How to Fix a Tent Zipper?

When you are camping a broken zipper tent won’t guard you from threats surrounding you in night like cold, rain or wildlife. A tent with a broken zipper is worst thing that may happen while enjoying camping. It can happen when you mishandle the zippers or it jams and you are forcefully trying it to function again, in a meanwhile if you put on much force likely, you will find them damaged. Old tent’s zippers can easily break if you misuse them. So again if you damage zipper on camping you will left with thought of getting cold or attacked by wild animals. Surely, you don’t want this right!

How To Fix a Tent Zipper

Popular camping shelters like instant tents which is the best tent while on camping but their zipper are annoying and awkward in use. There are multiple ways for doing camping but a tent camping is most convenient and different tents use different zippers. Some are coiled and metal zippers while other are molded plastic zippers. Coiled zippers are made up of nylon or polyester and are very lightweight, durable, flexible as well.

On other hand molded plastic zippers are cheap if a zipper breaks it would be beyond repair. And the metal zippers are not flexible yet more durable than other types. Hence, always when you are camping it’s better to carry a zipper repair kit but if you ever forget to take a kit this article provide all DIY methods so that you can fix them yourself.

Methods of Fixing Tent Zipper

1. Fixing the Tent Zipper with Kits

Choose the best repair kit with multiple different sliders. It must have a needle and a thread along with a seam zipper. Pack Pliers as they are useful for many aspects of outdoor adventure. If the tent zipper is splitting at ends and has gaps even you seal it, here the problem is with slider in this situation you need change its slider. While closing your tent if the zipper struck or not closing at certain position means zipper track has a problem so you need to mend it with repair kit.

If your zipper stuck at the end of the track then use the pliers and when you begin gently take out the seam. Now pull the slider off and keep it at side then take a right sized slider and slide it in the zipper, a right sized slider will comfortably fit in the zippers. Initially insert the pointed part of zipper in the slider and push it.

Check the slider to make sure they are functioning right and pull it to see the zipper is closing properly. Now once again re-sew the ends of zipper. Do it with a needle and a thread. Use the needle be cautious while re-sew the ends of seam. Sew the ends of seams with tent’s fabric and gently tug it when it’s done so that slider won’t come off from the track.

2. Fix Tent Zipper without Repair Kit

Surely, be responsible and maintaining the tent goes a long way, caring of tent zipper is better than fixing it with repair kit. Zippers get dirt or sand while camping and after camping if you don’t care for the zipper it will eventually lead to a big trouble. So maintain your tent zipper teeth clean it and do it immediately if you see a problem. Don’t force the stuck zipper slowly move and try to fix it as soon as you notice and gently open and close them.

Beside, carefully put on stakes, don’t stake it tightly so that you don’t get problem in moving the door zipper. A pencil can work! Running a pencil tip along the outer teeth of zipper can smooth the track to make the slider move quickly. You can use lubricants like a wet bar of soap if your zipper is stuck with a piece of fabric.

Apply the wet bar soap and gently pull out till the piece of fabric get out. If you find it difficult a needle may also work to push the struck piece out from the teeth and slider. Otherwise, get a small cut to the struck fiber or piece this will separate it from zipper and let the slider to move over the track.

Moreover, a zip-tie or paper clip is an instant way to fix the zipper correctly. It can temporary fix the broken zipper. Also, carefully check the zippers of the tent before you buy one or take it to tailor to replace it with good one it is so much better then you fix it on your camping.

Final Thoughts

Finally, damaged zippers can ruin your camping if you don’t learn to fix them. Be cautious, before you go for camping take a repair kit or get some self-fixing tips so that you can do camping comfortably. And I know only these tips can fix your trouble with zipper which are very useful in setting zipper problem.

Author

About Author

Hi I am Jefferson, a mechanical engineer as well as camping master. I owe thousands of camping gadget, often makes my own for hiking. I have been writing on outdoor product reviews and activities with buying guide and my advice reaches 350 million of people. We encourage people to live adventurously. Read More…

Enjoy Adventure!

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