Safety Pins over Clothes Pins?

[formerly multipurpose]

I don't understand the recommendation of safety pins over clothes pins that I see in books and on forums. Won't safety pins make holes in clothing especially if you are using them every day? I seem to remember them doing that to my baby sister's diapers, but that was a long time ago so my memory might be inaccurate.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

It depends on what type of clothes and how you use them.

For small pieces of clothing that has traps, holes, like bras and undies, you can put the strap or material in the pin, piercing the material with the pin. This works on pants that have belt loops as well.

Not so good with tshirts and socks, but sock material recovers well, synthetic quick dry tshirt material might show pin holes. Flees also doesn't show pin holes.

 

[jo webber]

Safety pins usually go between the threads, so holes simply disappear. To hang clothes so they 'don't stretch or pull, hang them in half and pin. This way all of the weight is not at one end. You can also use pins in different spots on the clothes, helping them to last longer. Pins work much better in the wind.

Nappy pins don't rust like regular safety pins and are much stronger, last longer in good shape.

 

[onwayhome]

I like the idea is that they are multi-use but they will leave small holes in fine material. I suppose there's no chance of clothes blowing away and maybe slightly less possibility of them being 'borrowed' off an Albergue line?

Personally I carry some plastic clothes pegs. They only weigh a few grammes and safety-pinning up my washing at the end of the day is just too fiddly.

 

[Deleted member 43985]

I carry a safety pin for emergencies (blown zipper, ripped items, etc) but for clothes found a great clothesline that has a double string setup with holding beads so doesn't require me to carry clothes pegs. It weighs only 1.3oz and is 11'4" long. I was tired of being the last one to arrive at an Albergue and never having any free space on the hanging lines so brought my own. At night I tie it around my bunk and hang my towel on it and it creates a privacy barrier as well (NB this does NOT keep out snoring!)

 

[Deleted member 43780]

Brass safety pins.
Leave no possible rust stain on clothes.
Light weight.
I take 12
and a piece of para cord for clothes line.

Nice cord shown by Jozero. Tried it.
Issues with it (and you may not have had such issues Jozero) are:
- bunched up area of clothes leave damp spot. Even wet sometimes.
-the stretchy business of it goes "stale" after many uses.
-tangles up easily
-on bad windy day, clothes will come off the line.
Yes, it is good. But I didn't like it for those reasons.

Brass clothes pins are great.
Clothes won't run off on you.
Multi uses for other needs as well.

 

[C clearly]

they will leave small holes in fine material

The sewing process typically pokes needles through fabric to sew fabric together , so just putting a safety pin through fabric will not likely cause harm unless the fabric is coated. Now, if you hang a fine merino wool shirt and let it dangle from a safety pin on a windy day, you will almost certainly end up with a hole. (If you use clothes pins to hang your garment only from the edges, you will end up with a stretched-out-of-shape shirt.)

These risks can be managed, mainly by folding the fabric over the clothes line, careful placement of the pin on delicate fabrics, and observing the wind conditions.

By all means, take regular clothespins if you prefer! Then you'll have different risks to manage. Maybe take some diaper pins as well. Diaper pins are stronger, they don't rust, and they lock so they won't poke you in the stomach if you are using them on your waistband.

 

[november_moon]

I am a fan of safety pins - they are smaller and lighter than clothes pins and your clothes won't blow away. Also, it is less likely that someone will accidentally grab your clothing because it takes that extra couple seconds to unpin the clothes, so people are more likely to notice if they have the wrong item.

 

[Deleted member 43985]

Nice cord shown by Jozero. Tried it.
Issues with it (and you may not have had such issues Jozero) are:
- bunched up area of clothes leave damp spot. Even wet sometimes.
-the stretchy business of it goes "stale" after many uses.
-tangles up easily
-on bad windy day, clothes will come off the line.

Hi @martyseville - Fair enough comments!
I've not run into those issues because I spread the beads far enough apart that the clothes hang flat between the two lines, not bunched. I don't have so many hand washed pieces of clothing to dry daily so I guess I can afford to use the whole length. I haven't had a challenge with wind because I hang my line inside around my bunk 9/10 times but could see it going sideways quickly if it were outside in a big wind! As far as the tangled comment, 100% spot on. The good thing is by the end of my day I was happy and tired so what would normally have been a great frustration simply turned into 60 seconds of playing with a puzzle

 

[trecile]

The problem with safety pins is gravity. Most of the clotheslines you will encounter are not perfectly level. If you use safety pins the clothes can easily glide to one end. I bought some mini clothespins in a craft store, and they are working out very well. I also have a few safety pins too.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

The problem with safety pins is gravity. Most of the clotheslines you will encounter are not perfectly level. If you use safety pins the clothes can easily glide to one end. I bought some mini clothespins in a craft store, and they are working out very well. I also have a few safety pins too.

