Short answer: to zip a jacket with gloves on, you need a zipper that does not ask you to feel for the pin at the bottom. A MagZip® magnetic zipper lines the two halves up on its own, so you bring them close, let the magnets click them together, and pull the slider up with a gloved hand. You can get one built in, or add one to the jacket you already own.
Cold mornings make an easy job hard. Here is why, and what to do about it.
Why gloves make zipping so hard
A regular separating zipper starts with a small pin on one side. You slide that pin into a small box on the other side, push it all the way down, and hold both halves level. Only then does the slider move.
That step is all fingertip work. You need to feel the pin, line it up, and know when it has seated. Gloves take away the feel. Thick ski gloves take away most of the reach, too. So people do one of three things:
- Pull a glove off with their teeth and zip bare-handed in the cold.
- Walk around with the jacket open.
- Zip it once at home and pull it on over their head.
None of those are great. The pull tab is rarely the problem. A bigger tab helps you grip, but the join at the bottom still needs a bare finger.
Small fixes that help a little
Before you change any gear, a few habits make a regular zipper easier in gloves.
- Add a zipper pull. A loop of cord or a larger pull gives a gloved hand something to grab. It helps the pull, not the join.
- Start the zipper before you put gloves on. Seat the pin and pull the slider up an inch, then glove up and finish.
- Wear thinner liner gloves for the zip. Some people zip in liners, then add outer mittens.
- Keep the zipper clean. Salt, sand and ice make the pin stick. A quick wipe helps.
These work on easy days. On a windy morning with heavy gloves, they still leave you fumbling with the bottom two inches.
How to zip a jacket with gloves on using MagZip
MagZip replaces the pin-and-box with a magnetic base. Bring the two halves near each other and the magnets pull them together and line them up. You do not have to feel anything or look down. Once the base clicks, the slider runs up like any other zipper.
With gloves on, it goes like this:
- Hold the two sides of the jacket at the hem, one in each hand.
- Bring them close. The magnets find each other and click into place.
- Pinch the slider tab with your gloved fingers and pull up.
That is the whole thing. It works in gloves, in mittens, and with one hand busy holding a coffee or a phone. MagZip launched with Under Armour and has been on major brands since, including Tommy Hilfiger and Lululemon.
Three ways to get a glove-friendly zipper
1. Buy a jacket or hoodie with MagZip built in
The FREEDOM Hoodie is a heavyweight fleece zip hoodie with MagZip built in. It layers under a shell or works on its own on a cool day. For kids, the MagZip Kids Hoodie uses the same magnetic base, which helps small hands in mittens too.
2. Add MagZip to the jacket you already own
Most people already have a winter jacket they like. ZipperBuddy zips onto your jacket's existing zipper in about a minute, with no sewing, and puts a MagZip in the middle. After that one-time setup, you close the jacket with the magnets. Standard sizes and custom lengths are on the ZipperBuddy page.
It fits jackets, coats, vests and hoodies that open all the way down the front and use a #5 plastic-tooth zipper. Flip your slider over and look for a "5" stamped on the back.
3. Sew a MagZip into your own gear
If you sew, you can put MagZip into a coat, a vest or a kid's snowsuit. For outerwear, the water-resistant Square #8 is a good match for heavier fabric. You can see every size and style on the MagZip zippers page.
Who this helps most
- Anyone who works outside. Delivery drivers, builders, dog walkers and anyone who zips and unzips all day in the cold.
- Skiers and snowboarders. Lift lines are not the place to take off a glove.
- Parents. You often have one hand on a child and a bag in the other.
- Kids. Mittens and a regular zipper are a hard mix for small fingers.
- People with stiff fingers in the cold. When fine pinching is the hard part, taking that step away makes the morning simpler.
Quick questions
Does MagZip work with thick ski gloves?
Yes. The magnets do the lining up, so you only need to bring the two sides close and grab the slider tab. A larger zipper pull makes the tab even easier to catch.
Will the magnets come apart in the wind?
Once the slider is pulled up, it holds like a normal zipper. The magnets only do the joining at the bottom.
Can I add MagZip to my winter coat without sewing?
Yes, if the coat has a #5 plastic-tooth separating zipper. ZipperBuddy zips on in about a minute. Heavy dress coats with metal zippers usually do not fit. More answers are on our FAQ page.
Keep your gloves on
The hard part of zipping in the cold was never the pull. It is the join at the bottom. Take that away and gloves stop being a problem. Gear that gets out of your way.
Find your size and add MagZip to your jacket with ZipperBuddy
MagZip’s magnetic base lines the zipper up for you. Sew one in, zip one into a jacket, or wear it built in.