Troop T's or class B's - what works?

[LauraT7 13]

Our troop T's are pretty sad -

heather grey, 95% cotton, hot and heavy (I suppose somebody once thought they would be absorbent or something) and our troop logo is silk screened ( patch size) where the left brest pocket would be (if they had one)

 

The heather grey isn't bad - They hide light dirt and stains well, and wash up nice. The light color reflects light, and isn't supposed to attract the bees and bugs - light color means good visibility of the boys at night and dusk.

 

But they are so .... blah! The logo is so small, and on the adults and boys who like their shirts big and loose - half the time it is under your armpit! We recently did a fundraiser, but few were aware we were Boy Scouts - because our shirts were so nondescript - no one could read the logo!

 

So we're thinking of a change -

 

Since we have SO MANY of these grey shirts, some printed, some not - it has been suggested that we Silkscreen a new, bigger logo on the back? maybe in a color?

 

Does anyone have any suggestions for doing it ourselves? alot of the boys already own 3 - 5 of these shirts apiece - because they are required by our troop at summer camp. It would be a big cash outlay if everyone had to buy all new T's. If we could have the boys bring all their exisiting shirts and have a silk sreen day and "renew" our old shirts - it could be lots of fun AND economical. does anyong have any idea where we could find out how to do that?

 

Going onward, we would like to get something with more impact though - We could phase these new shirts in as they outgrow their old ones...

 

What colors, & design ideas do your troops use that really look sharp and eye-catching? that hold up well to camp wear, and can take washing out of lots of ground in dirt from camp? That are COOL in the summer? Where do you find them, or have them done, inexpensively?

 

Some of the adults would like to see a polo type shirt for the adults, and a T for the boys - what do you think?

 

I saw a troop at camp last year that had a different color troop T for each day - Monday they were all red, Tues was Yellow - one day they all had tie dye shirts! At least THAT troop knew their boys changed their shirts everyday! LOL!

 

 

[yaworski 10]

Our troop has the troop number in huge digits on the back in black. You could put a big scout emblem on the back with the troop number and your town.

 

Your shirts are hot because they are too big. Cotton doesn't breathe when it gets wet so you just have a big balloon holding the heat in. Cotton t-shirts should fit snugly (horrors!) so when it gets wet with sweat, it acts as an evaporative cooler.

 

I've worked in a steel mill (120 degrees on a cool day) and I've umpired baseball for 20 years so I've spent my time in the heat.

 

Unfortunately, today's gangsta fashions dictate HUGE clothing. At camp this summer there was a boy who is about 4 ft tall and 60 lbs wearing an adult large T-Shirt, it was nearly falling off of him and got caught on stuff constantly but his mother claimed, "he likes it like that." Sheesh!

 

 

[ExperiencedUniforms 10]

Hi Laura:

 

Have a contest in the troop to design a logo. Keep it simple, and tell everyone that it will be printed HUGE on the back of the current and future shirts.

 

Go big. Design the logo to fit the entire back of a small shirt--that way it will also be large enough on a xxl shirt, but still fit the small shirt. Go with a simplified mascot or a simple line drawing of a wolf, wombat, eagle or whatever is your troop mascot. It can be a simple geometric shape--look at how recognizable the Nike 'swoosh' is. It is a very simple design. Use your troop numbers for ideas. They can be converted to Roman numerals, or be stylized numbers. Go BIG. For font ideas, check out http://www.jumbo.com/mm/fonts/ .

 

For specific details, look in your library for books on silk screening, or visit a silk screening shop in your community. If you want to stencil your own shirts, you may be able to locate a silk-screen kit at a nearby hobby store. The kit should include a frame, the 'silk' material, the stencil material, and a squeegee. It may also have ink. It is possible to use a thin paint as your ink, as well. Acrylic will clean up with water, and will be colorfast once dried.

 

Another alternative is to have the Scouts create a stencil using pasteboard. The silk screen is used to hold stencils that have intricate detail, while a simple design is OK for a paste--you can create a large stencil using pasteboard and then use spray paint for your design.

 

If you are up to a challenge, use two colors. Interesting effects can be done using 'drop shadows' -- a darker color strategically placed beneath a lighter color. Print the light color first, then print the shadows. For aligning the stencils, use cardboard inside of the T-shirt. Pizza box covers are good for this, of course any cardboard or light plywood will do. You will need to keep the board inside of the shirt until the ink is dry enough for the second stencil. You may not be able to get a perfect match, but if your design is simple and large, the error may not be as noticeable.

 

Keep on Scoutin

ora

[ASM7 10]

Check out AKWATEK at wickers.com

[rlculver415 10]

Our troop has new troop shirts printed every year, but the logo is the same. Only the shirt colors change. We had a contest in the troop to get the design. A large logo is printed on the back, with a small ID on the front left pocket. It really looks great!

 

The contest gets the whole troop involved. We spent time at the end of a meeting to begin the drawings in each patrol.

 

Silk-screening is easy to do if you have the right equipment. I'd suggest you talk to your local school art department about using theirs. You might even get a teacher to demonstrate the whole process. Most schools are very cooperative I've found. Then your outlay will be for supplies only. If your boys make their own screenings, they'll have a fun time, too!

[KoreaScouter 13]

Akwatek is indeed what the Army uses for it's latest PT uniform shirts. I did check out the wickers.com site, and the prices knocked me over! I can buy the Army Akwatek shirts for $6.90 short sleeve and $8.95 long sleeve -- a far cry from the 20-25 dollar range at the wickers site. I certainly wouldn't want my Scouts running around in a grey Army t-shirt as an activity uniform, but the point is that stuff shouldn't be that expensive!

 

Anybody seen that stuff cheaper anywhere else? We're getting our cotton activity t-shirts for $6 each now, with the silk screening...

 

KS

[sctmom 11]

I think the idea of silk screening on the back of your existing t-shirts is a good idea. I have never done that, but sounds like a good way to continue to use the existing shirts.

 

About the shirts being big, I have one of those 4 ft tall, 60 pound boys and he wants his shirt somewhat big but hates his troop issued adult large. It falls off his shoulders, is too much shirt to tuck into his pants and if he wears it over shorts, it comes to his knees and he looks like he doesn't have on pants! He's not the only one, there seems to be a lot of small scouts in our troop. The theory when the shirts were ordered was that they boys will grow into them. With the shirts costing less than $10 a piece and the troop only requiring he has one, I would rather pay for a new one when he outgrows this one (if he EVER does).

 

I do like the idea of different colors for different days -- like you said, at least you know they changed their shirt! When I arrive at summer camp Friday afternoon, I half expect to see my son in the same clothes he left in on Sunday!

 

 

[SagerScout 10]

If you teach the boys to wash their T-shirts and have sunshine, they really only need 2 at camp - one to wear and one on the line. It doesn't take that much to wash them, it can be a pleasant part of the morning camp routine or they can just wash them in the shower.

 

Ours are light blue and a lightweight 50:50 blend, and they wash up fine with a little shampoo. However, if it rains a lot, a third shirt is nice to have as it can be hard to get them dried even if the clothesline is under cover.

 

Yaworski is right about the big shirts when they are cotton. I feel more comfy in the lightweight blends when they're a bit roomy though, especially in the high humidity which prevails in my area. Might be selfconsciousness about my plus size factoring in also, I'm not sure.

 

Julia

 

 

[yaworski 10]

"Akwatek is indeed what the Army uses for it's latest PT uniform shirts. I did check out the

wickers.com site, and the prices knocked me over! I can buy the Army Akwatek shirts for $6.90 short sleeve and $8.95 long sleeve -- a far cry from the 20-25 dollar range at the wickers site"

 

I took a look at that site. Wowzers! $15 for a pair of skivvies. Those had better be great skivvies for that money.

 

Personally, I don't know why you'd want your activity clothes to be loose. Over the years I've found that the shirts with the shoulders drooping down onto the arms hinder arm movement. I referee basketball and in rec leagues where the uniform is a t-shirt, girls will tie the sleeves up for more freedom and guys just rip the sleeves off.

 

Also the wikers site says, "Akwatek keeps the wearer cool in warm temperatures, and warm in

cold temperatures, making it the only multi-seasonal performance underwear." Which isn't exactly true. Ask any Civil War re-enactor about his multi-seasonal wool underwear.

 

Make mine a natural fiber :-)

[akela 10]

We recently had new shirts made. they are tan with navy print on them. They hide dirt nicely. They boys have a bsa trefoil over the breast with Troop 111 under it. then on the back we screened a large (takes up the hole back) trefoil with our troop number and town under it, it kinds circles the emblem. You should just add an emblem or design for the back, it would be less costly. We have a local church that has it own screening machine, they make shirts for bible school. and they are always willing to help us out, check with some of the larger churches in your area, or do a little digging, you might get it done for $0. Good luck. We are looking at doing shirts for the CS pack with a large screen of our state on the back. We don't take them out of state, but thought it was a great idea.

 

Cheryl

[rlculver415 10]

I just can't resist being nitpicky here.

 

yaworski - wool is a natural fiber, unlike synthetics.

 

supermom - girl scouts have a trefoil, boy scouts have a fleur-de-lis.

 

[yaworski 10]

"yaworski - wool is a natural fiber, unlike synthetics. "

 

I know that. What's your point? The company claimed that theirs was the only "multi-seasonal" underwear.

[Mike Long 10]

This should help you out some with printing your own shirts. Otherwise just email me and I'll see what I can do to help.

 

http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=11063

 

Folks, the term is Screenprinting not Silk Screening despite what your local printer might say.