YKK zippers: Why so many designers use them (2012)

The simplest solution to a broken backpack buckle is another buckle. If you’re going to carry something, carry those. They’re light and cheap and should be part of the repair kit for backcountry travel.

You can also simply thread the strap through the webbing loop and tie it off. Hard to get the length exactly right but works in a pinch.

Problem is, cling wrap won't stop a determined thief, it'll just make the theft evident -- unless they just grab your whole bag instead.

I believe that the comment is referring to cutting off the cling-wrap to open the case, something that would likely be done by customs in any country.

We'll see in a few years!

That's often so with me. I've an ex-NATO military jacket that I bought from disposals. It was new old/surplus stock so I am the first to wear it.

It's by far my favorite jacket and it gets a great deal of use as it's not only excellently designed (in that everything about it is immensely practical), and that the quality of the materials used in its manufacture are excellent (it would be difficult to find better). Originally the military must have paid top dollar for them (and it's much better than the one my own country's military issued me with decades earlier).

Nevertheless its zipper is a perennial problem in that it's hard to engage when I'm in a hurry and it often jams or is sticky at the start end. Fortunately, it has a large flap that covers the zipper from top to bottom and it is secured with a vertical row of buttons!

I like that, there's nothing like a bit of 'bootstrapping' to guarantee things will always work.

A good deal cheaper than GoRuck as well.

https://defybags.com

The issues principally have to do with fitness for purpose, durability and manufacturing quality. There's no reason why zippers on suitcases, backpacks or sleeping bags cannot have a life and durability commensurate with that of the products they're used on but that's often not the case. If this were so then it's very unlikely that the YKK article would have been written in the first instance - and logically that discussions in this forum would never have existed.

Take my nemesis the sleeping bag zipper. Over the years I've done a lot of outdoors activity, camping, hiking etc. so I've owned a lot of sleeping bags and I can say honestly that not one of them has been without zipper trouble, in fact zipper failures are the principal reason for why I've had to replace them.

There should be no excuse for these zipper problems but unfortunately premature failures of these long zippers are commonplace, so too the fact that they are often installed in such a way that the fabric gets easily (and frequently) caught in the zipping mechanism. Not only does this damage the bag's fabric but it also leads to excessive strain on the zipper and ultimately to its early demise.

I would note that to avoid the problem I have purchased some of the most expensive sleeping bags available but they too have had the same zipper issues. Holistically, the issue is this: zippers on sleeping bags are essentially an afterthought, you don't really need one to get in and out of the bag, it's there more out of convenience. Simply, manufacturers pay more attention to, say, a bag's thermal properties, etc. than they do to the quality of the zipper and its method of installation.

Unfortunately, the 'optional' zipper becomes the weak point of failure, it's demise renders an otherwise useful product non functional or worthless.

This all boils down to bad design, and bad design is everywhere, it, like global warming, permeates into just about every nook and cranny - every aspect - of our lives. The fact that bad design is so all pervasive and that it costs humans so much time, money and effort as a consequence - and also that so few complain - is why I'm so vocal about the issue.

I could provide you with hundreds of examples but that's outside the scope of this discussion. Instead, let me give you an illustration that's a little closer to the zipper issue.

During the Iraq War, US soldiers were issued with battle fatigues that used Velcro as a fastener, the cargo pockets of their pants were fastened with it. Unfortunately, the desert sand and other dirt from combat meant that the Velcro clogged up and quickly became useless, thus soldiers lost valuables from these pockets whenever they were in a horizontal or prone position and such. I recall news reports of soldiers whingeing about the fact. The headlines read 'Please Give Us Back Our Buttons'.

I've experienced the same problem with Velcro on my own cargo pants, every time they get washed lint cloggs its hooks and it fails to fasten effectively. Moreover, removing the lint only partially fixes the problem as eventually the hooks get bent and fail to work which happens long before the pants are worn out.

...And I shouldn't have to mention the concomitant problems of having to prematurely buy new clothes and the fact that old clothing waste is a serious worldwide problem - not to mention the overproduction of cotton has led to water shortages and other serious ecological problems - take the now essentially-waterless Aral Sea for instance.

And I've yet to mention other upstream economic loses from the use of Velcro on clothes - I lost an almost new smartphone after going to a concert and lounging back in the auditorium's comfortable chairs.

I often wonder how many others have lost their smartphones in a similar manner - or lost them to that other nasty costsaving measure of recent decades, that of insufficiently deep side pockets in pants. These days, whenever one sits down things fall out of them. It's amazing that people actually put up with this nonsense, we've been wearing clothes for many centuries so there's absolutely no excuse for designing them in ergonomically unsound ways. (For heavens sake, complain more often, use your wallet to do your bidding.)

Using Velcro on clothes in the manner it so often is, is a quintessential example of bad design not to mention bad/substandard manufacturing practice. That ought to damn obvious to most. Velcro may provide a short-term convenience on clothes but in the longer term it has serious repercussions. Clearly, it suits manufacturers as it makes clothing cheaper and easier to manufacture (similarly, it's cheaper to include less material in the inside of a pocket). That said, I am still somewhat at a loss to understand why consumers don't complain about the issue and demand the return of either buttons or zippers.

Frankly, I've come to a reluctant conclusion that many people have too much money and don't mind having to buy new clothes before they otherwise would have had to do - and thus are overly seduced by Velcro's convenience.

Also, the Fashion Industry is guilty in the broader sense by pushing the notion that people need to change their clothes long before they're worn out so as to keep up with fashion.

Little wonder that many of us get frustrated at times.

Moreover, zippers often fail at the most inconvenient times and that stands to reason, as zippers are involved at either the beginning or end of some more important process and the interruption to said process is often highly inconvenient.

Let me give you an anecdote (it's only but one of many nevertheless a notable one). Years ago, I worked alone in an office with three young women, one was my secretary and the other two were helpdesk assistants (I was always well behaved and it's something I'd never risk doing these days).

One day they all left the office together for lunch leaving me alone to continue working. During that hour I went to the toilet and my pants zipper broke necessitating a quick retreat to my office where I would attempt a temporary fix. Back there, the only practical and quick solution I could come up with was to take the very large paper stapler capable of stapling a half inch of paper and staple my fly back together - note, this was done with my pants still on as it was too risky to do otherwise.

Anyway, in the middle of the process the women all arrived back from lunch. Fortunately, they all broke out in hysterical laughter. I'd hate to think what would happen if that were to happen to me again today, I'd likely be charged with harassment.

That never happens with buttons, one may come off but in such circumstances that's hardly the drama of a broken zipper.

I'd add, it seems that from your experience with zippers that you've been unusually lucky (perhaps you can afford more expensive clothes than me).

https://www.adobe.com/legal/permissions/trademarks.html

And the video at the top of the page is absolutely wonderful. It's the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. Watch it with good headphones or speakers and the sound up.

Direct link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRi8LptvFZY

Haha, so sad to hear. I wish I could print this and velcro it to my fridge.

Weird, the word they're looking for is 'adjective'.

As the name of the company it absolutely is a (proper) noun.

A garment with zipper also requires much better fitting - which giving dog shapes variations may be a tall order - than say with Velcro where usually there is some latitude, and with Velcro it is much easier to make adjustment by moving it a bit if needed while making adjustment with zipper looks daunting.

This would be the "bad" design: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/613U7zu5OoL...

I don't know the terms of art so I can't google for a picture of the "good" design, but it would have a wide strip of fabric behind the zip that would ensure no fur gets near the zip mechanism.

My point was that zipper issues happen with clothes that aren’t cheap also. I realize BR is not high-end, but they are above Gap and Old Navy in their corporate family.