My backpack zipper exploded in a Bangkok market last month

I was haggling over some $3 elephant pants when my main compartment zipper just gave up, sending a roll of toilet paper and my dirty socks rolling into the crowd. Turns out the bag was a $14 knockoff I bought at a night market in Chiang Mai (so I guess I got what I paid for). I grabbed a cheap nylon drawstring bag from a street vendor for $2 and shoved everything in there like a crazy person. Has anyone else had their gear fail spectacularly in the middle of a trip? What did you do?

2 comments

2 Comments

sanchez.mary1mo ago

Ok but like... did you at least finish haggling for the pants AFTER the zipper exploded, or was that just a write-off? lol

miller.eva1mo ago

Your cheap bag failing is actually a blessing in disguise - now you have a funny story to tell and an excuse to buy something better. Plus, @sanchez.mary, haggling over $3 pants is basically a rite of passage in Southeast Asia, so at least you got the full experience before the zipper gave out. Sometimes gear breaking forces you to be creative and find a solution on the spot, which is way more memorable than having everything go perfectly.