I have a pair of tall boots that I’ve ridden in consistently for about a year and a half. They have dropped, but they are still a smidge tall on me and I don’t think they will drop any more. I am not going to spend the money to get custom at this point and want to make these work. The left one is perfect and the right one is tight. I can snap the top closure, but find that after my ride the right side is slightly unzipped. It doesn’t unzip all the way and is maybe around 2" of unzipping. Because the right boot hits the bottom of my lower knee I think I’m probably just not able to zip the last couple teeth on the zipper. I feel like I am, but if I was they wouldn’t unzip right? I am assuming this is something that heel risers could help with. Are there specific brands that people like or are they pretty generic so any will do? Any other reasons you can think of that the boot might be unzipping while I ride and if so what fixes would you suggest. Yay for having one leg just a smidge shorter and a smidge wider. In the future, if I start showing more and these boots kick the bucket, I’ll think about investing in customs!
The best fix I’ve found for zippers that won’t stay up (boots and chaps) is a little bit of sticky spray on the zipper. I spray the teeth and then run the zipper up and down a couple of times. I only need to respray once a month or every couple of months. The spray I’m using is called Mueller Stickum Spray, but probably the Sporty Haft or other saddle stick sprays would work just as well.
I hadn’t thought of that, great idea!
I have my cobbler put hooks on the top of the boot on the outside next to the zipper, then I thread a thin shoe lace through the zipper and make a loop which I hook around the hook. Keeps my zipper up so no unzipping!
I’ve used generic Dr Scholls type heel risers. I usually put a double-sided piece of tape under them to keep them in place if needed.
For zippers, I have a loop of zip tie through each pull and can stick the top keeper leather piece through the zip tie, then snap. That will ensure they don’t fall down and you could make the zip tie loop bigger or smaller as needed!
Do your boots have the zipper keeper in the tab at the top? Some boots have this and not everyone knows it’s there. It’s a slot that you put the zipper in before you snap the top. It is designed to keep the zipper from slipping down.
It is the Ariat Heritage Contour (the I not the II). The II says there is a zipper keeper, but can’t find online if the I does as well. I honestly don’t know and haven’t paid attention! I’ll take a look tonight to see if they have one.
Wait, is that why there’s two layers to the tab???
Normally the inner, thinner leather tab has a small zipper slot. You slide the zipper through the slot and then close the outer tab.
Don’t feel bad. It didn’t know until I had a pair of Parlanti boots that had a dropping zipper and discovered it, only to find that all my other pairs of boots had it all along!
Not all brands have it, but it’s worth checking!
There is a flimsy thing under the leather snap with two punch outs. One fits around the snap perfectly and then the hole next to it I tried to put my zipper through for last nights ride. Unfortunately, it is flimsy enough and so wide that the zipper slipped right out and unzipped a bit. Not as bad as it has been so slight progress. I’ll be trying some of the other ideas soon! At least now I know what to look for in my next pair of boots - a good zipper keeper!
