Backwards zippers on foulies?

[Cap Bill Des]

I went shopping for new foul-weather gear today and found that both Gill and Musto are selling jackets with backwards zippers. What's up with that? I'm used to men's jacket zippers having the pull-car on the right - and I believe that the women's standard is pull-car on the left. Well, today everything was the women's standard. And they weren't being sold as unisex- the men's jackets were in S,M,L, XL and the women's we're in sizes 6,8,10,12- but they all had the left zipper!

I fumbled with this trying to get the jacket on. My wife challenged me that my old jacket might be the same way, but no, I checked when we got back to the boat and my old jacket zips like any other garment I have worn my whole life.

So what's up with this !?! I didn't buy anything today and am still wearing 15-year-old gear
. Sorry for the rant but this struck me as noteworthy..

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Cap Bill Des

I went shopping for new foul-weather gear today and found that both Gill and Musto are selling jackets with backwards zippers. ...

So what's up with this !?!

Right hand zippers are sexist. You have to allow for the non-binary members of the LGBTIQCAPGNGFNBA communities

[Pete17C]

Did the zipper still zip?

[fivecapes]

HH and HL (mine from 1994) men's foulies have the car on the left as well.

[Draughty]

I have Burke and HH; both have the zip in the middle!

Rgds

[Ziggy]

My Line7 jacket has the zipper reversed. I attributed this to its Southern Hemisphere (New Zealand) origins.

[belizesailor]

What do you mean by "backwards" exactly?

If its just with the pull tab on the left or right, why would it functionally matter?

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

What do you mean by "backwards" exactly?

If its just with the pull tab on the left or right, why would it functionally matter?

It only matters when you are inserting the zipper pin into the zipper box at the bottom of the left and right sides of the zipper tape that is sewn to the garment. Once the pin is inserted into the box all the way one then pulls the slider up between the two sides of the zipper to connect the left and right chain links.

So yes, one needs to ascertain which side has the pin end component needs to be inserted into the box component and tugged down into the box completely to align the chain links before pulling the slider up.

One will find that there is an assortment of zipper siding depending on manufacturer and model of clothing, there really not being a gender standard as is more common with buttons. American clothing designers typically have the zipper box and slider on the wearer's right side and the Non-American [European / Canadian] designers are more typically left sided.

There is NO Right [read correct] method

If you find that zipper distinction challenging, try buttoning the opposite sided garments of women's and men's clothing.

[mlydon]

As the majiruty of peiple are right handed, it makes better sense to have the left hand HOLD the tab end and the rivht hand manipulate the box over it and pull up the slide.

Yes, for whatever reason womens xlothing usually reverses it, but the 'better' way to my mind is 'right hand'

Sounds like the mfg's aren't taking basic ergo omics into account.

While you can put a throttle quadrant on a boat on the left side, who DOES that? Typical is wheel manipulated with the left hand (gross movement), throttle manipulation (fine movement) right hand....

My 2 cents....

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by mlydon

While you can put a throttle quadrant on a boat on the left side, who DOES that? Typical is wheel manipulated with the left hand (gross movement), throttle manipulation (fine movement) right hand....

My 2 cents....

Unless it’s an airplane, then the throttle in on the left. Single seat aircraft anyway, then most side by side dual seat mount it on the panel and usually the pilot sits on the left and manipulates the throttle with his right hand.
In other words, I don’t think it matters really.
I never figured out how Brit’s got used to shifting left handed, it would seem odd to me.

But a backwards zipper would annoy me no end

[Hartleyg]

FWIW, my wife and I bought new WM "Third Reef" foulie jackets last year, and both mine and hers have right-hand zippers. She hasn't complained


Hartley
S/V Atsa

[JD-Odyssey]

A simple solution: forget buying foulies and only sail in fair weather

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by mlydon

As the majiruty of peiple are right handed, it makes better sense to have the left hand HOLD the tab end and the rivht hand manipulate the box over it and pull up the slide.

Yes, for whatever reason womens xlothing usually reverses it, but the 'better' way to my mind is 'right hand'

Sounds like the mfg's aren't taking basic ergo omics into account.

While you can put a throttle quadrant on a boat on the left side, who DOES that? Typical is wheel manipulated with the left hand (gross movement), throttle manipulation (fine movement) right hand....

My 2 cents....

If you are in the majority perhaps, but if you are a southpaw then the opposite arrangement prevails.

This is culturally specific to a certain degree.

Have you tried tying someone else necktie for them, it becomes very awkward when facing someone, especially a bow tie, once you become accustomed to doing it your self.

I agree as to the difficulty of manipulating a stick shift with a righthand side drive, left hand gear change when you are accustomed to a portside / leftside vehicle. Which is why I request an automatic when visiting the UK, Oz and New Zealand on business or vacation trips. It is hard enough to stay on the proper side of the road, i.e., the non-right side so keeping the hand free from shifting makes travel a tad easier. Except I find myself almost always trying to enter the vehicle on the incorrect side in such countries.

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by JD-Odyssey

A simple solution: forget buying foulies and only sail in fair weather

So works for me.

Gentlemen don't sail to weather nor in weather.

We leave such to the ladies.

[rmlarson1098]

Originally Posted by Cap Bill Des

I went shopping for new foul-weather gear today and found that both Gill and Musto are selling jackets with backwards zippers. What's up with that? I'm used to men's jacket zippers having the pull-car on the right - and I believe that the women's standard is pull-car on the left. Well, today everything was the women's standard. And they weren't being sold as unisex- the men's jackets were in S,M,L, XL and the women's we're in sizes 6,8,10,12- but they all had the left zipper!

I fumbled with this trying to get the jacket on. My wife challenged me that my old jacket might be the same way, but no, I checked when we got back to the boat and my old jacket zips like any other garment I have worn my whole life.

So what's up with this !?! I didn't buy anything today and am still wearing 15-year-old gear
. Sorry for the rant but this struck me as noteworthy..

We just looked at 'em in Astoria, OR (USA) last week, and sure enough they had 'backward' zippers on the men's gear. They were very nice, made in New Zealand, and the sales guy told me that indeed, 'old school' left and right zippers ARE 'sexist' (his words) and that I should get over it. I tried for several minutes to zip the coat and gave up. Hard to teach an old dog new tricks...