Gilet stuck zip tip!

[ColinJ]

I recently bought a Sundried gilet which I am generally very pleased with but there is one problem with it which has been driving me to distraction. The gilet has small flaps either side of the zip which close over it. They improve the appearance of the garment and must help with wind-proofing it. The problem is that I kept getting the zip slider stuck when the flaps got caught under it. It was a bit tricky taking gilet selfies but this sort of illustrates the problem...

You can't see the slider but you can see that the flaps are covering the teeth of the zip and the material is getting tugged down. That was using my instinctive zipping action, which was to pull the zip up and down pressed against my body.

I couldn't understand how an apparently well-designed garment could be produced without anybody at the company noticing the problem. I thought about it, and wondered whether they were using the zip differently...?

Then it struck me - try pulling the zip away from the body as it was being raised or lowered. I tried that technique...

Eureka! You can clearly see in that photo that the flaps are being opened up, well away from the slider.

I have tried it scores of times now... The old technique jammed the zip about 3 times out of 4. The new technique hasn't jammed the zip at all. It means I can now adjust the gilet one-handed as I am riding along, which I could not do before.

Some of you may find this useful? Let me know below if it does. Or if you are in the 99% of the population who already knew this technique but had never bothered to tell me about it!

 

[Arjimlad]

That sort of thing's a right pain. A good tip to overcome it.

I have issues with gilets/jackets I haven't used in a while where the zip slider corrodes a little then becomes difficult to operate.

 

[ColinJ]

I have issues with gilets/jackets I haven't used in a while where the zip slider corrodes a little then becomes difficult to operate.

Yes, I've had that one too. I found this tip, which sounds like it should help...

I can be a lazy so and so.

After I last wore my neoprene overshoes last winter I just chucked them in a cupboard and forgot about them. Of course the roads are salty in the winter and, guess what, when I've come to get them out of the cupboard both zips are completely immovable.

No amount of pulling and yanking had any effect. Around the metal bit of the zip was some white residue, presumably from the interaction between the salt and the metal.

So I started googling. And I finally found a scuba diving website. Obviously they have similar problems what with diving in the salty sea. They suggested the following....

1) Soak overnight in warm water to dissolve as much salt as possible. Then rinse
2) ....and here's the weird bit.....liberally douse the zip in vinegar

So I did (1)...absolutely no effect at all. The zips were just as stuck as they were before. Then I did (2)...and amazingly the zips, with a bit of pulling, started working fine. Just rinse, dry and then I'll probably put a bit of grease on them

So thanks Scuba Divers, you've avoided me having to buy a new pair of overshoes

 

[cyberknight]

get similar on a gilet with an internal flap , last week i had to take it off over my head then use a pair of pliers to yank the zip free of the fabric

 

[Arjimlad]

Yes, I've had that one too. I found this tip, which sounds like it should help...

Nice - I've used a modest squirt of GT85 in the past too!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

That sort of thing's a right pain. A good tip to overcome it.

I have issues with gilets/jackets I haven't used in a while where the zip slider corrodes a little then becomes difficult to operate.

Rubbing a bog standard candle along the zip usually sorts that out.

 

[MichaelW2]

Graphite is the best zip lube.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Graphite is the best zip lube.

And turns it into a superconducting magnet…

 

[GuyBoden]

Graphite is the best zip lube.

But, I would imagine it might get the clothing dirty.

I use graphite on locks. Pencil lead really..................

Good zip tip @ColinJ thanks

 

[Randomnerd]

Never had that problem, Colin….
I hot-dip all my zips in hot beeswax. Once you get used to sewing and unsewing them all in and out of your clothes once a month, it’s really not a chore.

 

[slowmotion]

Silicone grease.

Zips seem to be by far the weakest link in cycling clothing. Expensive off-shore sailing suits have zips with massive teeth for good reason. If the zip fails you will quite possibly die from hypothermia.

 

[Dogtrousers]

That sort of thing's a right pain. A good tip to overcome it.

I have issues with gilets/jackets I haven't used in a while where the zip slider corrodes a little then becomes difficult to operate.

Funny you should mention that. Last night I freed up four corroded zips on an old rucksack, by using a bit of light oil, a screwdriver and a bit of brute force.

I was feeling quite pleased with myself at having resurrected a perfectly good rucksack, then I realised that the reason it had been cast aside to sit corroding in the garage for years was because one of the straps was broken. Doh.

Still, the break is only a plastic buckle, so I've ordered a replacement from amazon.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I had the embarrassment last year of trying on a jacket in Mountain Warehouse and then having to meekly approach a shop assistant to help me out of it after I got the zip jammed on the membrane.

 

[Fifelad]

I had the exact same problem with an Endura Gilet. No tips apart from I bought a different brand without the flaps 🙄

 

[Roadrat77]

Hi Colin - apart from the zip issue what's your thoughts on this product? - I've been looking at them on Amazon.
Cheers.