Buying guide for Best pants hangers
If you’ve ever tried to hang your dress pants on traditional hangers, you know how poorly they work and how often your clothes slip to the floor. Regular hangers can also leave an unsightly crease in your pants. That’s why pants hangers are a necessity in every closet.
Some models are designed to hold several pairs of pants, while others hang pants individually while keeping them evenly spaced. Still, others are designed with travel in mind, so you can keep your dress pants looking good when you’re away from home. While most pants hangers are quite affordable, the cost per unit varies.
Finding the right pants hangers for you can help you keep your pants looking sharp and your closet organized. A good buying guide and a few recommendations can get your shopping started.
How to buy the best pants hangers
Why use pants hangers?
Most people tend to hang up their dress pants and fold everything else into drawers, but hanging all your pants in one place allows you to easily see your options when deciding what to wear. If you like all your pants free of wrinkles and easily accessible, you could make good use of pants hangers.
Hanging pants rather than folding them keeps them in good shape. Chinos, khakis, and dress pants can all benefit from hanging to minimize wrinkles. However, you can hang just about any type of pants from jeans to pajamas to hiking pants.
Many hangers can hold multiple pairs, saving a significant amount of space. In addition, you can also use these hangers to hold items like skirts, scarves, and lingerie.
Size and portability
When comparing hangers, consider how much space they take up, how they hang from a rod or hook, and how easy the hanger is to store and transport. If space is tight, compact models with multiple crossbars save the most space in a closet. If you travel frequently for work, lightweight individual hangers are easy to tuck into a suitcase.
Design
It might not seem like there’s much to the design of pants hangers, but some are better suited to certain spaces than others. Some inexpensive options don’t display clothes well or make it difficult to take pants off the hanger. Fortunately, there are many affordable pants hangers available that work well.
Vertical organizers: For a combination of economy of space and visibility, vertical hangers are a popular option. Some hangers can hold five or more pairs of pants. While most vertical organizers have several separate crossbars that are open on one end, some budget models have an S-type design composed of one snaking piece of metal or plastic. While these may look elegant, hanging and removing pants can be more cumbersome with this design.
Horizontal organizers: These organizers offer better display of your garments and space them out for ease of access. This is the best option if your goal is to be able to quickly and easily grab a pair of pants from your closet. However these pants hangers use space less efficiently.
Clips: Similar to the hangers found in department stores, clips are straightforward and offer a way to hang your pants without folding them, greatly reducing the chances of wrinkles or unwanted creases. However, they can be harder to manipulate.
Open hangers: Built like traditional hangers but with one open end, these hangers are a no-frills choice that makes it easy to hang and remove pants and see all your options.
Dual-use hangers: These traditional hangers include clips for hanging pants in addition to a suit jacket, sweater, shirt, or another garment.
Velvet is an excellent material to add grip to the crossbar of a pants hanger.
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Features to look for in pants hangers
Materials
Pants hangers are made of a variety of materials that vary in strength, durability, and look.
Wood is a stylish option that can support several pairs of pants even on one crossbar. If you have an open closet design or a walk-in closet, this might fit your aesthetic. These pants hangers are usually more expensive. Many also have clips and metal components.
Metal is a good choice, and it’s also very durable (though not to be confused with wire hangers, which are flimsy). Because of the metal’s strength, the crossbars can be quite thin, making your garments highly visible and easy to access. Note that many manufacturers don’t list a specific type of metal, but high-end models are made of stainless steel.
Plastic works in a pinch and many plastic pants hangers are inexpensive and may come in packs of as many as 30, making this the best option if you’re on a budget. However, it’s brittle and not as strong as wood or metal. Avoid plastic clips, which don’t do a good job of holding pants, especially heavy ones.
Other materials: Look for pants hangers that include a grippy material like velvet, felt, or rubber on the crossbars or clips. This is a small detail, but it can make the difference between your pants hanging properly and constantly slipping to the floor.
Durability
If you’re looking for hangers you can take while traveling, don’t overlook durability. If you opt for plastic, make sure it’s thick enough to survive the rough handling that baggage is subject to. Avoid hangers with moving parts if possible, though metal ones are usually more durable.
Weight limit
In addition to the number of pairs of pants a hanger can support, also check how much weight it can hold. Unfortunately, most manufacturers don’t mention this in the description. There isn’t a standard measurement for the weight of a pair of pants! You can tell how many pairs of pants a hanger can support by the number of tiers or crossbars it has. If you don’t need to see all your pants at once, you can double up on each crossbar.
Extras
Keep an eye out for a few features that can make these hangers easier to use.
Swivel hooks: If you like all your clothing facing a certain way in the closet, rotating hooks eliminate having to rehang items if you put them in the wrong way.
Swing arms: On hangers with several crossbars, a swing arm lets you easily remove the pants you want. The swing arm locks in place for storage.
Dual hooks: These pants hangers take up a bit more space but keep the whole hanger from swiveling while you remove or hang garments.
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If you opt for a tiered hanger, put the pants you wear most frequently on the bottom. They are easier to remove from this spot.
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How much do pants hangers cost?
Inexpensive
You can find a variety of sets of individual hangers made of plastic, wood, or metal for $10 to $15. The number of hangers and the quality vary significantly in this range.
Mid-range
Pants hangers that cost $15 to $20 include individual hangers of every material that can support multiple garments or sets of individual hangers. Expect to find rubber grips, rotating hooks, and other features in this price range.
Expensive
Elegant high-end pants hangers and sets of 20 or more cost $20 to $30. These offer both ends of the durability and quality spectrum. Individual hangers or pairs of hangers in this price range are made of high-quality materials and feature convenient designs that display your garments well. Large sets of hangers in this range may be of lesser quality.
Put a bit of thick paper in the jaws of each clip to distribute pressure more evenly and prevent the clips from leaving indentations in your clothes.
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Tips
- Add felt to the crossbar. If you find a pants hanger you like but the crossbar doesn’t have a grippy surface, you can use a hot glue gun to add a layer of felt to the crossbar so your pants won’t slip off the hanger.
- Choose open-ended crossbars: These make hanging and removing pants much more convenient.
- Fold casual pants with the back pockets on the outside. Whether you’re hanging them with clips or draping them over a crossbar, fold jeans or chinos along the front so the back pockets are on the outside.
- Fold dress pants to preserve the creases. There are many videos available online that show you just how to fold pants for hanging to avoid wrinkles.
FAQ
Q. Can’t I use regular hangers for pants?
A. Traditional hangers have a closed crossbar, which makes it more difficult to hang or remove pants. They also aren’t as good at preventing pants from slipping off.
Q. Can I use a pants hanger to dry the pants?
A. While it’s better to hang pants from a clothesline with clothespins, you can dry them on a hanger. However, be sure to fold them properly to prevent unwanted creases or wrinkles. This is a good way to save yourself some ironing time.
Q. Where should clips go on the pants?
A. The waistband is your best option because it’s a durable part of the garment. It’s also less visible if the clips leave indentations or cause wrinkles in the fabric.
