Maintaining Wall Tent Zippers: How to Prevent Snags, Breaks, and Costly Repairs

Wall tent zippers take a beating. Outfitters and hunters constantly access wall tents, zipping and unzipping their door flaps, and dirt, grit, and rough weather can do a real number on them. So it should come as no surprise when we tell you: zippers are the first thing to go. Yes, zippers will give out even on the hardiest, well-made wall tents.

Knowing that, you’d be smart to give your wall tent zippers a little extra TLC. We’re here to tell you how. Below, we’ve gathered some basic tips on caring for zippers, along with maintenance and repair steps.

Basic Routine Zipper Care

Routine wall tent care and maintenance are essential to ensure your investment lasts. Even the most well-made, quality canvas wall tents will need some basic maintenance and repairs from time to time. And even though wall tents are made to last and withstand rough and rugged hunting trips and excursions, the zipper is the first thing that usually goes.

To prevent this, follow these basic tips to maintain your wall tent zipper.

Open Zippers While Pitching the Wall Tent

One easy way to damage zippers is by causing them stress. So, while pitching and setting up your wall tent, always leave the zippers unzipped when placing and removing the canvas tent over the frame.

Before you break in or season your wall tent, the canvas might feel loose over the frame structure, making it tempting to keep zippers zipped to prevent doors from flapping about. However, over time, the canvas will shrink, making a more snug fit over the frame, and this alone can cause canvas snags and stress to the zippers – door zippers especially.

A nice alternative (or addition) to this step is to shave a half-inch or so off of rafter poles. By making the wall tent frame slightly smaller, you can also reduce the tension of the canvas and zippers.

Keep Your Zippers Clean

It’s important to keep your wall tent zippers clean. Excess dirt, grit, and even salt (common when camping near the ocean) can gradually wear down the zipper teeth and cause snags.

Luckily, cleaning a tent’s zippers is easy. Grab a toothbrush and softly brush away any dirt or grime buildup in the grooves. Then rinse the zipper and wipe it down with a damp cloth. This is not an exciting task, but worth the periodic effort.

If you spot any loose threads around the zipper, trim them so that you run a lower risk of threads jamming and damaging the wall tent zipper coils.

Keep Zippers Running Smoothly

Aside from cleaning zipper teeth, you should also lubricate them. This step will help your zipper run smoothly and protect it from the elements. The best time to lubricate your wall tent zippers is right after cleaning, when they’re good and dry. Greasing the teeth grooves will give you that satisfying zip and unzip feeling.

We recommend using a silicone-based product such as the WD-40 Silicone Lubricant (which also provides a bit of water-resistance).

If you prefer to stick to something more natural, a nice substitute is Gear Hugger.

Either way, the best way to apply grease to your wall tent zipper is by Q-tip or small brush. Basically, something small that can get into the grooves, but avoid touching the canvas fabric. After you grease your zippers with the lubricant of your choice, wipe away the area with a damp cloth to remove any excess. Avoid grease that would actually collect dust.

Major Snags and Other Fixes for Wall Tent Zippers

Sometimes, even the best zipper maintenance can’t prevent a snag. It happens to the best of us. But it pays to know how to fix this issue, especially if it occurs in the wild where you rely on your wall tent for protection.

How to Fix a Stuck Zipper on Your Wall Tent

If your zipper snags and gets stuck – don’t force it! Instead, what you want to do is try to work it loose gently. Wiggle it back and forth until the snag or material comes free along the zipper teeth. If you are out in the field or on a trip, you can rub in graphite, candle wax or even Chapstick in a pinch, but only as a temporary solution. It’s a wise idea to grease it up with some lubricant once you’re back home.

How to Repair or Replace a Broken Zipper

Sometimes, a wall tent zipper can break or become damaged. The teeth or coils can bend, misalign and break, and the zipper pull itself can break off, lost somewhere between home and the site, who knows where.

But you need to fully zip up your wall tent flaps, so what can you do? The good news is that if you have some handy DIY skills, repairing a broken wall tent zipper is quite simple.

Here’s a quick guide on how to address some of these repairs:

Missing Zipper Pulls

You can get creative for a temporary fix if a zipper pull goes missing. Consider a zip-tie or paperclip to slip in its place, allowing you to unzip and zip up the door or window for the time being. At least until you have a moment to replace the entire pull or zipper slider (see below for those steps).

Bent or Broken Zipper Teeth

A prepared outfitter or hunter always has a multi-tool close at hand for emergencies – and this is one such emergency. Using your multi-tool pliers, straighten any bent teeth along the opened zipper – the key here is to do so delicately! – until the zipper glides smoothly again.

For missing or broken teeth entirely, you will need to replace the entire zipper slider. And the truth is that even bent teeth can lead to broken teeth, so while the plier trick serves its purpose temporarily, you should consider replacing the entire zipper slide later on.

Replace Zipper Slider

If you’re handy (and prepared), you can replace the slider on the fly. Using the pliers, remove the zipper stops and pull down the slider, detaching it from the zipper. Then, align the tops and bottoms and fasten/crimp the bottom and top stops of the new slider with the pliers. Test it out by sliding the zipper, ensuring it all aligns nicely and neatly. Lastly, glue the zipper's bottom to add extra security.

If you need a step-by-step tutorial on how to replace a zipper slider, check out Gear Aid’s Instructions – they’re super easy to follow!

Be Prepared With Spring Clips

When you pack for your next trip that you are bringing your canvas tent on, toss in with your repair gear some spring clips to use in case your zipper completely fails. You can not only use the clips to seal your door, but also to hang camp gear around your canvas tent or camp when you door is working.

Choose a Quality-Made Wall Tent for a Smooth Zipper Experience

Start your trip right by choosing a well-made wall tent – one constructed with quality materials and features that won’t leave you caught with your zipper down, so to speak, and keep you protected.

Beckel Canvas uses only the best zippers – YKK zippers – on our canvas products, including our Eena wall tents. YKK is a time-tested, heavy-duty zipper brand that’s been around for a while. Simply put, these rugged zippers are less prone to oxidation and made to last!

You will find YKK zippers used on our wall tent doors (7-foot-long zippers) and any added screened windows (should you choose to customize your tent).

So reduce the likelihood of hitting a zipper snag on your hunting excursions or outfitter trips. Choose a Beckel wall tent!