How To Repair Suitcase Tear Near Zipper

A broken suitcase doesn't automatically have to become in the trash bin. That'due south because suitcase applied science has come up a long way in the terminal century.

When I was a child, my grandmother—who was born in 1919—told me the story of packing her paper-thin suitcase to proceed vacation. She strapped the suitcases to the back of the car and drove through a rainstorm, only to arrive and discover the suitcase had dissolved in the rain.

Rain is no match for most 21st century bags, merely whether it's a aptitude telescoping handle, stuck zipper, or wheels that won't ringlet, suitcases still intermission. The good news is it'southward often like shooting fish in a barrel to fix a broken suitcase.

Fix a Broken Suitcase: A Step-by-Step Guide

Hither's a guide to some quick fixes for common suitcase problems. Many are just temporary solutions, simply all are meant to go y'all upwards and running once more while keeping the contents of your luggage condom until you go dwelling house.

Broken Suitcase Fix #1: Handles

If a telescoping handle sticks a bit, add a bit of lubricant and open and close it a few times. If it's bent in a visible way that makes it hard (but still possible) to telescope up and down, you could gently hammer information technology back into alignment with a hard object. This may or may not go well, but it's worth a try.

If it's totally broken, and you're handy and determined, you can replace the handle entirely. This will involve taking the suitcase apart (at that place are normally pocket-sized screws on the outside or underneath the inner lining of the bag), removing the erstwhile handle, so buying and installing the new handle. Did I mention yous'd need to exist handy and determined for this arroyo? If you lot're neither, just love the bag, information technology'south probably time to enlist the assistance of a suitcase repair professional.

Broken Suitcase Set up #2: Zippers

The merely thing worse than trying to close your suitcase and discovering the zipper is stuck is trying to open your already-packed suitcase and discovering the zipper is stuck. Luckily, zipper repair is usually relatively depression-tech, and tin be fixed with items you're likely to find in a hotel room.

A stuck zipper can be helped along by rubbing a bar of soap or a bit of lip lotion forth the teeth. If the trouble is that the zipper teeth aren't knitting together to stay closed, feel forth the zipper—you'll probable find a unmarried tooth that'south bent. Enlist the help of pliers to smooth the path and go your zipper moving again. If your attachment handle goes missing, loop a paperclip (crude but effective) or a souvenir keychain to create your own zipper pull.

Want to travel prepared? Pack a small zipper repair kit.

Cleaved Suitcase Ready #3: Fabric

Whether you accept a seam pulling apart or a full-blown rip, y'all can fix near fabric tears with the correct tools. If you're the sort of person who travels with a bit of duct tape for emergencies, you can patch the area—but this fix isn't going to final for long. A stronger solution is Gear Aid Tenacious Record, ultra-strong repair tape that comes in five colors. For larger holes and tears, you can also try fabric glue and patches, or even try sewing it together—in a compression, dental floss can be a sturdy, potent thread alternative.

At that place's some advice out there saying that if your plastic hard-sided suitcase gets a dent, yous can put a hot hairdryer on the offending spot for a few minutes and then, when it's hot and pliable, push it back into place. That sounds like a recipe for baneful fumes, so keep at your own risk.

Broken Suitcase Prepare #4: Wheels

If your wheels aren't spinning well, first thing's showtime: clean them. Wipe them downwards with a damp cloth and look for anything that might be wedged in the wheel and compromising its power to curlicue. A wobbly wheel tin usually be corrected by tightening the screws that concur it in identify. Don't have the correct tool? Call down to the hotel'due south front desk—they may exist able to track 1 downwards for you.

If the cycle is clearly doomed—say it falls off completely or merely won't budge—you lot can supplant information technology yourself. Amazon sells a variety of replacement wheels of dissimilar sizes.

Next Steps

At that place are plenty of resources out there for professional suitcase repair. Shoe repair shops sometimes specialize in luggage repair, and luggage stores oftentimes have a service department for fixes. Cheque your luggage make'south website for other repair options; yous can sometimes send your pocketbook (often at a subsidized cost) back to the manufacturer for fixes, some of which may exist covered nether warranty.

When information technology comes to warranties, some baggage companies are better than others. Briggs & Riley, Eagle Creek, and Osprey offering a lifetime guarantee on their bags, and many other companies offer limited coverage on repairs and replacements.

More from SmarterTravel:

Rolling Suitcase vs. Backpack: Which is Amend?
How to Fit More Stuff in Your Suitcase
Air Rider Rights: The On-the-Go Guide

Follow Christine Sarkis on Twitter @ChristineSarkis and Instagram @postcartography for more communication about making every vacation the best vacation.

Editor's note: This story was originally published in 2022. It has been updated to reflect the most current information.

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