XYZ –How to Fix Your Zippers (Video)

Photo by Alec Moore (unsplash.com) cc.0

I have an old L.L. Bean jacket I love dearly. The nylon outer coat hangs to mid-thigh and the fleece liner keeps me toasty when the weather turns bleak.

As I plod along the muddy trail, the rain click-clacks on my hood in vain. The elements can’t reach me. I’m a dark green ghost, gliding through the forest in my impervious cocoon.

But the years take their toll on outerwear. And if we love our jackets, we should know how to repair them when they need attention.

Below are two videos that show common zipper repairs that are very simple to make. They are also repairs you may need to make in the field one day.

Zip It

For most of us, zippers are more likely to fail than the jacket material itself. Here are two zipper repairs you can make in the field with relative ease and minimal tools. It’s a good idea to know how to do them so you can fix your jacket or those of your friends.

How to make a zipper pull

I sometimes rip the nylon zipper pulls on my older jackets. Strictly speaking, you don’t actually need them. You can simply grasp the metal pull-tab of the zipper. But this makes it more difficult to work the zipper when you are wearing gloves in cold or wet weather.

Here’s how to easily make a zipper pull tab out of 550 paracord. It’s a little fancier than just looping paracord through the zipper pull and tying a knot. But this technique makes it much easier to work the zipper.