AND! Once it's seated and zipped, DON'T MESS WITH IT IN ANY WAY! Otherwise it'll unseat, separate at the bottom, and the construction IS sturdy...sturdy enough that you'll have to DESTROY the slider to get out of the jacket!!! (Unless you or a helper can pry off the top stoppers with you inside, allowing the slider to come free at the top - an option callously denied yrs truly...)The Kwik #8 on the HLB feels very sturdy. The Hookless used on the Werber (#7 I think) is lighter and looser but improved from ELC’s earlier production (I lost a slide and a couple of teeth on an early one - my current one has given zero trouble).
The issue with these early designs is that the male side doesn’t seat itself in the female side just because you pull the pull! You need to use your left hand to guide the male down till it stops. Then hold it there as you start the pull moving with your right hand.
If they decline to do that, I think that people would like to know that they are not standing behind their products.I just hope someone currently at ELC can put on a new Kwik...