First-time ISURUS users often don't believe us, but our wetsuits run warmer than their thickness suggests. The Ti Shield 3.3 Hooded blurs those lines further. Its neoprene is coated in titanium that reflects your body heat back to you, and the integrated hood keeps your head warm through every duck-dive. Read on to find out why surfers are shedding the 4.3 for a lighter, thinner wetsuit that's just as warm.
The Ti Shield 3.3 Hooded is rated for 48°F and up, the same water as most 4.3 suits. We didn't add thickness to get there. We changed what's inside the suit.
Yamamoto #40 limestone neoprene with a titanium coating reflects body heat back toward you. On the inside, ThermaLock Zirconium Fleece lines 70% of the suit. We chose it for warmth, low weight, and fast drying. The KOREgulator panel adds another layer across your lower back, where warm blood circulates out to your hands and feet.
Every extra millimetre is more material to push against on each stroke. The Ti Shield is patterned with the arms raised overhead, so it's cut for paddling instead of standing still. A one-piece side panel runs from hip to elbow with no seam in the way. Yamamoto #40 stretches to 450% of its length and returns to shape.
A zipper is a seam, a stiff spot, and a way in for cold water. The Ti Shield doesn't have one. A single back panel runs from the shoulders to the hamstring. Silicone pre-tensioners at the wrists and ankles help keep the seals closed through duck-dives and wipeouts.
The hood does more than keep your ears warm. Without it, the Ti Shield 3.3 is rated for 52°F and up. With the attached hood, the rating extends to 48°F. Because the hood is built into the suit, there's no separate hood edge at your collar for cold water to get under.
Peter Mel asked us for a suit with the flexibility of our zip-free Shield and the warmth of our Ti Alpha cold-water suits. Shane Desmond now calls it his go-to for Santa Cruz: "The 3.3 zip-free Ti Shield allows you to go thinner for more flexibility, while still giving you plenty of warmth."
Our warmest wetsuits have a thin layer of titanium bonded to the Yamamoto #40 neoprene. The Ti Shield is one of them.
The titanium absorbs your body heat and reflects it back at you. Yamamoto claims it increases warmth by 40%. We don't make that claim, but we do know it adds real warmth without adding thickness or weight. It does add to the cost of the suit. If you surf through cold winters, we think it's worth it.
Inside, ThermaLock Z-Fleece lines 70% of the Ti Shield. It's the warmest, lightest insulating layer we've found to date, and it dries quickly between sessions.
The KOREgulator panel adds titanium lining across your lower back and kidneys. We've found that keeping that area warm helps keep your hands and feet warm too.
When you duck-dive in cold water, your head gets cold fast. A hood keeps you warm and stops that ice-cream headache.
A hood also helps protect against surfer's ear. That's a condition where the bone of the ear canal grows over time to shield the eardrum from cold water and wind.
The Ti Shield's hood is built into the suit and fits snugly, so there's no separate hood edge at the collar for water to get under. It also cuts wind chill while you wait for sets. And it adds 4 degrees to the rating: the Ti Shield 3.3 is rated for 52°F without a hood and 48°F with one.
Check out our range of hooded wetsuits, or take a look at our separate wetsuit hood.
Want to see if you're ready to go 1mm thinner in your wetsuit? It's not completely straightforwards, so we developed a little quiz to help guide your decision.
