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Outdoor
Swatches
Component news and new products
YKK, Mad Water Debut ‘Made in USA’
Waterproof Zippers
In most cases, and to most people, a zipper is a
rather simple thing – sometimes even an afterthought.
It’s an easy way to get into a pocket or pouch, close a
fly or add a bit of aesthetic flavor to a garment. For
Mad Water, however, one particular zipper means a lot
more. And YKK bringing manufacturing of that zipper
stateside has made all the
difference.
Keep in mind, of course,
this is not your normal zipper,
as Mad Water, for its part,
has some very specialized
requirements. Part of the Roc
Gear stables of brands, Mad
Water offers waterproof packs
and gear to anglers, as well
as water and actions sports
enthusiasts. Not “water-
friendly” or “water-resistant,”
we are talking fully water-
proof and even submersible
waist packs, hydration back-
packs, chest packs, duffel
bags and map cases.
“It always seemed crazy to
us that there are so many fly-
fishing backpacks and none of
them were fully waterproof,”
said Jay Buell, Roc Gear CEO, summarizing Mad Wa-
ter’s mission.
As for the zipper, Mad Water wanted to produce a
true sports duffel bag that was, of course, waterproof
and submersible. Taking the more traditional route to
waterproof meant a roll-top closure, but that didn’t ex-
actly provide the type of competitive differentiation that
Mad Water desired for this duffel.
“With competitive waterproof duffels, you have to
literally spend 30 seconds closing it up – going across
every bit of it inch-by-inch, to make sure you’ve got a
full seal, roll it down again and then buckle it up,” he
said. “Then you hope you don’t need anything else be-
cause you’ll have to do it in reverse all over again.”
Mad Water customers, says Buell, were asking for
the simplicity and accessibility of a zipper. “People want
to be able to get into something easily.”
Elimination of the roll-top also means Mad Water
uses significantly less material to produce a bag with
comparable capacity. “We’re able to use a material
that’s 50 percent thicker than the waterproof bags from
our competitor, and the end product is actually lighter
at an equivalent volume,” said Buell.
All the while, Mad Water
was in the process of mov-
ing manufacturing from
overseas back to its facility
in Commerce, Ga. For start-
ers, that’s because “the U.S.
government beats you up
on waterproof backpacks,”
said Buell, with import du-
ties of 20 percent. Domestic
production also provides the
oft-cited benefits of “Made in
the USA” nationalism, local
job retention, improved qual-
ity control and the flexibility
to keep pace with business at
digital speeds through “just-
in inventory” fulfillment and
low retailer minimums (Mad
Water order minimums are
$100). Then there is the very
important matter of being
eligible for federal and military contracts, said Buell.
After surveying the options, it appeared Mad
Water’s only viable choice was to source waterproof
zippers overseas but still manufacture the bag domesti-
cally. Such a scenario, however, might have shut down
some of those avenues with the federal government.
During his search, however, Buell came across YKK’s
AQUASEAL waterproof zippers.
“One of the things that separated YKK from the
competition is they individually pressure test every
zipper after it’s manufactured,” said Buell. “They don’t
spot check every fifth one off the line or every 30th one
off the line. They test every single one.”
Buell also learned that YKK’s U.S. headquarters were
located in nearby Marietta, Ga., and they were more
than willing to work with a fellow Georgian company. “I’m
a small guy, but they came and visited me,” he said.
The Mad Water Waterproof USA Duffel, featuring YKK
AQUASEAL waterproof zippers, are RF welded from
double-coated (PVC-free) polyurethane
and are submersible to 15 feet.
By
Martin
Vilaboy
Inside
Outdoor
|
Fall
2015
38