Blew $400 on a drysuit zipper repair kit and regretted it instantly

I tried to fix a stuck zipper on my DUI drysuit myself last month with one of those repair kits, but I ended up botching the seal so bad I had to pay a shop $200 to redo it. Has anyone else here had better luck with those DIY kits or is it just a waste of money?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_phoenix4d ago

Those DIY zipper kits are basically a trap for anyone who hasn't done it a dozen times. The glue sets faster than you expect, and one little wrinkle ruins the whole seal. You're way better off just paying a pro from the start. That 400 dollars could have covered a full shop repair or a good chunk of a new suit. Sorry you had to learn the hard way, a lot of us have been there.

karenw233h ago

Oh man, I feel your pain... I did the same thing with my suit a couple years back and had to hand it off to a pro too. What finally worked for me was just practicing on an old wetsuit zipper first to get the timing right on the glue. That saved me from ruining my good drysuit and gave me the confidence to do it right the next time.