Yes, I agree, a few of each type is the best solution as they both have pros and cons.

 

[Deleted member 43780]

The problem with safety pins is gravity. Most of the clotheslines you will encounter are not perfectly level. If you use safety pins the clothes can easily glide to one end. I bought some mini clothespins in a craft store, and they are working out very well. I also have a few safety pins too.

Good point.

But, I bring my own clothes line. Para cord or other cord. Run the pin through the cord = no moving clothes on the line.
I have used this set up for years and years. Hotels. A bergs out side and more places.

Enjoyed reading everyone's comments given.
Thanks

Dual purpose use of both. Line can be used as laces, securing pack and more.
Pins can be used to attach things to pack (on the straps -- never into the pack material).
Can serve as emergency button.
Secure broken passport holder zipper.... more and more.
Hold up a small light on train, in a tent, bus, etc.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I use large safety pins.
Haven't noticed any holes.
Haven't noticed any clothes being stolen or blown away either.
And haven't noticed any rust.

 

[jo webber]

Run the pin through the cord = no moving clothes on the line.

Brilliant, thank you. Will also work in stiff wind.

 

[hotelmedicis]

I LOVE my safety pins! I used them almost every day! No problem with holes in my socks, shirts or underwear.

 

[Kanga]

Try the clothes line you make yourself - details in this thread: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/make-a-rubber-band-clothesline.49623/

 

[JillGat]

The problem with safety pins is gravity. Most of the clotheslines you will encounter are not perfectly level. If you use safety pins the clothes can easily glide to one end. I bought some mini clothespins in a craft store, and they are working out very well. I also have a few safety pins too.

Agreed.

 

[GPeachy]

I used both. Brought a few plastic clothes pins and wrote my name on them with a sharpie. When I hung my clothes, I sandwiched the items hung with safety pins with those hung with the clothes pins. That eliminated any possible confusion when people were taking their dry things down.

 

[QuailHiker]

Primarily safety pins. Extra advantage is you can more securely pin them to your pack in the morning if clothes are not yet fully dry. I did this many days with socks (and other items) that were still somewhat moist. As long as it was not a rainy day, they were fine by the time I reached my destination.

 

[formerly multipurpose]

I carry a safety pin for emergencies (blown zipper, ripped items, etc) but for clothes found a great clothesline that has a double string setup with holding beads so doesn't require me to carry clothes pegs. It weighs only 1.3oz and is 11'4" long. I was tired of being the last one to arrive at an Albergue and never having any free space on the hanging lines so brought my own. At night I tie it around my bunk and hang my towel on it and it creates a privacy barrier as well (NB this does NOT keep out snoring!)View attachment 35283

Hi jozero, I saw that Sea to Summit clothes line in my local Sacramento REI and wondered if it worked. Apparently it does

I carry a safety pin for emergencies (blown zipper, ripped items, etc) but for clothes found a great clothesline that has a double string setup with holding beads so doesn't require me to carry clothes pegs. It weighs only 1.3oz and is 11'4" long. I was tired of being the last one to arrive at an Albergue and never having any free space on the hanging lines so brought my own. At night I tie it around my bunk and hang my towel on it and it creates a privacy barrier as well (NB this does NOT keep out snoring!)View attachment 35283

Very good jozero the Camino magic is working already. I saw that Sea to Summit clothes line in my local Sacramento REI yesterday and wondered if it worked--apparently it does! BTW for any locals the Sacramento REI is having an El Camino de Santiago equipment class on Tuesday Aug. 1 at 6:30 P.M. I signed up for it, but don't know if I need it after reading this forum for so long.

 

[Penny Kingma]

Safety pins are great for attaching damp clothing to your backpack....they can dry as you walk...not always dry in the morning.

 

[Prentiss Riddle]

Don’t count on simple safety pins as they don’t support the weight of wet clothes. Get some old-school diaper pins, hard to find in stores but easy to find online.

And yes, we also love our twisty stretchy clothesline. Works great with the diaper pins.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Safety pins are great for attaching damp clothing to your backpack....they can dry as you walk...not always dry in the morning.

I too, am an advocate of large safety pins/diaper pins as they take no space or weight in the pack. On a windy afternoon outdoors you won't find your clean clothes lying on the ground, either!

 

[MartinZ]

I use these small(est) binder clips; They don't poke holes, are strong enough to hold even the heaviest wet clothes on the line, are small and super lightweight. I carry a stretchy clothesline too, but only use it when I have to rig something up inside when it's raining.

 

[Rosemaryk1]

This is a good question. However, large safety pins are actually the best. Unfortunately, clothes pins seem to disappear, not so with safety pins. As a backpacker, safety pins come in handy for a lot of things other than clothes, they are great to have in your kit! Wait until a big wind comes and snaps your clothes pin and everything else with it, then you will see the greatness of that crazy safety pin.