can bring everything I need for a weekend of eventing, between that bag and my boot bag. Personal stuff and non riding stuff is packed separately.