# 2 zippers on my coat. Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 7, 2003, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-zippers-on-my-coat-why/159705 "2003-03-07T14:10:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NoGoodNamesLeft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8797f3/32.png) [@NoGoodNamesLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoGoodNamesLeft)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-zippers-on-my-coat-why/159705/1 "2003-03-07T14:10:22Z")
Just got a new winter coat and noticed something odd. Down the front there is a zipper that does up the front of the coat…nothing new there. The zipper ‘track’ (that is, the teeth) has 2 ‘heads’ on it. So, I can connect the zipper at the bottom and pull upwards to zip up my coat (as normal), but the 2nd zipper head stays at the bottom of the coat. If I pull that one upward, it will UNZIP the coat from the bottom up. Why is this? It’s gotta have some purpose. The closest I can guess is if I need to pee outdoors, I can simply unzip the jacket upwards to access my willie. -that can’t be right. ---
**Author:** ![Jammers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@Jammers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jammers)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-zippers-on-my-coat-why/159705/2 "2003-03-07T14:13:26Z")
My jacket also does this, but it has a pocket towards the bottom on the inside, where I keep my phone. This allows easy access, without habing to completely unzip my coat, ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-zippers-on-my-coat-why/159705/3 "2003-03-07T14:18:31Z")
I think **Jammers** has it. There are times when I want to get into my trousers pockets and I have to lift up the bottom of my coat. It could be that the manufacturer put the zipper there to provide easy access. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-zippers-on-my-coat-why/159705/4 "2003-03-07T14:20:13Z")
Well, NoGood (can I call you that?), I think you hit one of the major reasons, uh, right on the head. It can also be useful if you need to readjust your belt, tuck in your shirt, get something out of a pants pocket, or fix your climbing harness. May not seem that useful a feature when you’re walking down Main Street, but in the backwoods at 5 below with a 20 mile wind, not having to completely open your jacket (and then take gloves off to re-zip it), is a very nice feature. ---
**Author:** ![NoGoodNamesLeft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8797f3/32.png) [@NoGoodNamesLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoGoodNamesLeft)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-zippers-on-my-coat-why/159705/5 "2003-03-07T14:22:10Z")
The only inner pocket on this coat is over the chest, like a normal pocket. Maybe it’s to give access to my pants pocket, but it seems like a much too large an innovation for something that didn’t really bother me in the first place. I can’t say I’ve missed many buses because I couldn’t access my bus fare before the bus sped away. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-zippers-on-my-coat-why/159705/6 "2003-03-07T14:25:09Z")
Like a coat/jacket with buttons, it is nice to undo the bottom when sitting, etc. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-zippers-on-my-coat-why/159705/7 "2003-03-07T14:26:51Z")
It’s not innovative, they’ve been doing this on ski jackets and other sport jackets for decades. It may be an affectation to make a coat seem more sporty, if it’s not actually designed for sports. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-zippers-on-my-coat-why/159705/8 "2003-03-07T14:27:22Z")
As **Filster** said, it’s used when sitting in a car so the bottom of the coat can spread out and not be bunched around your waist. ---
**Author:** ![NoGoodNamesLeft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8797f3/32.png) [@NoGoodNamesLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoGoodNamesLeft)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-zippers-on-my-coat-why/159705/9 "2003-03-07T14:52:35Z")
I think I figured it out!!! Sitting on a SKI LIFT! Undoing the zipper from the bottom up just a few inched would let the coat sit comfortably (as mentioned above) and still keep me warm. Any avid skiers out there to confirm this? ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-zippers-on-my-coat-why/159705/10 "2003-03-07T15:33:12Z")
Apparently, the reasons are myriad. You got the urge to do this? :smack: