That time a year again. Need to buy new stuff.

Where do you buy em and what's your preference on:

> Knickers (for those of us who need a skosh more room in the rear and thigh area; and does anyone hem them so that you don't need to fold them down?)

>Socks (any real choices here)

>Best shoe polish

>Bean bags

>Flags (white tape over tip or not)

>Game cards (make your own, "plastic or paper" <are we at a grocery store?>)

> Best game gear bag

>Any other tips for organizing or storing your stuff? (I use a zip lock bag marked "GAME" for everything I need to take the field, knowing all the accessories are in one spot)

Thanks, all.

I like the Powers brand. I usually sew the front pockets shut, so they are smooth and don't bulge. I don't hem the length, since I usually fold them over and fold my socks down over them.

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>Socks (any real choices here)

I seem to struggle here. I have more trouble with my arches and heels during football than I do during basketball.

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>Best shoe polish

I don't think Leather Lustre works very well for outdoor shoes. I use Kiwi Leather Dye, followed by Kiwi Honor Guard. Also, the Collonil brand is good.

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>Bean bags

Buy vinyl. They can be cleaned. Others can't.

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>Flags (white tape over tip or not)

NO! Personally, I think the white tape looks terrible. If you want something heavier in the center, un-tape it, insert whatever, tighten a rubber band around the base, and use strap tape to re-tape. But be careful what you put in it.

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>Game cards (make your own, "plastic or paper" <are we at a grocery store?>)

I like the paper better, unless it's raining. But, I ain't paying $5 for a pack of 25. It's ridiculous.

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> Best game gear bag

I use the basic black, leather bag with a main compartment, a pocket on each end and a zip pocket, front and back.

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>Any other tips for organizing or storing your stuff? (I use a zip lock bag marked "GAME" for everything I need to take the field, knowing all the accessories are in one spot)

Be careful about putting wet items in a zip lock back. They'll mildew. I use a bag designed to hold a soccer shoe.

Also, since I mentioned shoes, old shirts can be cut, sewn and made into great shoe bags. Run a lanyard through the seam and you've got a tied end to boot. ;)

Equipment
 

I like to keep my accessories in the side compartment of my bag, and then some "spare parts" in my bag in case I forget anything (or, more likely, someone on my crew forgets).

My association makes their own cards, and I like them a lot better than any cards I can order.

I put white tape over the ball of my flag not for extra weight, but for a more durable flag. All it takes is a rainy game and a few spikes on the flag to get a rip in the nylon.

I have a question for everyone on whistles. Is it best to get a finger whistle? I have one on the end of my lanyard, and I like having to reach for my whistle when I'm a wing so I have an extra second to avoid an inadvertant whistle.

Personally I like to have my whistle on an extra long lanyard. I know Honig's sells them and I'm sure other places do too. This allows me to hold the whistle away from my mouth, and with the extra slack it's a bit more "natural" when running with the long lanyard as opposed to the normal length one. Then when the play is over I'm able to blow the whistle and still have my hands free for signaling.

Uniform stuff...
 

Has anyone tried the Shoe Magik brand kit that Honig's sells? It has this great cleaner that cleans and softens the leather. Then the wax adds more leather conditioning, softening and a nice shine. I love it so far because it has brought my older pair of shoes back to life.

Socks and sore feet... Gosh that is a tough question. The only suggestion I have is to massage your feet before and after the game with something soothing like Peppermint foot lotion. Fitted socks probably work the best.

Knickers: I like Honig's athletic cut. More room in the seat and thighs.

Flag: I prefer no tape on mine. I love the center ball style and I found that using a ladies/girls pony-tail hair band keeps the ball tighter and is more durable than rubber bands. Plus you can buy these in yellow to match the color of the flag.

I love the cloth bean bags but I'm going back to vinyl this year. Much easier to keep clean.

http://www.honigs.com is my choice for uniform stuff.

Game cards: Paper or plastic depending on the weather. I write down everything in my note book after the game. For example, if a player or coach is ejected we have to write a letter to the league because depending on the circumstances that individual may have to sit out for the next game.

[Edited by Mike Simonds on Aug 8th, 2003 at 01:54 PM]

Here is my list

Pants - Honig's athletic cut (I need the extra room). I trim off the extra length, fold them under and tape them to my socks to keep them looking good during the game.
Socks - no preference
Shoe Polish - After struggling with leather lustre, I found a polish by Winchester that is used by law enforcement. High, durable shine that is virtually idiot proof. I love the stuff.
Bean bags - vinyl, double sided.
Flag - nylon with center weight, white tape on end
Game cards - the local guy makes one that I like, it held up through 160+ games last year without any problems.
Bag - nylon duffel. It allows everything to breathe and is very forgiving about abuse

Extra stuff - I'm pretty neurotic, so I have a medicine pocket in my bag that has OTC stuff for allergies, pain, antibiotic, bandaids, ACE bandage, athletic tape, contact lense stuff, Imodium, Rolaids, etc. I had a crew member need something every game, so I have become the crew pharmacy. I have a collection of foreign coins that I use for coin flips that are cool.

Murphy says have at least 2
 

I have at least one spare of each item with me - that goes for hats, flags, whistles, lanyards.

Hate to see Murphy in action.

I usually throw everything into my big bag--
every so often someone forgets to pack
a hat, shirts, pants, belt or whatever !!
Back in CNY I even had to pack a bunch of
cold weather gear too !