Please read this page before using your TIZIP SuperSeal zipper.
TIZIP SuperSeal zippers are airtight and waterproof zippers, which, when installed in your packraft, allow you to store gear inside the tubes and access the inside of the tubes, making repairs easy. It is possible to install a zipper in your packraft’s tube fabric before you build the packraft, or you can install a zipper in an existing packraft.
Every TIZIP SuperSeal zipper is tested at the factory to ensure it does not leak. After I receive the zippers, I handle and pack them carefully to ensure they are never folded or kinked before they reach you. You should treat yours with the same care.
New zippers are very tight and difficult to open the first time. Don’t worry – this is normal and your zipper will loosen with use. They’re especially difficult to open before they are mounted in a packraft, because you have very little fabric to grasp and pull. If you want to try the zipper before it’s installed in the packraft, you can clamp one end of the fabric in a padded vice or vice grips and pull on the T-zipper handle. Thread something through the webbing loop to make a larger handle, if necessary. The first opening will require a lot of force, but the zippers are very strong, so it shouldn’t break if you pull steadily (don’t jerk it open). After it is open, adding the silicone lubrication to the zipper will help it slide, and after it’s been opened and closed several times it will start to loosen up. My recommendation is to open and close the zipper a few times before installing it, but to wait and lubricate it after it’s installed so you don’t risk getting lubricant on the fabric, which could interfere with the heat sealing and/or glue.
Folding a TIZIP SuperSeal sharply can permanently damage the seal!
- During packraft construction, avoid fouling the zipper with glue or debris.
- Don’t over-stress the zipper by stretching it open forcefully or by bending it sharply.
- When you roll your packraft, never fold the zipper – roll it with a diameter no less than about 7-10 cm (3-4″).
- Even a tiny grain of sand stuck in the zipper can cause it to leak, so wipe/rinse away any sand or debris before opening your zipper.
- Make sure your gear is clean before sliding it through the open zipper.
Airtight zippers are precision-made mechanical devices and, as such, they can wear out over time. If you take good care of your zipper, it will last a long time.
If a relatively new zipper is leaking and it hasn’t been folded sharply or over-stressed in some other way, it’s probably because there is some debris stuck in the seal. Open the zipper and scrub it with an old toothbrush and water, especially the slider and the area where it’s leaking. Then reapply the included silicone lubricant and inflate your packraft to make sure it’s not leaking anymore. You might have to go through this process more than once (one customer had to brush/rinse/lubricate his zipper three times before it stopped leaking).
To keep your zipper working well, keep it clean, pack it with care, and occasionally reapply the included silicone lubricant.
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