Door zipper torn

[jaredudall]

There is a portion of the zipper on the "door" where the zipper has torn from the vinyl. Has anybody dealt with this? What do you use to sew it? (I need specific product recommendations, I'm not very "handy.")

[chuck893]

After 5 full seasons, countless camps (we take a "grand tour" every spring and summer and use our camper very heavily---far more than designed), our 8.1 had the "main" zipper separate behind the slider, had some tearing of the plastic window by the door, and half the snaps on the tonneau cover fall apart. We took the tent and cover off, took them to a very good local tent and awning place, and had everything professionally repaired for under $200. We had the original main (left hand as looking from outside) zipper entirely replaced with a larger and heavier one, which will also reduce the tension between the door zipper and the plastic window so it will be less likely to tear. After 5 full seasons and a LOT of UV the original tent is still holding beautifully, has no cracks and leaks not a drop. I have zero ability to fix something like that myself, so I considered that 200 bucks was relatively cheap, esp. since the camper requires virtually zero maintenance except for greasing the hubs every 8,000 miles. If I were you I'd take the tent to a tent and awning guy and at least get an estimate.

[admin]

I agree with chuck on this. Taking it to a professional will be the best possible solution especially if you dont consider yourself very handy. If however that is simply not an option I have used "waxed thread" and a thick needle to simply sow a zipper back in place. I've owned a Jeep Wrangler with a soft top since I could first drive. The first one was a '95 with the original soft top and the zippers were in rough shape. It seemed like every month I was finding another spot the zipper was pulling away. I just decided to keep patching it up every time it pulled away, so I just kept a spool of thread, a needle, and a pair of pliers in the car. Looking back it would have been easier to have something like this instead: http://www.amazon.com/Speedy-Stitcher-T200-Sewing-Awl/dp/B000HGIJQ4/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1407936608&sr=8-8&keywords=waxed+thread

If you have to do a repair waxed thread will help maintain the water resistance so you wont end up with a wicking action or plain old leaks.

[jaredudall]

Thanks, guys. For $11 on my Amazon Prime account, I'm going to try that heavy duty sewing kit. I'll ask my wife to help.

I'm not opposed to enlisting professional help, but the simpler option seems worth a try first. I'll post a picture afterward.

[jaredudall]

That awl tool worked great. Actually, in this case we didn't really need the awl portion, because I realized the zipper and canvas weren't torn; the thread had simply parted.

The needles that came with the tool and the heavy wax thread were perfect.

[admin]

Glad to hear that worked well for you.

-Sean