If you are into DIY (as you should be unless you want to be a perpetual victim/pauper) then it’s about time you discovered these wonderful plastic gadgets, an amazing (ultralight) improvement on the traditional press-stud.
I had a need to modify a couple of quilts I have been trialing as they weren’t quite right for me (and maybe you too?) so I was glad I had bought these Kam Snaps (actually for other projects – see below)
The zip on my Waratah Quilt wanted to come undone so I secured it with these two loops of (sewn on) gross-grain ribbon and a couple of Kam Snaps.
Similarly my Zpacks quilt had the Kam-Snap closure in the centre too high for me and a little close together (for comfort) – no doubt intended for someone who was less stout or etc. I would have ended by tearing the material. Besides it was too difficult to enter and exit (for me – at 75 I do no flex as well as I used to).
I sewed a couple of tabs of gross-grain about 8-10″ lower down the quilt and added a piece of elastic to make the ‘fit’ a little more generous. The quilt still pulls in well to my sides and (most importantly) encloses my arms and elbows
The snaps are comprised of three pieces. One which has a sharp spike in the middle and the other two which snap together (when secured to the spiky bits. You need this simple hand press to attach them (and crush the spike so they stay together). It is awesomely easy.
I will be using Kam Snaps to attach the floors of my tent to the flies – so that the upper (fly) can be used as a hammock tarp. I had been doing this with velcro (much sewing) but the snaps will be better and quicker.
I’m sure I will find a hundred other uses for them. For example, I am going to add a couple of small pieces (5′ x 5′ altogether) to my 7 x7 poncho tarp to make it into a double. I will cover the instructions for both of these in future posts.
I bought mine from Snaps Australia. The press plus 400 snaps cost A$79.95 – August 2024 – a ‘snap’ in itself.
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