Now it becomes really interesting !
There must be some who both surfs and work in the industri with knowledge about the different materials and their properties ?
What I see over the years, is a bit "confusing" if you think about it, but quite consistent :
Kitebags, surf travel bags, board bags, sport bags, diving bags, "weather" suits, jackets etc etc - every single one of them gets salt "struck" (at least stuck) if not used often, and they are close to the sea and salt water.
Typically getting "slightly" wet or just moist, because of being on the beach for longer periods, and salty kitethings in the bag or car.
Whereas the wetsuit and kite LE zipper never gets stuck ?
Is this because these are even closer to the salt water often, and even submerged fully ?
Or because the wetsuit (or drysuit) zipper is used often ?
Or because wet suit brands KNOW they have to use a specific zipper type for this ?
And if so WHAT is the secret ? As I would like to buy sports and kite bags with this type then, almost no matter what price
I've seen some of my old wetsuits that were ditched when worn (and bought a new), that were stored for replacement repair neoprene in the shed - that after some years even these where "salt stuck" too !
The LE zipper on kites that never seem to get stuck - is this because they are plastic ?
Plastic works well if used very rare, as if used they will get worn fast
Or because they are exposed "more" to the salt water, than the other bags and jackets ?
I dont know, I must say, and a bit of a mystery EXACTLY how these salt struck zippers accumulate to such an extreme layer over time, and why some do and others dont....
I think I've seen it on both plastic zippers and aluminium and other types of alloy/metal zippers - but dont know for sure how many and what they were
Whats the reason for this phenomenon, and how to avoid or keep it down ?
If it is not material specific and nothing you can do about it, then we might still be able to manage better, if we understand the reason and physics behind this
issue we see year after year on most of our gear.
And if it is, zipper material specific, we might be able to avoid the worst types ?
It is most likely a combination of both the material, AND a fact that salt will accumulate over time, but I dont know much about why and why not
Peter