Marching band parents--uniform storage?

[daemom]

Can any of you, who have children in marching band, describe for me what type of storage systems you have in your trucks for uniforms, etc? I'm not having much luck on the internet--not typing in the right phrase apparently! Right now our kids put their uniforms on rolling racks and, you guessed it, they've rolled around the truck while in transport. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

They wear them?

 

[Cindy's Mom]

Can any of you, who have children in marching band, describe for me what type of storage systems you have in your trucks for uniforms, etc? I'm not having much luck on the internet--not typing in the right phrase apparently! Right now our kids put their uniforms on rolling racks and, you guessed it, they've rolled around the truck while in transport. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Are you talking about storage for to and from the event? Or long time storage in between season. When I was in marching band, I just wore my uniform to the game and wore it home. Why do you need a storage system? I'm confused.

 

[Amy]

Our band kids wear their uniforms to/from local games and competitions. For longer trips (when they take touring buses instead of school buses), they put the uniforms (in the uniform storage bag) in the luggage area under the bus. I think they put all the uniforms in one of the luggage sections and then the instruments in another so the instruments aren't moving around and scrunching up the uniforms. Or maybe they put the uniforms on TOP of the instruments? I'm not sure exactly, but I DO remember them storing the uniforms in the luggage area underneath.

 

[kellyg403]

Our HS Marching Band has a tractor trailer. Our kids do not wear their uniforms to or from competitions, they are stored in individual luggage bags and then on the racks that are secured to the wall of the tractor trailer. That way when we reach the school after the event, we roll out the rolling racks and each bag is numbered. The numbers reflect what section, percussion, flute etc. Then we place those on individual racks and store in the band room. Our kids pants are white so we try very hard not to have them worn to and from events. The band parents have to wash them at home and hang dry. Sometimes I get 16 pairs sometimes over 20 hanging around the dining room!

If the game is really close the kids will wear their pants and band tshirt on the bus and get their coats at warmup. But, most of the time we do as I stated above. We don't have money in the budget for dry cleaning. The tractor trailer is donated and the cab that hauls it around for us is a former band parent who continues to donate their time.

Our members including color guard number 258 this year. So alot goes into the program.

HTH,

Kelly

 

[KarenB]

On long overnight trips, our kids just put their garment bags in the (charter bus) storage that is underneath the bus. It looks far from organized, but the kids know they must have them in their hands after they get off the bus. The "band van" is already packed with instruments. For football games, when they go on a school bus the garment bags just go on the bus with them, usually shoved into their seat they are sitting in.

 

[golfgal]

For our band, in season on the way to competitions, we have a semi-trailer that carries all the large instruments and percussion, etc. There is a ramp in the trailer that takes kids up to the "top" of the trailer and there they have a slotted rack where they hang their garment bag with their uniform. The best way I can describe this is it looks like a piece of an erector set, metal with a bunch of holes in it. During the season when they are not competing each member stores them at home. Off season they are stored in a storage room at the school with custom made cabinets where there is a hanging bar for the uniform and a cubby for the Shako and accessories.

I looked through our band photos online because I thought that there was a picture of the trailer with uniforms in it but I couldn't find it.

 

[OrlandoMike]

Most box trucks have hooks on the side of the walls. Go to a local hardware store and get some bungy cords and bungy the racks to the walls of the truck. If there are no hooks on the walls, bungy the racks together and bungy the whole thing to some instrument cases or some of the heavier drums. I've spent many summers helping drum corps get down the road, and they could not exist without bungy cords! LOL