Hasta La Ideas

Reader Mick saw our post on the Japanese travel hanger and pointed out the dealbreaker for him: The closed loop means it can only be hung on a hook, not a closet rod. He also wrote that “Ever since I lost my ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’-style foldable hanger on a trip many years [ago], I’ve been looking for a replacement. It was also Japanese-made, btw, and apparently no longer made.”

For those who’ve somehow never seen the movie, here’s the one he’s referring to:

Mick, I poked around a bit to see if I could find one. Sadly all I could find was this one…

…but judging by the reviews on Amazon, it’s junk.

I went looking for more travel hangers and found a few. Boottique’s Travel Hanger is about 11 bucks, but like the one up top, also gets mixed reviews on Amazon. Apparently some folks find that it falls apart.

Here’s Jennifer Rabatel’s “T-square hanger.” (I’m not sure why it’s not called the “Bevel Gauge Hanger,” as that’s the tool it more closely resembles.) As far as I know this isn’t in production, but depending on what kinds of tools you have access to, you might be able to DIY one of these.

This inflatable hanger is a nifty idea for travel, but was apparently unpopular or difficult to produce; it’s been discontinued.

I spotted this design on AliExpress, but I have no faith this thing won’t break.

Sorry I couldn’t find a good travel hanger, Mick. But I did come cross these non-travel, designey hangers that have eye candy value:

The design of the Roomsafari Triangle Hanger, by Christine Nogtev and Chul Cheong, was inspired by the musical triangle.

Here’s a similar unrealized concept (perhaps student work?) allegedly by Cecilia Lundgren, who appears to have gone into painting rather than industrial design.

Yet another similar idea: The Frame stainless steel hanger.

Designer unknown.

This hanger sold by Urbio does not appear to be designed for use on a rod and comes with its own aluminum peg for wall installation.

Designer Martina Bartoli’s Unidentified Flying Hanger was produced in limited numbers following its debut at Milan in 2011.

Designer Chris L. Halstrøm’s Georg Hangers seem like they could double as a kung fu weapon.