Okay, I admit to ignorance in this area. (There are other areas, too, but let’s not list them) I have this automobile storage tent. The thing is die hard tough and has stood against many a wintry storm with super-sized winds. It has corkscrew anchors for the tie downs that are two feet long in the ground. But, time has taken its toll on the zipper I use the most. The zipper has lost its zip, sadly. It behaves as though it is zipping the two ends together but the ends do not interlock as they should. Hence, they flap and blow in the breeze. Other than replacing the zipper, is there a solution/fix for this problem?
I don’t keep items in the tent that concern me with weather extremes or theft for that matter. I am concerned the tent opening sides will eventually whip out and fray. So, I entered the world of grommets. Doing what I normally don’t do, I purchased the cheapest pair of grommet pliers and grommets I could find. My logic was that it was better to lose a little money if grommets were not the solution to tie the ends of my tent flap together.
I placed the grommet onto the pliers and the pliers over the tent fabric hoping to set the first grommet. Well, the grommet fell to the ground numerous times despite my clumsy efforts to hold the grommet onto the pliers. When I finally got a grommet positioned where I wanted it, I squeezed and heard/felt the grommet make a meager attempt to punch through the tent fabric. Ouch. Once barely through, and having now made my very first attempt and hearing the crowd cheer, I realized the crazy grommet was not going to remain in place.
Yes, even without instructions (none were provided), I eventually turned the pliers around and squeezed from the opposite direction. Embarrassing! I’m glad just you and I are the only people to know of my faux pas. Yep, the grommet was now snugly held in place since the opposite end was crimped. And, I tied the tent flap opening together feeling a measure of success.
In case you are wondering, there is another zippered opening on the opposite side from my failed zipper which opens just fine. I would have much preferred a zipper repair. But, it’s a heavy duty zipper and it would not interlock despite several attempts. I think we get credit for learning the little things as well as the big things. Hmm, maybe just tenths of points. 🙂
valuefixit 