Does anyone know where to obtain longer 2-way separating coil zippers in size #3?
These are the types of zippers the open from both ends and can be totally separated, used on most sleeping bags, but usually in #5 or larger.

Thru-Hiker has them in 6 foot lengths and states that is the longest to be found 'anywhere.' Warmlite has #3s of this type, but they are molded tooth, not coil. The longest Quest has is around 4.5 feet.

Unfortunately, 8 foot or longer is needed, and coil is much lighter than tooth.

The reason is to make zip in/out insect netting doors for a tunnel tarptent, where the zippers also can be used to open and close the doors after the doors are installed. Even a one way separating zipper would work, but the door would only open from one side - not a major problem.

If you know and can share the info, please post.
Thanks to anyone who can help.

Edited by scfhome on 03/15/2013 21:35:13 MDT.

Oops. If you don't need it to actually seperate why not use bulk coil zip and add your sliders?


Seperate zip in doors?

Edited by kthompson on 03/15/2013 22:06:55 MDT.

Thru-hiker has one way seperating #3 coil zippers. Same thing with quest.

I bought 36" #3 one way seperating zipper from thru-hiker. Put it onto vest. Needed 33" so I cut off top 3". Used it maybe 20 nights so far. No problems. Just looking at the seperating end, it doesn't look like it's lined up perfectly, makes me think maybe toothed zipper would be better, yet it's worked perfectly so far so this must just be paranoia : )

Hope the above is clearer. The more stuff that is removable, the easier the inevitable repairs, especially to door netting.
Could use the shorter ones and have them meet partway.
Use one shorter zip to attach the net door panel to one aide of the canopy.
Use the longer 6' from T-H to be able to unzip the door under the roof and along the other side of the canopy.
Just one zipper would have been nice, though.

"Hope the above is clearer."

Above has an error - I'de just ignore it but you might order something you didn't intend - or not

Two way seperating zipper is like a jacket - it seperates, you can zip it up from bottom, and then there's a second zipper pull you can zip up from the bottom to open it from the bottom for better ventilation.

That would make sense for net door, so you can open it from either side like you said.

The error is that thru-hiker does not have two way seperating zippers in #3. Quest and owfinc also

But one way seperating zipper would give you a removeable netting as you said

Another useful thing is double pull (or double tab) zipper pull - then you could open from inside or outside. But they don't have them on the one way seperating zipper. You could order a seperate double pull zipper pull, cut the top zipper stop off the one way seperating zipper, zip off the single pull zipper pull, and put on the double pull zipper pull. Rather than putting regulation zipper stop back on, just put maybe 20 loops of thread with hand needle - enough to prevent zipper pull from passing.

Or, it's possible to open the zipper from the back side and just stay with the single pull zipper pull.

Jerry,
Thanks for bringing up the single pull/double pull issue. Hadn't even thought that far. If it's a separating zipper, and the slider is single pull, it should be a simple matter to slide off the single pull slider, and slide on a double pull one.

Agree that a separating zip that is two way would be best, because it can be zipped from either end, so would make for a much more convenient door. Sleeping bag zippers are often two-way. That's why I was looking at them first, but could find nothing in #3 of that type.

Looked again at the T-H site, and their #3 6 foot separating zipper is not coil, but molded tooth, and zips only one-way. The Quest #3 is coil, but also zips only one way.

So will call Warmlite. If they are using #3 zips for their sleeping bags, at least I could get a two-way zip, even though it would probably be molded tooth. Will also check out Ragged Mountain nearby, but doubt they will have separating zips in #3 that are any longer than for a jacket. Should probably check out Joanne's Fabrics as well.

So the best case scenario would probably be a #3 molded tooth from Warmlite that is two-way for their bags, would be long enough for the whole door, but would be heavier with the molded tooth. Second best would be two four foot #3 separating coils from Quest, that would make the door removable, but zip only one-way.

Hate to chuck the whole idea just because of limitations on materials. That is getting to be a perennial problem. But a permanently installed door would allow use of #3 coil, which would be much lighter. Will call Warmlite first, before making a decision. Thanks.

Call zippersource. (847) 385-0770. They're the custom manufacturing division of lenzip, who make zippers, just outside Chicago.

Thru-hiker has one way seperating #3 coil 72 inch. Put one on each side and it would do what you want.

Sleeping bags normally have non seperating zippers - no reason to have it seperate. I made a bag with a one way seperating zipper and it was often a pain because it became seperated, with no benefit, but a little more difficult to start up.

I don't think having a 2 way seperating zipper would add any benefit. With a 1 way zipper on each side, seperate at the two corners, zip up to the center top. If you want to get out, you unzip from the top. No reason to unzip from corners.

Using a 2 way zipper when you only need 1 way is bad, because they're a little more difficult to align and start zipping, and a little more likely to fail. Same thing, using 1 way when you don't need to seperate is bad.

That source for custom zippers is interesting. If someone had the machine to do that it would be easy enough to do arbitrary length.

Many sleeping bags have separating zips, as it makes it possible to zip two bags together, making it easier to be friendly with your tent mate.

A while back on hammockforumns one of the guys was trying to find zippers for a removable bug net. I think he eventually scavenged them off of cheap fleece sleeping bags.

Checked T-H again - their 6 footer is molded tooth, not coil.
Whatever the merits of 2-way separating zips on sleeping bags, most of the companies use them, but in #5 or larger. Saw #3 somewhere, but don't remember where.

For MYOG sleeping bags, I use a continuous #3 coil, and just put an extra slider at the foot so the bag can be opened to ventilate at the foot only. Saves some weight.

zippersource.com doesn't show anything below #5 zips on its site.
Think I'll let this idea of a full perimeter zip out door go by-the-by until I run across a 8-9 foot #3 coil 2 way separating. Thanks for your posts, though.

Edited by scfhome on 03/18/2013 18:00:48 MDT.

There was a reason I gave a phone number, and not a url.
Call them. If they can't make it (I'm pretty sure they can), they probably can tell you who can.

Called zippersource. As their web site indicates, they do not work with zippers smalled than #5.

Will keep looking though, because am also looking at several '4 season' tents that do not have a separate net door to keep out bugs (Some companies seem to interpret '4 season' as meaning 'winter only.') It would be nice to have a very light #3 zip door that can be zipped in around the perimeter for warmer weather, and zipped out for winter. A 2-way separating, double pull, #3 coil would be extremely light, and worth adding to keep the bugs at bay. Even a one way separating would allow the door to be zipped open from one side for entry and exit.

It's not seen so much lately, but a lot of tents, Moss for example, used to have the fabric door zipped onto the netting door. The fabric zip was just inside the outer zip that attached the netting to the tent. Could just rebuild the existing door like that, but would much prefer a removable netting door.

Edited by scfhome on 03/22/2013 19:30:15 MDT.