• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Zipper noise on packs.

Another wax idea: Try a little bee's wax on the zipper. Might help quiet it down but don't over do it--the wax will be pretty firm when it's cold--a little will go a long way. I keep bees so have a surplus of it and it's free compared to surf wax or candles (for me anyway)
 
Loud zippers are one of the things I despise with hunting companies. Whether it's on clothing or packs. I also don't understand why some clothing companies have full leg zip base layer pants, full leg zip insulating mid layer pants and then have outer layer pants with no leg zips....uh hello?

As far as quieting them down I just take it real slow and steady.
 
mprooch said:
Another wax idea: Try a little bee's wax on the zipper. Might help quiet it down but don't over do it--the wax will be pretty firm when it's cold--a little will go a long way. I keep bees so have a surplus of it and it's free compared to surf wax or candles (for me anyway)
Click to expand...

Beeswax is used by some to lock in serving thread and as a mild threadlocker, compared to silicone based string waxes since those are really slick.

I'm afraid beeswax might gum up a zipper.

I'd try it on a zipper you don't care about first.
 
AttackMode said:
Loud zippers are one of the things I despise with hunting companies. Whether it's on clothing or packs. I also don't understand why some clothing companies have full leg zip base layer pants, full leg zip insulating mid layer pants and then have outer layer pants with no leg zips....uh hello?

As far as quieting them down I just take it real slow and steady.
Click to expand...

The zippers on my under armour jackets are pretty quiet. Also, the mini flat zippers on my sitka downpour jacket are pretty quiet, but they are so fine toothed that I don't think they'd work well on a pack (don't seem very strong to me).
 
raisins said:
The zippers on my under armour jackets are pretty quiet. Also, the mini flat zippers on my sitka downpour jacket are pretty quiet, but they are so fine toothed that I don't think they'd work well on a pack (don't seem very strong to me).
Click to expand...
Good to know. I don't own any loud zipper clothes anymore but the lack of full leg zip pants does irritate me. My Kifaru stuff has pretty quiet zips if used slowly. Other than that on my pack it's either hooks with elastic cords, magnets or draw cords. It seems like the only full leg zip stuff is rain wear or late season stuff. My G2 legs zips are just long enough to over my boots. There needs to be more available....
 
Last edited:
The sitka fanatic pack is unbelievably quiet. It's expensive but it's one of the best purchases I've made and I don't wear sitka clothes or anything I just feel that it is the very best pack you can get for being quiet.
 
DroptineKrazy said:
Only evidence I can give you is 44 years in the deer woods and busting deer making less noise than a zipper can make. Don't you try to be as quiet in the woods as possible when hunting? Many an "expert" will tell you that a deer can pinpoint your position from 100 yards away when you grunt at it and I've spooked deer from quite a distance away from just having my arrow come off the rest and hitting the riser or bumping my cam on my tree stand. I think that's one reason that velcro is considered taboo in the woods.
Click to expand...

i can attest that deer are able to pinpoint a grunt call from a long ways out! I’ve had several walk directly to me staring directly at base of my tree, wondering why there’s no deer there.

I do try to be as quiet as possible in the deer woods - it’s why I rarely ever go in my pack while on stand.

but none of these things have anything to do with a deer’s ability to determine that a zipper noise is a human noise.

again - if you’re operating zippers with deer really close by, in a scenario where they can and will hear it, especially in a scenario that they’re pretty alert, the issue isn’t the volume or type of sound the zipper makes.
 
raisins said:
I tried the candle trick on an Alpz pack and it didn't help.

Now, I just pull the two sides of the zipper together and zip slowly. Don't use the Alpz pack now for other reasons.
Click to expand...
Candle wax is really hard to get to properly rub into the zipper to help. Surfboard was on the other hand works much better
 
I've never seen a rhyme or reason to what zippers make noise. I have $20 fleece jackets with quiet zippers and a $250 one with a zipper that is comparable to a weedwhacker running.

