ANKHGEAR: Easy-Zip Hoodie Sweatshirts

“Come on Ashley!” my boyfriend encourages at the trailhead. I’m still in the van getting my stuff together, and repeat a list in my head “Camera? Check. Water? Check. Dog leash? Check. Hat? Check.” Though it’s a warm day, I grab my hoodie because we are about to go hiking under the trees’ shady canopy where it’s always significantly cooler. I cannot recall a place I’ve traveled to where I didn’t have a hoodie. I don’t like getting cold, so I always have one with me; it’s a part of my “dressing in layers” way of traveling. I LOVE a good hoodie; one of my wardrobe staples.

ANKHGEAR TM sweatshirts with the MagZip design come in two colors, classic gray and black, and are available in lightweight and heavyweight materials for both adults and children. The zipper is available in varying teeth size and magnetic base strength, these zippers are available in a wide variety of colors. For more information and to purchase, please shop at ANKHGEAR.com or email info@ANKHGEAR.com

While wheeling down the ramp, it’s obvious that I didn’t secure any of the items that I had just listed off. Instead, I laid them on my lap where they slipped around and nearly slid off completely. After tucking the items away, I am almost ready to go. My boyfriend continues to patiently watch me. It feels like a lot of time has passed since I started packing up in the van. Oh wait, but I am still not ready to go.

Glancing down, I notice that my sweatshirt is still not zipped up. In general, being paralyzed, it’s easier to balance myself while getting a zipped hoodie on and off, as opposed to lifting both my arms up at the same time. In an instant, I click it and zip it, and I’m ready to go. ANKHGEAR’s easy magnetic zipper design, the MagZip, improves functionality so there’s no fumbling around trying to get the zipper together. For people with limited hand dexterity, this style of sweatshirt certainly improves quality of life and confidence.

The lightweight hoodie is thin enough to fit comfortably under my heavy jacket, even while still wearing a long sleeve t-shirt, and when it’s too warm for a sweatshirt, I can easily pack it away without adding much extra weight as I wheel. When it came to selecting a color, black and gold is my favorite combination of mine, so that part was easy. Nonetheless, perhaps my favorite aspect is the fact that there are no zipper jams! No matter how fast I’m going, I never have to worry about getting slowed down by a busted zipper. Just click, zip, and go. I chuckle to myself as this song parody plays in my head:

“When a hoodie comes along
and you must zip it,
click it
zip it good
zip it up
zip it straight;
you won’t be late,
just zip it…”

MagZip was born out of a personal need to help the family.  Scott, Dave, and Nancy (two engineers and an OT) teamed up to invent MagZip, the magnetic zipper, as a way to help Nancy’s brother (and Scott’s uncle) zip up his coats.  He suffers from Myotonic Dystrophy and had reached a point where he was unable to zip up a regular zipper (not good living in Western New York’s cold winters).  The team believes in Universal Design and felt there was a better way to design zippers and help people to be more independent when dressing.  Building on the success of MagZip, they launched ANKGEAR as a brand focused on simpler design and better gear.  By incorporating MagZip into hoodies, they created a great-looking product with amazing functionality!