Replacing a Tent Zip Slider That Has Started to Skip

Most tent zips do not die along the coil. They die at the slider. The two plates that pinch the teeth apart slowly open up with use, grit and cold, and once the gap widens the teeth stop meshing cleanly. You feel it first as a skip near the curve of the door, then as a split that runs a few centimetres behind the pull.

Before you order anything, look at the coil itself. Run a thumb along the closed section and check for flattened or missing teeth, and check the tape for a tear where the zip meets the seam. If the coil is intact and the tape is sound, the slider is the honest fix. If teeth are gone or the tape is ripped, no slider will save it and the zip has to come out.

Measuring the gauge is the part people skip. Close the zip, then measure the width across the closed coil with a ruler or calipers. That number, plus the slider size stamped on the old pull, is what you match at the shop. A slider one size off will either jam or refuse to close the teeth at all.

Fitting it takes about twenty minutes. Cut the old slider off at the end stop, thread the new one onto both sides of the coil, and work it down to check the mesh before you crimp anything. Then set a new end stop, or stitch a bar of heavy thread across the coil, so the slider cannot run off the track on the next windy night.