3 ways to keep your banners and signs flying – but not flying away – in high winds
I need my banners and signs. They bring me business, see? But I kind of need them to be, you know, upright.
And you, wind, are not cooperating:
But it’s NOT funny when I pay good money for a banner and I get this:
Hurricane: Hurricane Dora NASA image acquired July 21, 2011 by Flickr
Broken Sign: Broken danielcox Flickr
You even messed around with the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, my breezy friend. Not cool, wind. Not cool at all.
(A word of advice, wind: Keep your distance from the Divas Half Marathon 2018 in Galveston. Those women want to look good crossing the finish line, and they don’t appreciate the wind-blown look. Don’t mess with them.)
So I’m fighting back, wind. You asked for it.
Here are three great ways to keep the wind from turning banners into bummers.
Bungee Cords
You know them. You love them. Bungees rank second only to duct tape for versatility and usefulness. When you use bungees instead of rope to hang your vinyl banners, your banner can bounce instead of tearing in high winds. A little banner dance. Cool.
Bungees are inexpensive, they last a long time, and they make hanging and removing banners easier than using rope.
Mesh Banners
Come, on wind. Give these mesh banners everything you’ve got.
An old style of wind-proofing vinyl banners was to cut wind slits in the banner to keep it from “parachuting.” But cutting slits weakens the banner, and it won’t last as long. Mesh banners solve the wind-slit problem.
Mesh vinyl banners have literally hundreds (or thousands) of tiny holes, so the wind blows right through them. And they’re tough, because they’re MADE with holes – it’s their raison d’etre as the French (or pretentious Americans) might say.
Flags
If you’re using banners or signs in high wind areas often – say a beach or anywhere in Chicago – you might consider flags instead of full banners.
Flags have a smaller profile than full banners, so they don’t catch as much wind. And being smaller, they look great fluttering in the wind like a, well, like a flag.
If you can mount your flag in the ground, you can use a stake like this one to hold it down. Rock solid.
If you’re stuck with putting your flag on concrete, a mount like this one comes with a water weight to keep it in place. It takes a mighty wind, as they say, to blow this flag down.
Flags also come in a variety of shapes – feather flags, teardrop flags, blade flags, and triangles, just to name a few – so you can create a unique look and keep your flag flying.
All right, wind. We’re ready for you now. But, be easy, okay? I’m still sensitive about that Olympics thing.
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