I do have a preference for clothes and packs without zippers. The Badlands Silent Reaper and Silent Stalker were awesome packs and I hate that they didn't keep refining the concept. Too many "whitetail packs" are just crappy elk packs or glorified day packa IMO. The Silent Stalker/Reaper isn't perfect, but I've been using one for 3 seasons and don't really have any complaints.

Jackets are tougher. I love me a fleece pullover, and my favorite jacket has a zipper but also has silent buttons. If I want to very quietly put it on and button it up as the sun sets I can.

Really not sure where the hard-on soft goods designers have for zippers came from. As often as the things end up broken and derailed, and as big of a PITA as they are to fix, you'd think the humble button would get more love. Any goober can sew a button back on if it pops loose.
 
Last edited:
Nutterbuster said:
Really not sure where the hard-on soft goods designers have for zippers came from. As often as the things end up broken and derailed, and as big of a PITA as they are to fix, you'd think the humble button would get more love. Any goober can sew a button back on if it pops loose.
Click to expand...

Any goober can sew a button back on, but almost every goober will buy a new one when the zipper breaks

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
 
kyler1945 said:
i can attest that deer are able to pinpoint a grunt call from a long ways out! I’ve had several walk directly to me staring directly at base of my tree, wondering why there’s no deer there.

I do try to be as quiet as possible in the deer woods - it’s why I rarely ever go in my pack while on stand.

but none of these things have anything to do with a deer’s ability to determine that a zipper noise is a human noise.

again - if you’re operating zippers with deer really close by, in a scenario where they can and will hear it, especially in a scenario that they’re pretty alert, the issue isn’t the volume or type of sound the zipper makes.
Click to expand...

I've grunted and had deer walk in looking up into trees. I'm taking that to mean that some are so good that they even know it is from an elevated location.
 
Nutterbuster said:
If there are deer in bow range, I vote the only activity taking place should be attempted murder.
Click to expand...

murder - [ mur-der ] noun. Law. the killing of another human being under conditions specifically covered in law.....

The term "murder" doesn't apply to animals. Saying "attempted killing" would be more correct. :tearsofjoy:
 
BenG said:
The sitka fanatic pack is unbelievably quiet. It's expensive but it's one of the best purchases I've made and I don't wear sitka clothes or anything I just feel that it is the very best pack you can get for being quiet.
Click to expand...
I agree. I think there is only one zipper on the fanatic. I put my keys in it at the truck and never touch it again till I back. Rest of the pack is dead quiet
 
kyler1945 said:
It's easy to take that position, because it's impossible to prove the opposite position. What evidence do you have that makes you SURE that it being a ZIPPER noise alerts them to your position, and not just "A" noise that alerts them to your position?

Again, I'm not advocating ripping a loud zipper open with a deer 50' away in open woods on a below freezing, no wind, dry day. Of course you're probably going to get some unwanted attention. But for 99% of times you'd open a zipper, if deer aren't in bow range, its going to make zero difference. If a deer is in bow range, and you're not aware, and its still enough for the deer to hear a zipper and recognize it as "unnatural", You probably have bigger issues with your hunting habits than zippers...
Click to expand...
Zippers are killers.. or non-killers. Deer can hear the slightest noise, it alerts them to the direction and the distance of "something" your not zipping or unzipping without movement.... busted! When we set up we make noise. I base the success of my set up and take down on how much "human" noise I make. Unzip what you need to get at when your setting up and then leave it.. When the light fades and we're getting ready to leave we pack up, it's movement and noise, and not necessarily just zippers. In that light you'll never see a deer at a 100 yds. you'd be lucky to see them at 50. When the hunt is nearing the end I like to give a calling sequence 30 min before last shooting light, deer come in looking, I've killed deer doing this but it sets me up for deer coming in at low light with caution and a good idea of the direction and distance. If they don't come right in, when I lose the light I get busted getting ready to leave the tree.I would prefer not to zip my pack before leaving the base of my tree but I can't afford to lose gear. I wish pack closures were magnetic. The finer the teeth on the zipper the louder it is. I have an old fleece pack with big toothed zippers that is the quietest pack I own.
I guess the bottom line is, it's all noise and movement.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top