Most fly fishermen are gear junkies and incredibly good at improvising. If there is a need for something on the water, there more than likely is a product out there to provide a solution. Over the past few years the world of submersible bags has really developed. I am not talking about water resistant here, I mean 100% water proof. To achieve a fully submersible bag, manufactures have 2 different options, they can either use a “roll top” feature to make the bag airtight, or a waterproof zipper. The most popular waterproof zippers on the market are the TIZIP. The addition of a TIZIP on a pack does substantially increase the retail price of the bag so we want to make sure to properly maintain the zipper so that it lasts season after season. We recently sat down with Ben Kurtz, the president of FishpondUSA, to go over some suggestions for taking care of a submersible zipper. Fishpond makes some of the best travel and fishing bags on the planet and has been on the leading end of the submersible bag development. Here are some of the suggestions Ben had to help ensure your waterproof zipper remains effective.
- Operate the slider slowly when opening/closing.
- Try to never pull the zipper at an angle.
- Do not store the bag with a bent zipper track or with the zipper open, storage should always have the slider completed closed/docked.
- All of the bags come with a TIZIP lubricant, from time to time, this needs to be used!
- Apply the lubricant after periods of extended use or storage. Be sure to clean the zipper before applying the lubricant.
- Use a mild detergent, water, and a fine scrub brush to clean the zipper slider.
- Most importantly, the slider must be COMPLETELY closed to do its job!
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