Aftermarket and OEM buckles.

[123 4/8 P&Y]

What are some good sources for picking up extra buckles and hardware to customize packs? Are the aftermarket buckles ever as durable as the original ones?

 

[blb078]

http://www.rockywoods.com/Hardware-Zippers/Buckle-Hardware

 

[justinspicher]

Try REI, Cabelas, or Wholesale Sports. Usually I just cannibalize another less used pack I own.

 

[hammer0419]

Here is a great place to get highest ITW quality buckles. Same exact buckles on Kifaru gear and for a great price. Tey sell G-hooks and the split buckles Kifaru uses. http://milspecmonkey.com/store/tactical-gear/hardware/accessories

 

[Aron Snyder]

Here is a great place to get highest ITW quality buckles. Same exact buckles on Kifaru gear and for a great price. Tey sell G-hooks and the split buckles Kifaru uses. http://milspecmonkey.com/store/tactical-gear/hardware/accessories

What he said!

 

[Jager]

Always try and source ITW nexus, (Fastex), they are a lot like YKK zippers, the best out there. Quiet a few years back we did some testing with different buckles, for military packs, simply to prove how good ITW buckles are. The favourite test was to take the male portion of a buckle of all brands and bend the prongs either way, most would snap, it took a lot of work though to get the nexus buckles to break. Point being, that buckles are always getting caught up and it always seemed to be this male portion that would fail. ITW buckles proved there worth that much within Australia's combat troops community that soldiers were having oem buckles replaced with ITW gear.

 

[jherald]

Nexus brand is made of acetal plastic. It's tough stuff. I've got several rifle and shotgun slings with the sliders and locks made of acetal. You have to put it through some serious stress to weaken them enough to break. I'm getting to the point now where I'll replace most anything oem I can with an acetal plastic buckle,slider, snap or hook.

 

[bowuntr]

Those sites are cool... I'm looking for the loop type zipper pulls that are on Kuiu and Sitka packs. Anyone know where to get those? Ed F

 

[jherald]

Eagle Creek makes some. They only come in black from them. You could make your own out of parachute cord, and then match the color exactly to your pack since you can get just about any color of parachute cord imaginable.

 

[bowuntr]

They are not made out of paracord. Small dia cord with a plastic loop formed in... I don't have a pic. I really like them and would like to replace a lot of zipper pulls with them. Ed F

 

[jherald]

I know they arent made of paracord but it was just a suggestion. The Eagle Creek company makes some almost just like the ones used on Kuiu bags.

Did you call Kuiu and see if they would send you some? I really like those style of zipper pulls myself, easy to grab with gloves.

 

[bowuntr]

Do you have a link to the Eagle Creek page with the zipper pulls. All I could find was the luggage company. No, I haven't called Kuiu yet. Thanks, Ed F

 

[crazy_davey]

Here is a great place to get highest ITW quality buckles. Same exact buckles on Kifaru gear and for a great price. Tey sell G-hooks and the split buckles Kifaru uses. http://milspecmonkey.com/store/tactical-gear/hardware/accessories

Perfect timing, thanks for the link!

 

[hammer0419]

Not a problem


-Jim

 

[Ray]

I've looked at those looped zipper pulls. A DIY method would be to use braided deep sea line - Dacron - and two sizes of heat shrink tube. Slip the made up pull over a finger sized rod/pipe and hit it with some heat to set the tube on the cord in a small radius bend.

My only concern about the open loop zipper pulls are hiking through thick brush. They would be prone to catching and opening up some. AK alders are no place to be loosing your gear.

 

[jherald]

Do you have a link to the Eagle Creek page with the zipper pulls. All I could find was the luggage company. No, I haven't called Kuiu yet. Thanks, Ed F

Ed, right here http://shop.eaglecreek.com/zipper-pull-tab-set/d/1188

 

[bowuntr]

That's them... thank you very much... Ed F

 

[bbrown]

Here is a great place to get highest ITW quality buckles. Same exact buckles on Kifaru gear and for a great price. Tey sell G-hooks and the split buckles Kifaru uses. http://milspecmonkey.com/store/tactical-gear/hardware/accessories

I picked up some G hooks from milspec - good price and fast shipping. I used them to replace the 3 bar sliders on a grab-it so I can use it on my MR Dragonslayer. Worked out great although my sewing skills need some work. I had a few extra so I also replaced the 4 auto lock buckles on the 4 side straps.

 

[bowuntr]

.... Exact Kuiu replacement. They ended up being a little costly, but worth it. I will just skip a meal and they will be paid for. Thanks. Ed F

 

[jherald]

Ed, glad it worked out.