What you do with your gear after a game

[Doctor Hook 0]

I got a hockey tree about 6 months ago and I'm near religious about hanging all of my gear on it after a game so it dries out. It's in my dining room and I just like having all of my hockey gear standing up, it's art to me. On a related note, I live alone.

But I'm all for taking out your gear and drying it. A disturbing number of players I know simply leave their crap in the bag until the next game. It's enough to bring you to tears...from the stench. I've also seen a teammate's pair of DR shoulder pads get overtaken with hideous mold. If somebody wore them, it may trigger a pandemic that would make bird flu look like strep throat.

And I have a feeling most of you take care of your gear, but have at it...

On another note, and I'm sure I'm in the minority here...but jersey, jock shorts, hockey socks, and performance shirt get washed weekly. Even if it means I only wore them once, doesn't matter. I like putting on clean stuff. I'm actually like that with all my clothes.

However, I've never gotten my equipment professionally cleaned. I find it doesn't stink because I dry it out and also because none of it is that old anyway, since I like to replace gear every few years.

[Ryan DYHA 0]

I take my gear out of the bag, hit the exercise bike for bout a half hour..then go Spray it with Lysol or some disinfectant that I get at my LHS and let it air dry, then put it back in the bag

Yeah, I would try Esporta or something to get my gear professionally cleaned, but Im on the ice too often and never have any little breaks to have my gear sent off and cleaned

[Dougie8 0]

I take it out, in my hall. Hang up my Shoulder Pads and Helmet on the rack, with my skates below. Then put my shinpads behind my bag,pants down below them on the floor. Socks on a box outside my room, gloves I lay ontop of my bag and I leave my elbow pads in my bag.

I guess i'm kinda supersticious ;) (sp?)

[--notorious 0]

Go home empty out bag on floor, kick things around so not on top of one another bring up clothes put em in laundry. Im on the ice 2 times a week so my gloves been used 20 times + smell new

[zinNergy 0]

I have a dry boiler room thats always a high temperature inside that is where all four sets of hockey gear in my household are dried out after every game in 4 seperate 6 foot sectional 'cubbies' (I hate that word) with hooks and shelfs that fit all my gear perfectly. It's great for tornaments, because it dries extremely fast.

[DamnLocust 0]

I actually used to keep 2 sets of gear in my trunk (ice and roller) along with my sticks. God, did it smell awful. Now I've got new gear (and a different car) and I air it out every time I use it.

I pretty much just lay it all out on the floor to air-dry for a day or two, then reload the bag. Gloves are always palms up with the liner pulled out, shin pad liners removed, and skates always have soakers and footbed removed, with tongue pulled forward.

I wash my socks, jock, jerseys, and shin liners for every icetime. I usually play about 3x a week, but it usually falls on the weekend. Cant stand wet/smelly gear. Every couple of weeks I'll toss my elbows in the wash too.

[cwc2134 1]

OK here is my story and i need some advice. i play College hockey( club sport) and i live in a house with 4 guys. one of my roommates plays hockey as well. we practice probably twice a week and have 2 games a week. when we get done with practice we take our bags out and usually leave them outside our house. we dont have a garage or a porch. its just a patio made of cement and we live in a typical college house. the other day i decided that i was going to pull my stuff inside because it was going to get really cold and i didn't want anything to happen to my stuff. my roommate left his bag outside and it was stolen that night.

so basically what im asking is how can i air my bag out without having to leave it in the open or leaving it inside. is there some sort of box i can leave outside and lock it up? and before someone says use the shock doctor bag. i have a team bag so thats not really an option.

any advice?

[jimmy 194]

I do nothing except slide on the Shock Dr Power pack on the bag and turn it on. All equipment stays in the bag and in a few hrs my stuff is dry. :)

I find now I'm getting even lazier and it's a hassle to drag my bag out of the car. If only...there was a way..... to never have to take it out of the car.

[DamnLocust 0]

so basically what im asking is how can i air my bag out without having to leave it in the open or leaving it inside. is there some sort of box i can leave outside and lock it up? and before someone says use the shock doctor bag. i have a team bag so thats not really an option.

any advice?

if you are required to use the team bag, you could always get a shockdoctor bag and set it up inside the house somewhere. After a game you can transfer gear to the bag, and when it dries you put it back into the team bag. I was actually considering this, as the bag is simply too big to lug around. 'I decided to keep the $200 and keep doing it the way I've been doing it for the past year.

[RadioGaGa 162]

I have a locker that everything goes in....not quite big enough to really let it air out 100% but better than having it in my kitchen to dry (as I had to do in my old apartment).

I've been playing around with the best way to get it all in, and still have some room for air to move around. This is what I do now...

Helmet (out of the visor bag), gloves, elbow and skates on the top shelf.

Shoulders on the back of the door.

Pants/jerseys hanging.

Shins/socks and bag on the floor.

Towel and shirt get hung in the bathroom to dry. I usually wear jock/shirt, socks a few times before I wash them (When you have to pay 5.00 per load...washing after every use gets a little expensive).

I had a bit of a rash on my left arm, so I did throw the elbows in the wash the other day and the rash seems to be gone, so I may do that more often.

I've done SaniSport once...got rid of the stink. But at $30+ per...that gets expensive too.

