Really hate Velcro on pockets, I do this with the zipper
Who Hates Their Seaskin Nova? (+ post pics)
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My drysuit has the zipper pockets and I like them just fine. I always dive my drysuit with thick-ish drygloves. I had trouble opening the zipper sometimes, so I bought some $4 zip pulls from DGX: DGX Large Zipper Pull . I originally put one zip pull on each zipper, but found that the two pulls on the same pocket tended to get tangled on each other from time to time. So, now I just have the zip pull on the rear zipper on each side, and don't use the front zipper much at all. This works well for me, and I don't find it to be substantially easier or harder than the velcro pockets sewn into my 3mm wetsuit.
Has anybody compared the bellows pocket and the zippered pocket side by side? The reason I ask is, people talk on SB as though the bellows pocket is much bigger than the zippered pocket, but SeaSkin's website lists them at very similar size (bellows: 26x20x6 cm, zippered 27x19x5 cm). They are a different geometry, with the zippered pocket having rounded corners versus the bellows pocket's square corners... maybe that makes the difference. Or, maybe there is no substantial difference, I don't know.
The zippered pocket has a little piece of webbing inside that holds a 1" plastic D-ring. I don't like the plastic D-ring, because I can't hear a boltsnap clicking onto it like I can with a metal one. So, I had a local seamstress replace the plastic D-ring with a larger 2" bent D-ring like this one: DGX S/S {2 in | 5.1 cm} D-Ring w/Bend . This works much better, and if I were ordering a new suit today, I would ask SeaSkin to include a bent metal D-ring instead of a plastic one.
Has anybody compared the bellows pocket and the zippered pocket side by side? The reason I ask is, people talk on SB as though the bellows pocket is much bigger than the zippered pocket, but SeaSkin's website lists them at very similar size (bellows: 26x20x6 cm, zippered 27x19x5 cm). They are a different geometry, with the zippered pocket having rounded corners versus the bellows pocket's square corners... maybe that makes the difference. Or, maybe there is no substantial difference, I don't know.
The zippered pocket has a little piece of webbing inside that holds a 1" plastic D-ring. I don't like the plastic D-ring, because I can't hear a boltsnap clicking onto it like I can with a metal one. So, I had a local seamstress replace the plastic D-ring with a larger 2" bent D-ring like this one: DGX S/S {2 in | 5.1 cm} D-Ring w/Bend . This works much better, and if I were ordering a new suit today, I would ask SeaSkin to include a bent metal D-ring instead of a plastic one.
If you're talking about thing on the main zipper, mine broke after a bit over 2 years of at least weekly use and being pretty careful. Without it, I really don't like the way the zipper seat gets torqued and weighted with the top of the suit down before and between dives, so I installed a replacement.
It's paracord that I cut open at either end, splayed out the sheath halves and core strands, glued down with a flexible adhesive, and then finished with Tenacious Tape. You can see I needed to shorten it a bit, so I just sewed a mini bight together in the middle. I had to reglue one side after a while, but it's working as intended, and my zipper is going strong a year later.
I’ve tried a few different 3D printed designs tied using cave line, doing zipper pulls on both zippers, single zipper. Just always feels like a pain in the butt, not something I can do without active concentration, much faffing about, and general annoyance.
The giant Halycon pockets are my ideal. Small zipper on the flap but the main pocket has velcro for easy access/closure.
Man, y'all spending money like you bought Santis... lol!
This is how I do my pockets.
One piece of thick bungee tied with an overhand knot for a zipper pull. Only on the rearmost pull. It's very easy to find by feel, even with dry gloves and liners on. Once I grab it, my pockets zip shut very easily.
One thin piece of bungee tied in a loop through the D-ring, to clip stuff to that goes in the pocket. I don't clip anything to the D-ring. The loop is long enough (and stretchy) that I can pull everything out of my pocket to choose what I want to unclip. Or see the loop to clip stuff to it, with a little tug to make sure the thing is actually clipped on.
The thing I hate about pockets with the velcro flap (which I have had before) is that invariably, the flap wants to be in the way of me trying to put stuff in my pocket. I'm trying to put something in there using one hand and, well, how do I do it? If I'm on land, obviously the flap falls shut as soon as I open it and then grab whatever I want to put in there. In the water, it is usually equally obnoxious.
I don't want pockets where I have to hold it open with one hand while I put stuff in with the other hand.
Don't get me wrong. Sure, there are times when you can make it work. But, if your hand it FULL (of whatever you want to put in there) and your other hand is otherwise occupied, that flap can be a real pain.
Maybe if they made the suits with velcro up on the side of the suit and also on the outside of the flap, so you could velcro it open, as well as closed...
This is how I do my pockets.
One piece of thick bungee tied with an overhand knot for a zipper pull. Only on the rearmost pull. It's very easy to find by feel, even with dry gloves and liners on. Once I grab it, my pockets zip shut very easily.
One thin piece of bungee tied in a loop through the D-ring, to clip stuff to that goes in the pocket. I don't clip anything to the D-ring. The loop is long enough (and stretchy) that I can pull everything out of my pocket to choose what I want to unclip. Or see the loop to clip stuff to it, with a little tug to make sure the thing is actually clipped on.
The thing I hate about pockets with the velcro flap (which I have had before) is that invariably, the flap wants to be in the way of me trying to put stuff in my pocket. I'm trying to put something in there using one hand and, well, how do I do it? If I'm on land, obviously the flap falls shut as soon as I open it and then grab whatever I want to put in there. In the water, it is usually equally obnoxious.
I don't want pockets where I have to hold it open with one hand while I put stuff in with the other hand.
Don't get me wrong. Sure, there are times when you can make it work. But, if your hand it FULL (of whatever you want to put in there) and your other hand is otherwise occupied, that flap can be a real pain.
Maybe if they made the suits with velcro up on the side of the suit and also on the outside of the flap, so you could velcro it open, as well as closed...
Color coordinated zipper pulls on Amazon, 10 pack was $5. Now I'm not one to brag, but let's just say the budget allowed for it.
I really like the loop idea.. next on my list.
Hey! Mine are color-coordinated, too! And DIR. Black on black....
I wonder if they changed the actual zippers they use. Pic of your pocket zipper?
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