How Durable Are Our Flags?
Before I started Flags For Good, I was a flag nerd who was buying flags off Amazon to fly outside of my house. I had two big problems with doing this:
- I hated buying flags from companies that also profited off of selling hate symbols and other...let's just call them "flags for bad."
- The flags were always a low quality thin fabric, single stitched, and wouldn't last very long at all.
So when we were testing fabrics, we chose a strong polyester which blends extreme durability with still enough lightness to fly in a light breeze. It's similar to the polyester used in commercial flutter flags and other high use promotional banners.
We also use a sturdy canvas header and strong metal grommets on top of a triple stitched fly edge for extra strength at the most vulnerable point.
But what does that mean for you?
Well, here's our flag at the beginning of the summer down in Antarctica at the Mendel Polar Station (the Czech Antarctic base). And remember, Antarctica is the windiest place on planet earth.
Aaaaaand here is the same flag at the end of the summer...
As you can see, our flag stayed in one piece while the Czech flag is half missing. I don't know if you can do a better stress test than that...
Thanks to Jana Smolíková for the photos!
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Nice post
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Author
Michael Green is a credentialed vexillologist and the founder of Flags For Good, an Indianapolis-based flag company dedicated to causes worth flying. He served as Technical Editor of The Complete Guide to Flags of the World, 4th Edition and has delivered multiple TEDx talks on flag design and symbolism. With flags encountered across 75+ countries, Michael brings both academic expertise and real-world perspective to everything he writes about flags.
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