Repair & Maintenance
Replacing a zip slider
When the zip springs open but the teeth are still in place, you only need to replace the slider — a five-minute repair that adds years to a garment.
The slider is the part that runs along the zip and presses the teeth or coils together to close it. It wears a little each time you open the zip — and after many years it can bend slightly or widen, and then the zip springs open along the sides.
If the teeth/coil are intact, you only need to replace the slider. It is a five-minute repair that can add years to the life of a jacket or sleeping bag.
First: check that the slider is the problem
If teeth are missing, the coil has come loose, or the bottom stop is broken, the whole zip must be replaced — see replacing the front zip on jackets.
Symptoms of a slider problem:
- The teeth/coil are intact all the way along
- The zip springs open in the middle or at the top
- The slider feels loose or has visible wear on the inside
Identify the slider
On the underside of the slider there is often a combination of a number and a letter:
- Number = gauge/size (3, 5, 8, 10 — on clothing 3 and 5 are common)
- V after the number = “Vislon” = plastic teeth (e.g.
3V) - C after the number = “coil” = spiral (e.g.
5C)
A tooth slider cannot be used on a coil and vice versa — even if they are the same size.
If it is not marked: measure the width across the closed zip and compare it with other zips of the same type that you have.
How to replace it
- Slide the slider down to the bottom stop so the zip is fully open.
- Slide the slider up to the top and gently off after the last tooth before the top stop.
- If it will not come off: crush the top stop with pliers. Fit a metal stop clamp later.
- Get a new slider — sewing shop, online (based on the number+letter), or from an old garment you no longer use.
- Slide the new slider on the same way the old one came off. Take it gently.
- Test opening and closing a few times. If the teeth/coil were bent, the new slider straightens them out.
- Fit a new cord or strap in the slider’s opening.
Where to find sliders
- Sewing shops (Stoff & Stil, Inkjop) — usually Vislon-3 and Vislon-5 kept in stock
- The garment manufacturer’s customer service — Bergans, Helsport, Norrøna often have a replacement slider
- Second-hand shops — old jackets or rucksacks often have a good slider
- Online: YKK directly, RepairFactory, eBay — search for “YKK 5C zipper slider”
For YKK zips (most quality garments) spare parts are easy to come by — it is one of the reasons they are used.
Tips
- Bring the broken slider when you go to buy a new one — compare the size directly
- Rub a little wax or silicone spray on a sticky zip before you give up and replace it — it can give ten times the life
- The little cord strap that hangs on the slider wears out first — replace it before the whole slider goes
Back to Repair → · Replacing the front zip on jackets →
Text: Lars Peters and Snuitide (2022), revised 2026.