UL tent zipper repair

[QueenLucyVanPelt]

Hi all!

I have a Zpacks duplex that's got 2 busted zippers (YKK #3 zippers). They are still intact, but the teeth are not joining together at parts along the track. I'm wondering if anyone can recommend a company/person in Melbourne who specialises in the repair of UL tent zippers? Specifically, dealing with cuben fibre and preferably a kind of quick fix. I have been in contact with Remote Equipment repairs, who seem awesome, but they are a 7-10 day process.
Anyways, looking for somewhere in Melbourne that may deal with this in a faster fashion.
Many thanks!!

[Nuts]

Not off-hand but they tend to be soft & open up with use.. and no longer engage.
It can be an easy fix, you could try to squeeze the two sides back together (with pliers) either side of the zipper grab/ tab.
The no3's need a bit more care & attention, clean and lubricate.

[Paul]

I can recommend Remote Equipment Repairs - they have done repairs for me and their work is first class.

Paul.

[Franco]

This is what Nuts suggested :
https://www.tarptent.com/zipper-repair/
try that first.

[Petew]

I used the Tarptent method of putting the slider back on. You loose a little bit of the zipper length(because of the cut). Worked a treat but try the crimping method first.

[Birdman]

Repair your zippers using the method on the Tarptent website (link posted above)! I use this method all the time and repair my zippers while I'm on the trail. For this purpose, I always carry spare zipper-sliders (manufacturers like Tarptent and Terra Nova will provide them free of charge).

The first time you do it, it can be a bit daunting (use scissors on your expensive tent ) and fiddly. But for me it's a routine job now. And once you have made the cut and stitched it up again (as described in the Tarptent video), with every subsequent repair you just remove the stitches, replace the slider and re-stitch. Easy to do while on the trail.

Especially in dry dusty areas, zippers will fail, so prepare yourself for it. The inner tent zippers will fail the most often, because they are used the most and often run near the ground, so are more likely to get dirt in them. But nowadays I can fix them while I'm in my tent!

I replaced 6 zipper sliders of my tent while hiking the PCT. The most used sliders I have already replaced 4 times! And after each replacement the zipper worked great again.

[QueenLucyVanPelt]

Thanks so much for everyone's help! I will totally consider trying to do this fix myself. It's also good to know that Remote Equipment Repairs are trustworthy, too!

Birdman - you are spot on when you say that it can be a bit daunting cutting into the tent, but it certainly seems worth it.

[Neo]

Yep, try a gentle pinching of the square end of the zipper pull.
Worked a treat on one of mine last year.

[andrewa]

Whilst I’ve not had a zipper fail, this is very interesting, and something I’d not thought of, esp the crimping of the zipper tab.

My thought about replacing the zipper tab would be that I’d prefer to unpick the seam covering the end of the zipper than to cut the zipper.

A

[Birdman]

Whilst I’ve not had a zipper fail, this is very interesting, and something I’d not thought of, esp the crimping of the zipper tab.

My thought about replacing the zipper tab would be that I’d prefer to unpick the seam covering the end of the zipper than to cut the zipper.

A

Of course that gives a better result but is much more work and more difficult to do while on a multi-day adventure. Another advantage of cutting and re-stitching is that every subsequent repair is going to be very quick (undo stitches, slide new tab on and re-stitch) and I do this routinely while on the trail.

With regards to pinching the square end of the zipper-pill, in my experience this is only a short-term emergency fix that works for a few days at best.