blair597•1mo agoOG Member

Warning: My new drysuit zipper failed on a cold water job in Seattle

I was doing a hull cleaning job on a ferry up here last week, water temp was about 45 degrees. I had just gotten a new drysuit with a fancy plastic zipper, the kind they say is more flexible. About twenty minutes into the dive, I felt a cold trickle down my back. I signaled my tender, we came up, and sure enough, the zipper had popped open about three inches from the top. It wasn't a full blowout, but it let in enough cold water to cut the dive short and make me pretty uncomfortable. I learned that just because a piece of gear is new and 'improved' doesn't mean it's ready for real work without a serious check. I should have done more pull tests on the zipper on land before trusting it in the drink. Has anyone else had a similar failure with these newer zipper types, and what's your go-to method for testing them now?

3 comments

3 Comments

viola_ward1mo ago

That's a rough way to find out your gear isn't right.

hayden1441mo ago

Honestly, that sounds more like a bad zipper install than a problem with the type. I've had metal ones fail the same way if they weren't put on right.

the_faith1mo ago

My friend had a whole backpack fall apart because of a plastic zipper, but the repair guy said the teeth were fine. He showed us how the tape was stitched on wrong at the top, so it just peeled away from the fabric. The whole thing was sewn with this huge, loose stitch that couldn't hold any real weight. It really did come down to how it was put together, not the material itself.