Reinforcing the Flag

The previous owner of my house erected a 30-foot flagpole at the end of the driveway right on Mud Bay. There’s a benefit from having your own flagpole—the opportunity to proudly fly our flag. But there’s responsibility too—the flag needs to be displayed properly and replaced when it gets tattered, fades, or wears out. That happens more often than you might think.

Flags flown on flagpoles in windy areas take a beating. Mud Bay can be particularly blustery when a gale blows in from Dyes Inlet to the north. The photo shows a nylon flag that was exposed to sun and strong winds for an extended period. This week when I was buying a new flag I hit on a simple design change that might extend flag life.

Flags meant to be flown have a strip of reinforcing canvas or other material on the left side. It holds the grommets and stiffens the flag just enough so that it unfurls in a light breeze. With due respect to Betsy Ross and others involved in our flag’s proud heritage, what if a reinforcing strip were added to the right side? Would it overly detract from the flag’s beautiful design (see photo)?

Of course, the strip would need careful design. Too heavy (overprotection) and the flag would fly only in a strong wind. Too light and the fragile stitching wouldn’t get the protection it needs to last. And there’s the matter of color. I used PhotoDraw to add a white sample strip. But perhaps it could be made of alternating red and white bands to match the 13 stripes.

I read on one web site that outdoor flags need to be replaced about every 90 days. That’s for a dacron-polyester blend. Nylon and cotton flags are less durable. At $25 for a 3-foot x 5-foot flag, not everyone (including me) has the budget to replace a flag that often. Take a look sometime and notice how many are frayed, including flags on government property. Typically the government flags are larger and more expensive. If there is a way to reinforce a flag and extend its life, it might help their budgets too.