Why Patagonia HATES Zippers #shorts

Austin Robb, Patagonia’s equipment product director, thinks that zippers are a "nightmare" and a "pain in the a**". Watch to find out why!

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Editor: Reid Valaitis
Project Manager: Lurana McClure Rodríguez
Host: Levi Hildebrand

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[xWood]

Zippers do break easily, but there's such a big difference between a cheap and expensive zipper. Bigger teeth also help with durability

[Barrrt]

MUD Jeans (from the Netherlands) avoid zippers if they can, and use buttons instead. They replaced regular buttons with stainless steel ones for optimal recyclability.

They rate 74.1 points on the Environmental category in the B-Corp best for the World list, versus Patagonia's 43.5. So if you take that list they are literally the most sustainable brand on earth. Check them out!

[Errcyco]

I just got a Patagonia Slate Sky rain jacket and it’s got killer zippers but equally as killer buttons. Rather than pit zips to mess up, they put a cool storm flap with buttons.. neat concept. You can tell they are testing the waters on buttons. I love them.

[bizzleboy]

I mean that makes a lot of sense, it is the only moving part (kinda lol) after all.

[mystic_maelstrom]

i don’t know why this feels like!the information is missing, like you started something that never truly finished.

[butcherneck]

I love how this short interlocks - end with beginning 😎

[HEMAYATC]

Facts. Every time I've had to get an item repaired by Patagonia it has been the zipper.

[AgentOrange]

After 17 years, my L.L. Bean backpack just had a zipper come off the track yesterday. So even there it was the first thing to fail. Though I think I can fix it, it's just gonna be a pain.

[Coconut]

My zippers have never failed me. Didn't even know this was a problem and I usually wear my jackets for about 6 years before the fabric breaks.

[Muscovy]

This is anecdotal but I’ve legitimately never once had a YKK zipper fail on me even on my outdoor gear. It probably still is the weakest component but honestly I’ve never had issues with good zippers.

[story]

as someone who sews clothing for fun, YUP zippers SUUUUCK. Easily the weakest part of any garment. I'm curious to see what Patagonia would do to get rid of them. Despite how awful they are, they are probably the most air tight (when they don't break). You'd need tiny wedding dress style buttons to replace the effectiveness of a zipper and velcro...well you need a really strong velcro to hold up to the same abuse a closed zipper does. ALSO if you own pets, kiss that velcro goodbye. It will become less secure easily within a month. Sooo yeah, magnets? Would magnets do it? Would that be safe? (children and pets are notorious eaters of magnets when they fall out). You'd need a pretty strong magnet. And some people cannot have magnets near them (pacemakers...or at least that used to be a thing, maybe it's not anymore). Sooo...yeah. Where are they going with this, outside of better zipper design.

[anaterka]

But there's a big difference between zippers made out of spiral and those made of individual teeth. those with individual teeth can withstand much more abuse and in the end usually it's the zippers fabric that comes apart from the tension, than zipper itself.spirals are more dainty and thus less durable, more suited for a dress or other light items, not outerwear or boots

[exitar]

Well they could put better quality zippers in considering how much they charge for their jackets...

[tallndorky]

That’s why I rarely buy a jacket with Coil zippers, even tooth zippers with missing teeth will usually still work.

[shaka-surf]

Yes! Zippers are the #1 problem on my Patagonia gear.

[wixostrix]

Okay, but plenty of items have zippers and seem to durable enough most of the time. Also, the cost of a quality zipper compared to what they charge for a Patigonia is probably miniscule. We all know the margins on high end clothing is ridiculouse.

[coyotecom]

What I'm hearing is "We charge premium prices for cheap shit and can't figure out a 130 year old technology for grandpa could fix with a pair of pliers"

[Phalaenopsisify]

And their zippers are so hard to pull up, my daily struggle is to get the zipper on my Patagonia jacket to cooperate.

[jantschierschky]

Good working zippers been around for ages, nothing new. So they did not develop anything new, I seen those types when I was a kid, 50 years ago

[cheddarbuttersworth]

As a consumer I generally like the look of buttons better even if they take a bit longer to do up or unbutton.