Installing Pit Zips

[Stealth Radness]

Anybody ever tried? I like the breathability of my soft shell, but it doesn't compare to my Gore-tex with pit zips when skinning. It seems like it would be pretty easy because a seam runs right along where the pit zip would be- rip seam, buy zipper length, sew it in. Other thoughts?

[Mulletizer]

Yeah, simple as that. however, it takes some skills to make it look good. Don't even try if you are not very handy with a sewing machine. And don't even think about doing it by hand. Putting zips into a new garment is tricky enough; fitting them into the seams of an old one is... a challenge. The sleeves are unlikely to sit that well afterwards but it might work.

[cj001f]

Uhh...take it off? If your that warm your better off without it on.

[crashnburn'd]

Sounds like a not so good idea to me, unless you're a professional seamstress... Seems like seawing a zipper onto any soft shell material would be pretty tricky, you'd probably need to tape the seams too (guessing your sewing job wouldn't be as the 6yr old in Malaysia that sewed the other zippers)

[Viva]

Since you're in the Seattle area, contact Rainy Pass or something sounding like that (I have their card somewhere). They are somewhere north of Seattle. They repair and modify outdoor equipment/clothing and can tell you whether or not this alteration is feasible. Good luck.

Edit: Here we go!: http://www.rainypass.com/

[LCC]

Sounds familiar. What jacket do you have? My Mountain Hardware vents pretty well just by opening the pockets.

[Stealth Radness]

Arcteryx soft shell. I usually like to skin sans jacket, and any day where its dumping I like my gore-tex, but for those misting/snifting days, the ol' long underwear gets soaked if you go w/o a top layer. There isn't really any kind of venting at all on the jacket except the front zipper.