How to Replace Long Zippers for Sleeping Bags

If your sleeping bag is still in great condition but its zipper is not, it might be about time for you to replace it sooner than later.

Things You Need to Replace the Zipper in Your Sleeping Bag

• The sleeping bag itself – Long zippers in sleeping bags can often be fixed or replaced using the same steps. Mummy bags are often more complicated compared to normal sleeping bags. However, both can be fixed with a bit of patience.
• A new long zipper – The zipper that you choose should be heavy duty like a jacket zipper. However, it doesn’t need to be specifically labeled as sleeping bag zipper. All heavy duty zippers that are over a yard or meter can already be long enough. It might be best to measure the zipper if you need a fix that as close to the original as possible.

A zipper specifically made for sleeping bags has the advantages of going all the day down your sleeping bag just like its original zipper. There will also be a zipper pull found on the interior of your sleeping bag. But, if you don’t really mind if the zipper only goes about halfway down the size, you might want to get the longest heavy duty long zipper available at the local craft shop in your area and install it in your sleeping bag. Just see to it that the color of the zipper matches the bag’s original zipper to achieve a more seamless fix. If not possible, it should at least go well with the bag’s color.

• Bobbin and thread – You don’t need a special thread here because you can go for a regular cotton thread as long as it matches your chosen zipper.
• Seam ripper – Ordinary seam rippers can do provided that these are not that flimsy.
• Pins – You will need normal straight pins for sewing.
• Sewing machine – You don’t need a fancy machine to fix the zipper on your sleeping bag. All it needs to do is to go forward then back up as you sew straight. The machine must also be able to handle several fabric layers at once. It is helpful to have a zipper foot although this is not required.

Steps to Replace a Sleeping Bag Zipper

1. Unzip your sleeping bag then check the sleeping bag and the broken zipper properly. Check how the zipper gets sewn to the bag. Take note of all the details.
2. Proceed to ripping the old zipper out of your sleeping bag. You can use the seam ripper for ripping out the seam. Once you finished ripping out the entire zipper, pull out all the broken threads that stick out of the bag.
3. Unzip the new zipper and with the use of the details you noted earlier, pin the new zipper into the right place like how the original one was sewn.
4. Proceed to stitching the new zipper.

Long zippers for sleeping bags are exactly what you need to make sure that you can use it again like new.