Here's the scene: you're at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota and it's February. You're about to leave. As you approach the doors to exit you bring the ends of your jacket together and pull up the zipper. As you walk through the doorway you feel a cold draft on your abdomen. You look down to see your zipper is closed only at the very bottom of the jacket and at the zipper pull. The next couple of minutes, as you walk to your car, will be a little colder than you had anticipated. Now imagine that it's still February, but instead of being at the mall you are on the second or third day of a two-week camping trip with your dogs. Did you pack a nice, warm, spare parka? Safety pins? Duct tape?

I don't understand why, but Sue can drive a standard transmission automobile for 100,000+ miles and never wear out the clutch. On the other hand, I've seen the zipper on her new jackets fail in as little as two weeks. For us, packing for dog sledding trips always includes provisions for zipper failure. But you can't pack a replacement zipper for everything you bring. Besides, who wants to stop in the middle of the day, pitch a tent and then invest a few hours in hand sewing a new zipper into a parka?

Did you know that, "most zippers fail…. because the slider wears out, falls off, or breaks!" That's a quote from the little instruction manual that comes with The Original Zipper Rescue Kit® from ZRK Enterprises. The manual includes a brief history of the zipper, tells you how to adjust a zipper that is unreliable but where the slider has not failed, explains how to replace a slider that has failed, and tells you which zippers are beyond repair.

In addition to the manual you get eight replacement YKK zipper sliders in four different sizes, four replacement bottom stops and two replacement top stops. All this comes in a little plastic container that measures a little less than 4"x6"x1". The Original Zipper Rescue Kit® is easily packable and far superior to closing your parka with duct tape. Repairs are accomplished in minutes as compared to the hours you would spend hand sewing a new 24" zipper into your parka.

One credit card company warns us, "Don't leave home without it". I'm telling you, Sue and I don't go on a sled dog journey without our Original Zipper Rescue Kit®. It can be ordered over the web from ZRK Enterprises. They offer an Outdoor Kit (plastic zippers found in coats, tents, sleeping bags, purses and luggage), a Clothing Kit (metal zippers found in jeans, leather coats, upholstery, as well as small nylon coil zippers in slacks), and a Marine Kit (heavy-duty plastic zippers found in boat tops, life jackets, marine gear and wet suits). The kits sell for $10.00 plus shipping. You also can order by phone at 1-800-735-4620. International callers dial (541) 482-5020. Additionally, you can find The Original Zipper Rescue Kit® at JoAnn's Fabric Stores, in the Clotilde Catalog and the Home Sew Catalog.  REI stores and Campmor, Inc both offer the Outdoor Kit.

Is there a useful product you'd like to tell us about? Email your experience to mail@thefanhitch.org or snail-mail it to Mark Hamilton, 55 Town Line Road, Harwinton, CT 06791, USA.