Storm flap
Also called zip flap, placket
A strip of fabric covering the main zip. Zips are the weakest waterproof point on a jacket and a flap over one does more than a fancier zip.
A standard coil zip is not waterproof at all; water tracks straight along the teeth. Waterproof laminated zips exist, and they are stiff, expensive and prone to failing with grit in them.
A storm flap sidesteps the problem. A fabric strip, usually held with hook-and-loop or snaps, covers the whole zip line so rain never reaches it. Better jackets use a double flap, inside and out.
It also blocks wind through the zip line, which on a cold day is worth as much as the waterproofing.
The detail worth checking is whether the flap has a chin guard at the top, a small piece of soft fabric that sits between the zip pull and your neck. Without it the zip head rubs on your throat all day.
Snaps hold better than hook-and-loop in the long run, since the loop side clogs with grit and stops gripping after a season or two.
Do up the storm flap properly rather than leaving it hanging. An open flap makes the zip the wettest part of the jacket.
Related terms
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Storm flap is one of 206 terms in the glossary.
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