My tent zipper blew out in a windstorm at Joshua Tree

I was camping near the Jumbo Rocks last spring when a sudden gust hit around midnight... the main door zipper on my 3-person tent just split open, letting in a ton of sand and cold air. I had to use a bunch of mini carabiners from my pack to clip the door shut for the rest of the night, which worked but was noisy. That tent was only about 2 years old, so I was pretty bummed. Has anyone else had a zipper fail like that, and did you find a good way to fix it for good?

2 comments

2 Comments

lopez.brooke8d ago

Actually, that's a zipper slider failure.

jasonp308d ago

My old REI Half Dome had the same thing happen at Big Bend. I ended up sewing on a new #5 YKK coil zipper from a repair kit, which took about an hour. The key was using a heavy-duty needle and waxed thread. It's held up for three seasons now.