[1One9 0]

mine stays at the rink with the rest of my teams in our room. we have individual stalls and airing out is not a problem. however, last year, i simply layed it all out on the floor of my basement and let time do the rest. i have also never had my gear professionally cleaned and dont intend to. my UA also gets washed after evey icetime.

[AnthonyJTa 0]

I do nothing except slide on the Shock Dr Power pack on the bag and turn it on. All equipment stays in the bag and in a few hrs my stuff is dry. :)

I find now I'm getting even lazier and it's a hassle to drag my bag out of the car. If only...there was a way..... to never have to take it out of the car.

like a trunk blower? I can picture it now.. 07' (Insert any car make/model) - MSH edition.

man, would that make my life easier. everytime I hit the shop I think of dropping the $$ on the Shock Doctor bag... I live in the attic, so it sucks dragging my bag up to the 3rd floor.

[mack 44]

I live in the attic

Hugo Simpson?

[DamnLocust 0]

^I wonder how many people will actually get that.

Jimmy, as far as leaving it in the car, don't they make a car adapter for the blower? If not, You could get a power inverter. Try to find one with an automated shut-off for low battery. If you have a long ride to/from the rink, you could probably get it done on the way home.

[All Torhs Team 0]

I may be the dirtiest player here when it comes to hockey gear. Playing at least 7 times a week, it does not get aired out, and hardly ever washed.

If I were looking at all of you now, I'd be embarrassed to show my face.

[RadioGaGa 162]

I may be the dirtiest player here when it comes to hockey gear. Playing at least 7 times a week, it does not get aired out, and hardly ever washed.

If I were looking at all of you now, I'd be embarrassed to show my face.

I play with a couple guys that do that...damn near puke if they sit next to me in the room.

[number21 3]

My roommate and I both play, and we both are religious about drying our stuff out. We have to, we have no storage out side our apartment.

He picked up this rack at the Container Store. It works really well, although the screws that came with it are crap!

The rack usually holds my skates (foot beds pulled, soakers off) on the hooks, the gloves go on the other skate hooks, helmet in the tray, i hang my shin guards and elbo pads on the little side hooks that are supposed to hold sticks. I hang my shoulder pads on the banister or in my closet, pants hang in my closet with jersey jock, etc. I wash the jersey every 2-3 games.

If you have some wall space and a good place to hang you shoulders and pants, i'd recomend that rack. I think it was like $15-$20.

I am all about clean gear too. Don't want to stink up my apartment or car, and i figure it's got to be easier to breath without a stench on my body! :lol: But i think only playing once a week makes it easier to keep the gear dry.

I live in the attic

Hugo Simpson?

Sewing pigeons and rats together?

[All Torhs Team 0]

I may be the dirtiest player here when it comes to hockey gear. Playing at least 7 times a week, it does not get aired out, and hardly ever washed.

If I were looking at all of you now, I'd be embarrassed to show my face.

I play with a couple guys that do that...damn near puke if they sit next to me in the room.

Yeaaaa, my last names Brown too, it doenst help to much. ;)

[Doctor Hook 0]

Not a lot of fellow hockey tree huggers here, eh? Another thing I like about it...I won't forget a piece of equipment, since it's all on there. How many times have you left a piece of equipment to dry in some different spot and you forget to pack it? Absolute worst feeling for a hockey player...actually not as bad as an own-goal, but still.

[marc_9 0]

i put my gear on a hockey tree in my basement and then spray it with febreeze

[CHIEF22 0]

I have a room in the house that was supposed to be a dining room, its where the computer is and stuff. I use one of those fold up clothes drying racks to put shoulders and pants on, then I have a metal rack like that gear tree. My gloves, cuff down, shins, elbows and helmet hang from that. Skates get wiped down and insoles taken out and put by the heater to dry. I also wash my stuff after I play. Jersey, jock, both pairs of socks, compression shorts, and UA shirt. It all goes in the washer, and then I air dry it.

[KBO25 0]

I use a clothes-line. I used to have one in my basement. But, after a few years my wife coudn't take going down there to do the laundry. So, now it's in the garage. I hang all my gear right when I get home, wash socks(skate and outer), jock, undershirt/shorts and jersey after every game(2 or 3 times a week).

The irony is that once my wife sent me out to the garage, I replaced my old stinky gear and it really doesn't smell anymore.

[lawryde 0]

I've got an old baby crib in my basement that's near the furnace and water heater. After every game or pickup session I hang it up on the crib rails and wire mesh on the bottom. It gets good air flow around it and with the furnace and water heater near by it stays dry and warm. I wash my jock, socks, shower towel, and jersey every time also.

I can't handle putting on wet, stank, or cold gear.

[top 0]

I unzip my bag, turn it around and dump everything out and let it dry then shove it back in whenever i go back on the ice.

[topshelf11 0]

I've got an old powder coated metal coat rack in the garage. Bag goes on the floor next to it, and all of the gear goes on the rack to dry out. I rotate undergarments, so I wash them about once a month. Elbows, shins, and girdle get washed 2-3x/season.

My stuff doesn't smell like a spring breeze, but it's not as bad as most of the guys I play with. One guy never takes his stuff out, and it is bad. I remember I guy I played roller against. we called him "The Reeker". He smelled so bad, that you couldn't cover him in front of the net without gagging. Maybe that's not such a bad strategy! :P