Product Improvement via Repair Shops
Background
Lately, I’ve been drawn to repair shops for outdoor gear on Instagram to help inform product improvements. Repair shops feel like a relatively new thing. I see this as a shift in purchasing patterns and consumer culture. (This would be a great future post: history of repair shops and changes in consumer buying habits.) We, as consumers, are becoming more aware of our impact. Instead of waiting for brands to dictate habits, we are being proactive. Brands work toward more sustainable practices, but they will inherently always make more stuff, which is not sustainable regardless of their green operatives.
My visit with Ruby
This revelation inspired a visit to Ruby, who had simultaneously reached out via Instagram. What could make our product more repairable? What repairs does she see most and how can we overcome them? We were pleased, because, overall, she found the current design structurally easy to repair, “simple and sturdy, nothing over-designed or over-complicated.” Exactly what we intended. The image below outlines this in more detail and some of her suggestions, many of which are discussed in more detail below.
Zippers!
First, let’s do an abbreviated zipper lesson. The image below shows the types of zipper teeth. The types of zippers that can be made waterproof are Vislon and reverse coil. This is done by adding a coating of PU to the exterior zipper tape. A reverse coil is a coil zipper inside out. We also designate the size of the zipper using numbers to indicate width of teeth. Common sizes are: #3 = 3mm zipper, #4.5 = 4.5mm zipper, #5 = 5mm zipper.
This is the most common repair, ubiquitously. Ruby, in particular, replaces lots of side zips on bibs. She expressed heightened concern about this feature of our bibs. We used a #3, waterproof reverse coil zipper. She speculates, “the shiny waterproof coating causes premature failure compared to non-waterproof zippers…. the reverse-coil underside chain-stitch… gets abraded more quickly than a non-reverse-coil zipper.”
To fix this, we can increase side seam zipper to a #5 and update to waterproof Vislon. Vislon zippers see fewer repairs, and YKK now makes them with replaceable teeth, so you don’t have to replace the whole zipper if a tooth falls off. The use of welts, a fabric covering for zippers and pockets, triggers a lengthy conversation regarding sun exposure, waterproofing, and fabric failure, but was another topic Ruby and I covered. This is mentioned only to provide insight. There are so many considerations in making apparel that are not always realized from a consumer perspective.
Crotch / Seam Allowance
Crotch repairs are also common, either men blowing out crotch seams or wear around the butt/inseam. Crotch blowing (LOL) checks out since men wear their pants lower, adding more tension to seams there. For the record, technical terminology would be front and back rise failure, but talking about crotches is way funnier.
Ruby suggested more seam allowance in the crotch to make this easier to repair and prevent crotch blowing from happening in the first place. Surprisingly, there doesn’t seem to be much difference in pants with gussets, which are intended to help with movement. As Ruby sees it, these are potentially added without much thought.
Cuff Guards
This location sees lots of wear and tear thanks to buckles, ski edges, and people like me that ski/tour with their legs close together. We have seen a good amount of dings and scratches on our product and are actively looking for a replacement. Ruby repairs this section of pants/bibs often.
I had some fun with this one. Below features Challenge Sailcloth fabric. We have had some trouble getting this direction off the ground because to vendor capabilities and shipping issues, but we look forward to implementing something like this in the future.
