The Case of the Faulty Zipper
Why do zippers go bad seemingly so often? One would think that such a simple technology would have been mastered by now.
Alas, it's just not the case, but at least you can protect yourself from it in small ways.
Most zippers go wrong because they're like the one above. They are typically used for trendy and sleek zipper-needs, but are designed so poorly it's devastating. The reason they invariably fail is because they are simply a wire twisted around and stitched together with two lines of thin thread. That means that as soon as the metal of the zipper wears down the thread or the wire gets distorted, the zipper can and will stop functioning.
The good news is that there are zippers that work long term.
The zipper I put into this backpack has teeth that are independent from one another and are attached by cable that runs through a hole at the bottom. That way the zipper isn't constantly running over the only thing keeping it all together. It also means that if one of the teeth gets pulled or twisted in a weird way it won't compromise the rest of the teeth.
They're relatively easy to find, either on Amazon or in any place you can get sewing supplies. Usually called luggage zippers, they are made to last longer while withstanding more stress put on them.
To replace this zipper in particular I used a seam ripper and finished cutting the threads that held the old zipper to the bag. After that I pinned and sewed the new zipper to the old one's fabric. That made it so I didn't have to do as much work to put the zipper in, and could just use what was already integrated into the design of the backpack.
Sewing in zippers can be difficult, it requires working with a lot of strange angles and a narrow foot (I used my free motion foot so I could sew in any direction).
Despite it being difficult, it is better to get the tight and precise stitches of the machine so that the zipper lasts- the teeth are only as good as what they're attached to.
In short- always keep an eye out for how zippers are made. My friend spent good money on this bag and the old zipper only lasted a month or two. Then again, he's friends with crafty people- so I guess he didn't really risk much!
Stay sweet, stay crafty, and stay tuned.