Rant: People keep using silicone spray on tent zippers when they should be using wax instead

I saw a guy at REI last weekend grab a can of silicone spray for his stuck zipper and had to stop him since I learned the hard way after it gummed up my Big Agnes zipper on a rainy trip and made it worse, has anyone else dealt with this fix turning into a bigger problem?

2 comments

2 Comments

oscarcooper26d ago

Wait, did the silicone spray actually damage the fabric or just the zipper tape? I'm curious because I had a guy at a campsite tell me silicone attracts dirt and grit which then grinds down the teeth over time, and my experience with wax on my old North Face tent was that it stayed put for like 2 full seasons before I needed to reapply. Is that why you switched, or was it more about the gumming up issue on that rainy trip?

christopher_west126d ago

Wait, you're saying the wax lasted two seasons? That actually changes my thinking on this.