To iron or not to iron, that is the question

[BartHumphries]

One of the reasons I like the old uniforms is that they're so easy to iron. Turn the iron up hot, turn the steam on, spread the clothes out on the ironing board, swipe, swipe, they're done. The new clothes need a particular iron setting (not too hot), just barely hot enough to make any steam which just makes it more of a pain to iron the clothes (not to mention how difficult it is to get the new pants to lay flat for ironing).

 

Now, if the new clothes never wrinkled, that'd be one thing, but they do. Seriously, try putting a Scout uniform into a pack you're taking out for a week and try to not have it wrinkle. I'm not complaining about that -- wrinkles in clothes when you're at an "outpost camp" or out on the trail are expected, normal, everyday events. The problem is when you get back home and you're trying to look sharp for a meeting. You've now had those wrinkles pressed into the clothes and it's a royal pain to get them out so that the fabric doesn't have sharply pressed wrinkles running through it.

[Scoutfish]

I never iron the pants. WEll, not to get bthat crease in the leg. I hate that! I usually wash them and let them hang dry with those store hangers that have the clips on each end. Pants are not ironed, but have hung so thjey dry smooth.

 

As for the shirt, I turn ythe iron about 3/4 of the to the highest setting, and quickly run the iron over it.

 

I don't put creases in my shirt, but do like the pockets top lay flat andf smooth. Then again, with the shoulder patches and front patches, it's hard to put a crease where it should go if you wanted to have it anywyas.

 

Personally, as long as it doesn't look all wrinkled and wadded up, It's good to go!

[Eamonn]

I send all my shirts to a shirt service.

I'd sooner pay the $1.75, then have all that messing around.

Work shirts, I go with heavy starch and medium for the rest.

Pants are $2.25, but as a rule I wear pants more than once.

HWMBO used to take care of this, but it became a little much when she became ill.

Funny how many people comment on how sharp my uniforms look.

Before anyone hits me with the Scout is Thrifty. I earn a little over fifty cents a minute, so it's cheaper in the long run and that's not counting the water, power, and whatever else is needed.

Ea.

[frank10]

I also send my shirts out. Trick is finding a cleaner that will respect the patches and not fold them over and crease them too.

[Basementdweller]

You guys make me feel cheap....Just chuck them in the washing machine........My dryer has a 5 minute buzzer on it....I just make sure I go and pull them when it goes off.

 

 

[Scoutfish]

Basement,

That's not cheap! That's being thrifty!

 

[BartHumphries]

I used to send my clothes out to the local drycleaners... where I would then clean and press them.

 

If I was still working there, I would seriously hate to see the new uniform shirt/pants come through -- a good deal more of a pain than the older pants/shirt. I also never creased patches.

[The Blancmange]

The one thing I hate about my supplex shirt is that if I leave it in the dryer for more than a few minutes or don't hang it immediately upon taking it off, it looks terribly wrinkled. Also the collar is a bit too soft and never looks "crisp," even if I do iron it.

[Old_OX_Eagle83]

None of the newer uniforms iron well, and they all wrinkle easy. Stay away from the evil polyester stuff. Call it what you like, supplex, or whatever, still polyester. Wears poorly, and melts.

 

I always iron my shirts before wear, or packing, even if just going to camp. Pants I iron if the occasion is dress, or they need it. I dont iron shorts, or socks. For dress events I do iron the undershirt, polish the shoes and belt, and clean my buckle.

 

A scout is clean

 

[jrush]

Well, an option is to have "field uniform" and "dress uniform" shirts. Field uniform shirt with minimum patches (let's face it, patches and sewing are the majority of the shirt cost by the time it's said and done). If it requires going near a pine tree, the field shirt goes. Meetings, COA, fundraisers, etc get the nice shirt.

[Old_OX_Eagle83]

You have the correct idea jrush. However, I wonder just how much of the bling needs to be on the uniform? I thought my children to field strip the uniform, I do the same. In the end all the uniform really needs is CSP, unit numbers, position, rank, and the already sewn on Nation and BSA id; all else is fluff.

 

Pins, neckers, name tags, sashes, slides, medals, OA insignia, jambo insignia, knots, temp insignia, strip and ring enhancements, and jambo insignia, are all optional .

 

 

[ScoutBox]

You know, I've been ironing my clothes since my mom taught me as a teenager. Even in the Army I ironed all of my uniforms. I iron my Scout Uniforms and they look great. easy to do. I don't pay any attention to the setting. They do damaged and look good.

 

 

[desertrat77]

As a new ASM mid '80s, I had two shirts: an ODL for in town use, and a classic old school edition from the early '50s for the field.

 

The old shirt was remarkable. I enjoyed wearing it. Kept it fairly uncluttered: original BSA strip, and an Eagle knot. Nothing else.

 

Still have the ODL...still fits, but starting to show its age (as am I). Always ironed it, but never overboard.

 

The '50s shirt looked great right out of the dryer. Tough as nails and very well designed. Alas, I outgrew it. So I cut off the Eagle knot and sent the shirt back to the donation bin (I paid a couple bucks for it at a thrift store)...hopefully, someone will get the same enjoyment from it as I.

[Old_OX_Eagle83]

desertrat77, Oscar De La Rente made our uniforms prissy, and they still are, I'd love to see the return of uniforms made to stand up to field wear. I troll ebay and thrift stores as well

 

[MoosetheItalianBlacksmith]

Im with Basement dweller. If I need my uniform cleaned I through it in the washand Im doneIve met the clean requirement. I never iron the uniform. I dont see a point as its going to get wrinkled again and I have better things to do then constantly iron my uniform.

 

But I am one of the people with pins and OA things and a lot of other stuff on my uniform due to the fact that I earned that stuff and am proud of it. I do a lot of different things at district and people like to know who I am.so I have the name tag (this is also cause our OA lodge bought them for every member of the lodge.) I like the comments from people wondering what different things on my uniform stand for.its a conversation starter.

 

I have recently started velcroing on certain patches though. Such as my position patch which changes and my quality unit patch which gets replaced every year. It really works well.