O'Neill Sector 7mm- zipper keeps getting caught

Hello,

Pardon my ignorance. Everytime I pull on the cord to unzip, the zipper gets caught up along the foam edges and chews it up. Am I doing something wrong or is my suit too tight?

Thanks in advance.

scuba_moron:

Hello,

Pardon my ignorance. Every time I pull on the cord to unzip, the zipper gets caught up along the foam edges and chews it up. Am I doing something wrong or is my suit too tight?

Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

That's not uncommon with a lot of suits and I does not mean you have a bad fit. We're talking about soft materials and your back is not flat as a board so things will be loose and distorted.

Some things that seem to work for me....

Hold the bottom tab (if you have one) away from the small of your back a little. This can help straighten the zipper and sealing flap a little and allow it to fall into place.

Try pulling the lanyard with the other hand.

Make sure that the suit is well up onto your shoulders so it all has half a chance of marrying without being all pulled and puckered.

Pull gently and if it does hitch up back off an inch or so, shrug your shoulders and try again.

Ask your buddy for a zip.

Patience is your friend here.

Pete

Spectrum,
Thank you for your time and all the cool tips. I'll try your suggestions rather than my tendency to just yank the zipper with force.

I had the same problem with my Bare 5/4mm... no one around to help me zip up, and when I tried to force it, one of the teeth broke off, and the lanyard came off in my hand. It's now with Bare getting repaired. My advice: get someone to help you if it is getting stuck...lol

Here is what I did. I put a long swath of shoe-goop on the foam and it created a hard smooth glide are for the zipper. You can also try duct tape. It worked like a charm and protected the foam.

scuba_moron:

Hello,

Pardon my ignorance. Everytime I pull on the cord to unzip, the zipper gets caught up along the foam edges and chews it up. Am I doing something wrong or is my suit too tight?

Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

I always wax my wetsuit zipper with Tridents wax stick after 6-10 dives. It makes zipping up and down easy breezy.