This old, lightly quilted LLBean jacket needed help with its three zippers. The front zipper needed to be replaced and the two side pocket zippers kept getting caught up in the thin nylon pocket flaps. First step was to remove the old front coil zipper and flap. When the flaps/wind guards are too thin, they are more likely to be a problem. Unpicking the multiple stitching layers to remove zippers is the most time consuming part of this.
Second step was to sew closed the front seam allowances, which previously encased the zipper and flap, and to wait for a new #5 molded tooth two-way separating YKK zipper to arrive in the mail. I prefer to only use YKK brand zippers for outdoor gear as they are reliably durable and replacement pulls are usually available from outdoor fabric shops. Molded tooth zippers often perform better than coil zippers if they get snow and sleet on them, and are more easily shortened for custom lengths. Two-way separating zippers are not necessary for hip-length jackets like this one, but I like them when hiking to have the option for increased ventilation.
Third step was to simply sew down the side pocket flaps. Much easier and faster than time-consuming pocket surgery on an old jacket that has invisible zippers for the pockets. Invisible zippers really should only be used in select dresses and skirts, because they tend to break easily and get fabric caught up in them.
Fourth step was to shorten the new zipper. I removed excess teeth with needle nose pliers, added new top stops with the same pliers, then cut off the excess zipper tape at the top of the zipper. Finding a replacement zipper the exact length of the garment is rare, but shortening zippers is relatively easy.
Fifth step was to simply sew the new zipper to the inner finished front edges, folding in the shortened tape at the top between the jacket and the zipper.
