Whether you're a busy businessman who's traveling for work or someone who frequently travels for pleasure, using the right garment bag suit hanger will keep your suits in line and wrinkle-free.
If your suits cost hundreds of dollars, why hang them on flimsy wire hangers? These inexpensive hangers leave much to be desired, especially when traveling. Although plastic hangers are a step up, your best bet when selecting hangers for your suit are wooden. Fortunately, there are many options for wood hangers.
Garment Bag Suit Hanger Pointers
When shopping for suit hangers, there are some qualities you should keep in mind, especially if you're planning to use these hangers frequently for travel. You'll be using them with a garment bag, so the hanger and bag should work harmoniously. Garment bags made of canvas, nylon or leather will help protect your suits. You want your clothes to remain wrinkle-free and clean while inside the bag. When buying hangers, consider these points:
- Buy the same kind of hangers. Some wooden hangers are more curved than others; which one you select is a matter of personal preference. Mixing curved hangers with flatter ones will make the hangers fit together in an awkward way, which may be more difficult to carry. By buying all curved hangers or all flat hangers, they'll fit together in a more complementary fashion, making the job of carrying the garment bag easier.
- Use hangers with an attached bar. The hanger will hold your jacket in place, while the bar will keep your slacks in line. You'll find several options with bars: some are smooth, while others are rubberized, to better hold onto pants. If you have trouble with your slacks constantly slipping off the hanger bar, you can add two pieces of Velcro yourself to either end of the bar for a quick, inexpensive fix to the slippery pants problem.
- Clamps may create dents in your slacks. Some hangers feature bars that contain clamps, which will securely hold your pants in place. The trouble with clamps is that they often do their job too well. You're left with creases or dents in your slacks from where they were clamped.
Shopping for Suit Hangers
Men's clothiers often sell or include quality suit hangers with your purchase. Online retailers you may want to consider for the perfect garment bag suit hanger include:
- Henry Hanger: In business since 1929, you can expect this company to know hangers well. Henry Hanger sells a wide variety, as well as accessories that work with their hangers. You'll find clear photographs and complete descriptions of what they offer.
- The Container Store: There's a great selection of all types of hangers here, but big and tall men may be interested in the oversized hangers this retailer offers. These broad hangers fit jacket sizes 44 to 60, but if you need hangers to fit smaller jacket sizes, The Container Store has plenty of them as well.
Pricing
Some people avoid wooden hangers because they're more expensive than the plastic variety, but the additional cost is worth paying. The hangers are designed to work with your shirt, suit or slacks. Their curved edges won't create unflattering "points" at the shoulder and you have different color options to select from. A good quality single wooden hanger can start at around $10.00 and go up from there.
Quality Counts
A good quality hanger will last indefinitely. When carrying your garment bag through the airport, train station or hanging it in your car, you want to know that your suits remain protected. By making the small investment into a good set of suit hangers, you'll be able to use them again and again with the confidence that your suit investment is cared for. This is an area where quality counts, making good choices in a garment bag hanger today will reward you for a long time.
