Tent zippers are so small, yet so essential for a tent. They hold the mesh and fabric together to form a cozy shelter for your camping experience. More often than not, zippers tend to break, leaving you prone to mosquitoes during summer months and cold during the winter. That situation may annoy you, but worry not! With a few tools, you can quickly fix a tent zipper yourself!
In the following sections, we will provide you with ways of how to fix a tent zipper, with and without a repair kit.
Fix a Tent Zipper Without a Repair Kit
Here a few scenarios where you can fix your zipper without a repair kit. First of all, you’ll need pliers and zip ties, as they are essential pieces of gear for zipper repair.
Separated Zipper
To fix this problem, you will first need to open the zipper so that the slider is at one of two ends. The goal is to apply pressure on the slider to tighten it up. To do this, put the pliers parallel to the slider track and press the tracks on both sides.
Note: Don’t put too much pressure on the slider, as you may break it. The above method works if you open the zipper, as you will need to address both of the slider’s sides.
Slider Is Lagging
To address this issue, you will need to smooth out the slider with a smooth material. An ideal contender for this is a graphite pencil. The process is simple: just rub both sides of the zipper with the graphite pencil. The result will be a smooth surface for the slider.
Slider Pull Is Broken
When this issue happens, pulling the slider won’t be possible. To address this issue, you will need a zip tie. Just put the pointy end of the zip tie through the slider’s eye and pull it until it grips the slider tightly.
Zipper Is Stuck In Fabric
This is another one of the annoying common problems with tent zippers, albeit simple to address. First of all, check how much fabric is stuck in the zipper. Push the zipper in a direction where there is the least amount of fabric stuck. Simultaneously, lightly pull the fabric on the opposite side to slowly get it out of the zipper. That’s probably the most common thing that’s happening in tents under $100. Just be gentle and don’t use more force than needed.
Note: Apply wet bar soap to the stuck area between zipper and fabric to unlock it for replacement.
Fix a Tent Zipper With a Repair Kit
Sometimes, you will run into a more severe issue with tent zippers that won’t be easy to address without a repair kit. There are numerous tent zipper repair kits out there, but our preference is the YaHoGa zipper repair kit as it has 143 pieces of various tools, including different sizes of sliders, thread, and needle, glue, seam rippers, and new zippers.
Now, you will need to find out the cause of your zipper’s failure. In the section below, we will explain the troubleshooting processes behind the most common tent zipper issues that require a repair kit.
Replacing a Broken Slider
For this process, you will require the following:
- Pliers
- A replacement slider
- Zipper stoppers
- Thread and needle
Before you start, you’ll need to relocate the old slider to the zipper’s bottom. Now, you will need to follow these steps:
Step #1: Use pliers to remove the track end stopper.
Step #2: Slide the slider off the track.
Step #3: Put a new slider in place of the broken one. Make sure that you pick the right size of the slider. Before you fully insert the new slider, check that the slider nose faces the front.
Step #4: Check if your new slider is attached correctly by closing the zipper halfway.
Step #5: You now need to add the stopper at the start of the track. Stitch it with thread and needle carefully, to avoid excess threads.
If you followed the steps above, you should now have a brand-new slider ready for use!
Replacing a Broken Zipper
This process isn’t very demanding, as you will just need to remove the zipper and stitch it back. For that, you will need the following:
- Seam ripper
- Thread and needle
First, we will need to get rid of the old zipper with the help of the seam ripper. Stitch the new zipper in the same place with thread and needle. Keep in mind that the new zipper should be the exact dimensions as the old one.
Note: Make sure that there is no excess thread crossing the line of the slider. If that happens, your new zipper may get stuck.
That’s it; you have a new zipper in a few easy steps!
How to Take Care of the Tent Zipper Properly?
Of course, regular maintenance will prevent tent zipper from breaking and save you of many headaches. Here are a few ways how you can take care of your tent zipper.
Clean the Tent Zipper Regularly
Your tent zippers are not dirt or dust-proof, so you need to find a way to keep them away from the zippers to prevent a stuck or broken zipper. Well, you just need to clean the zippers regularly! The easiest way to do it is to use an old toothbrush and scrub the zipper teeth with it, effectively getting rid of unwanted dirt. While cleaning zippers, don’t forget to clean a complete tent if you want to avoid a stinky smell while camping.
Don’t Force the Zipper
When you find your tent zipper stuck, never force it through to fix the problem. You will just run into a risk of a broken zipper or fabric and get yourself into a costly problem. If it gets stuck, make sure to pull the tent zipper down gently.
Pro Tip: To increase your tent zipper life even further, never pull it too swift! As this can result in a stuck zipper, rather use gentle movements.
Lubricate the Tent Zipper Properly
We recommend that you lubricate your tent zipper every once in a while, which will help reduce wear and tear on the zipper. Use it every few months to keep your tent zipper in the best shape. We tried using this zipper lubricant from Gear Aid and were satisfied with its results.
Pro Tip: You can rub a graphite pencil on the zipper teeth instead of using a regular lubricant for this process.
Stake Your Tent Properly
Make sure that you stake your tent correctly, and not too tight. You will have difficulties moving the tent zipper if your tent is staked too tight.
Conclusion
We hope that this post prepared you for how to fix a tent zipper. Tent zippers tend to break often, due to low quality, elements, or just by poor usage. Remember that this annoying situation is easily fixable with only a few tools – make sure that you always have them at hand when you are camping.
Good luck on your next camping experience, and make sure to be gentle to your tent, as it is your essential piece of gear!
