How hard is it to modify wetsuit zippers?
Specifically, I would love to try the zoot, orca, and especially Huub suits again but with reverse zippers. I don’t swim straight, mostly due to my titanium clavicle, so I need to sight often. Regular zippers seem to chafe my neck.
Obviously I can go back to my nineteen rogue or helix, but I really think Huub is onto something, but I need a reverse zipper for my short comings.
Can this be done? By whom?
You’re likely going to have to cut out the original and replace have the reverse sewn in. For a good wetsuit repair shop, this shouldn’t be that bad, but the suit likely won’t be the same ofter that.
Just my thoughts. It’s not impossible, but might be a little bit more difficult than it appears.
jake
I was wondering if it would negatively change the fit of the suit. Damn.
Any changes to the phantom this year?
Just get a DeSoto. No zipper or velcro anywhere near the neck.
It is doable- you’d need to rip the seams holding the zipper and the zipper flap, turn the zipper around upside down, and resew. The fit should not be altered. If the ripped-out seams from the zipper flap need to be moved a quarter inch to make a structurally sound new seam, that should still not affect the fit. Take it to a wetsuit repair place or even someone with a decent mechanical home machine should be able to do this.
I don’t think that it will alter the fit of the suit significantly, but it will change it. These suits aren’t necessarily designed around the zippers, but they are put together with the zipper being one of the most reenforced areas of the suit.
Also it won’t be as simple as flipping the zipper, unless you have the zipper from the old QR suits that has to be connected at the bottom of the zipper. Further, when you take the zipper out, as you mentioned you’ll have to rip out the seam. That seam will not be able to be sewn in the same place, and the suit will be weakened in that area, not a great area to have excess holes with it being one area of the suit that gets pulled on a lot. In addition to that, the area at the bottom of the zipper where it is sewn into the suit would be difficult to reproduce so as to not tear under pressure.
I’m not saying it’s impossible, and a good wetsuit repair shop should be able to do it. But I wouldn’t consider it a permanent fix, the integrity of the suit won’t be the same, and I still believe that the fit will be altered slightly. You’ll also have to consider finding a zipper the correct length, which again, a good wetsuit repair shop should be able to accommodate this.
I’m interested to see if you can do this Zach!
jake
Obviously I can go back to my nineteen rogue or helix,
Are those really the only 2 brands that have the reverse-direction zippers? I thought there were a bunch of options if you wanted to go this way.
Aqua sphere Phantom have the zipper going up to get out…
I have the phantom as well and it is a fantastic suit. Unfortunately my body type doesn’t work well with the fit of the phantom. I was thinking about sizing down to the extra small, but that seems odd. I have talked to jake about it already last year.
Are those the only 3 brands/models of wetsuit with reverse zips?
Aquaman uses it. Other than that, I’m not aware of any other suits that do. Though there are likely a few others.
I’m surprised that Huub doesn’t.
jake
My profile design has a reverse zipper.
We love the breakaway zipper that QR has used for years. Though we just use it in the premium suits.
If it is a jersey-backed neoprene suit, then reinforcing the old seam area with a jersey patch and wetsuit cement has worked well for me. If it is a double-sided coated neoprene like Aquaman then it may be more of a problem. Even if the original zipper is non-separating, finding a separating zipper that is the right length should not be a factor, as you can always shorten a standard zipper such as a YKK #10 or similar to the right length.
Another option the OP may have is just shortening the zipper a bit at the neck and installing a velcro tab across the collar area to prevent it from opening with the shortened zipper. That may alleviate some of the chafing issues without changing much else.
Sounds simple enough. Does the jersey reinforcement and cement not cause this section of the suit to stiffen up some? (ie lose elasticity)
Now that I think about it, most zippers are a standard size, so a YKK zipper in the breakaway reverse zip format should work.
jake
I know you have spot in your heart for qr, but get Dean to flip a zipper on an Archimedes 3:5 and add a thinner back panel to allow heat disapation.
Your Profile Design wetsuit has a reverse zipper because this is an Aquaman wetsuit.
Aquaman has been using the reverse zipper for over 12 years and was making Aquaman wetsuits with Profile Design logo from 2007 to 2009.
Now if you get an Aquaman wetsuit, you will get the reverse zipper with what we call the Flash System to avoid any rash .
Check it out at aquamantri.com