Hey!
This is my custom frame bag and the YKK zipper failed after one hell of a year on the road. Even some of the teeth broke and disappeared.
I am so disappointed 😔. A frame bag is soooo useful. But zippers will eventually fail. If I knew, I would have seen a roll top one.
Currently looking for a solution to "convert" it into a roll top frame bag, sewing an additional part to extend the opening. Or maybe I just extend the upper part of the opening and put some velcros stick it to the bottom part?
Bref, I am looking for ideas and if you know, saw or did something similar, please let me know :))
Ciao!
by CertainBicycle315
15 Comments
Just replace the zipper, or pay to have someone do it for you.
It’s not the end of the world and you are overthinking this. I had the same thing happen and had one of my local bag makers replace the zipper. No problem and my bag was as good as new.
Are those coil supports? I find vislon are much more durable.
https://preview.redd.it/n037hnnscb8h1.jpeg?width=1164&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9337a5e6d3eaf8e2c174c32fd77e76560da46878
I had this happen, it’s easy enough to replace the entire zipper. Any outdoor gear repair place will do it.
A custom bag maker should fix for you. My Revelate frame bag zippers are still going strong after years of use.
Those look like coil YKK #5 Aquaguard zippers. I’m not surprised they failed after years of abuse. I agree that you should replace it, but I would replace then with Vislon YKK #8 Aquaguard. Those are much burlier. It shouldn’t be that hard to replace it, but not all outdoor repair shops will have that zipper.
Add some buttons or toggles and holes, presto
I replaced the zipper on my zpacks duplex out on trail, and now keep a couple in my diddy bag. The reason they fail is because the aluminum zipper starts separate open and no longer catches the teeth of the zipper to lock it together.
One short term fix, is to gently squeeze the sides of the zipper with pliers to try to restore it to its original shape. This worked a couple times for me but ultimately kept failing.
The next option, the one I did, was use a small knife to cut the stitching at the end of the zipper. Slide off the old slider, and replace it with a new one. You can keep the tracks from the previous zipper, you’re just replacing the slider. Then give it a few new stitches at the bottom so that the slider don’t fall off.
[https://a.co/d/0esbUy3X](https://a.co/d/0esbUy3X)
[https://youtu.be/9ADaDTEuPf0?is=jE3lHYGc4gmOJsjZ](https://youtu.be/9ADaDTEuPf0?is=jE3lHYGc4gmOJsjZ)
I personally dislike zippers. When I made my own frame bag, I used a rolled-lip design, held in place with two bungee toggles for buttons.
Totally bombproof!
Sew a flap on the top where the zipper is and have it extend down to the lower other side and attach via Velcro. Don’t even bother removing the zipper on each side.
Do you guys put chain lube on your zippers from time to time?
The zippers on my fat bike frame bag are going strong 12+years in (got it secondhand) and that thing gets packed to the gills regularly. The zipper pull is even bent to the curve of my thumb from forcing it closed so many times.
Find someone to put the biggest burliest zipper on there you can, and clean/lubricate it on occasion. I don’t think frame bags are an appropriate use case for a zipper like yours TBH
There’s a zipper lubricant that helps prevent that from happening.
For failing zippers, sometimes you can fix it by gently squeezing the sides of the slider with pliers:
https://youtu.be/YvjFsX6xvT0
Extends the life of your gear – worked great on my tent zipper. Probably worth a try and a lot easier than replacing the slider or the zipper altogether. But you need to catch it early – if you are missing teeth, then yeah, a replacement is in order.
Tizip lube helps a lot to keep them smooth. It also helps to keep the zipper teeth as clean as possible and to avoid folding the zipper or bag too much. With regular care it should last atleast 3-5 years