ZipFree vs Chest Zip Wetsuit Guide

Our men's wetsuits are split into two collections based on the closure system:

1. Chest Zip (Evade Collection) - the traditional way of securing a wetsuit closed, a zip that pulls across your chest.

2. Zipfree (Shield Collection) - an innovative design solution that removes the need for a zip, you pull the wetsuit on and it seals.

So one has a chest zip (EVADE) and one is zip free (SHIELD).

Like all things in surfing, this has an impact and there are a few points to consider before choosing your wetsuit. This guide exists to explore the benefits of each option and offer some insights from previous customers and the pro surfers testing our wetsuits.

Firstly, any of the wetsuits from either collection are likely to be the best wetsuit you've ever surfed in. Of course we would say this, but our customer reviews also give the same story. So you can rest assured that the sooner you get into either a chest zip or zipfree ISURUS wetsuit, the sooner your surfs will improve.

A couple of examples:

This exceptional performance is thanks to our material selection, and focus on design, either design of ISURUS wetsuit is going to be a game-changer compared to a traditional, mass-produced wetsuit.

We use Yamamoto Limestone Neoprene as our core material. This ensures our wetsuits are flexible, light and warm so you get the thermal properties of a wetsuit that is 1mm thicker (compared to generic, mass-produced wetsuits).

You can learn more about our material selection here, more about our design considerations here, why surfers love our 2mm Shield wetsuits here, and a guide to our 3mm wetsuits here.

Rigorous testing over many years in some of the harshest conditions and most challenging waves has led us to develop wetsuits that can perform at the highest level. This means our wetsuits give every surfer an edge in the water, whatever their level.

The short answer is "yes". The zipfree design is more flexible, better if you've had a shoulder injury and cheaper!

To maximise flexibility and reduce restriction to an absolute minimum, removing the zip has some big advantages. The zip itself reduces flexibility, and it needs a lot of stitching to secure it in place.

With our zipfree Shield design there is a single front panel that offers incredible mobility with zero restriction.

Every panel you add to a wetsuit increases the restriction and the chance for leakage. Mass-market brands use multiple panels because you use less Neoprene per wetsuit when you can sew smaller panels together.

By now you're probably wondering what's the catch? Maybe you're thinking "it must be hard to get into"?

We'll get to some of the considerations that might make you choose a chest zip shortly, but getting into your zipfree wetsuit is easy and fast.

Due to our unique pattern and choice of high-performance Yamamoto #40 Limestone Neoprenethe neck openings in our ZipFree wetsuits have the flexibility to open wide, the durability not to tear, and the fabric memory to return to their original shape.

With this design and exceptional material there is simply no need for a zip, see below how easy it is to put on:

With almost zero restriction, a zipfree wetsuit reduces the load on your shoulders when you're surfing and when you're putting on your wetsuit. Below you can watch a customer putting on a zipfree wetsuit post shoulder surgery, and hear Dante Madrigal's opinion on our zipfree wetsuits.

We've heard a lot about the benefits of the zipfree, but what about the chest zip EVADE?

As we said in the introduction, this is the more traditional closure system on a wetsuit, and some things take a while to evolve in surfing.

That said, the main advantage of the chest zip is that if you are surfing in heavier waves then there will be less water intake. As a result the chest zip entry is a touch warmer than the zipfree, and the mixed thickness still enables plenty of movement.

Jake Davis provides some insight into the differences in the segment below: