EQUIPMENT MODERN: AEROSHIELD IMPACT SUIT

In heavy warm water surf, protection and flotation usually comes with a tradeoff—bulky panels, stiff paddling, and unnecessary insulation and heat. For years, most options were overbuilt. So when Test Pilots John, Nathan and Ivan Florence circled up with our Director of Innovation, Bruce Moore, the team began sketching ideas for a new impact suit solution. Not just to fix a product they all used and relied on in big waves but to rethink what an impact suit could be in heavy water at any size.

The Aeroshield Impact Suit is the result of that process—part flotation vest, part impact armor, all wrapped into a minimalist silhouette that blends into any lineup. Flotation without bulk. Protection without overheating. A piece of equipment built for anytime you're stepping out of your comfort zone.

In the conversation below, John, Nathan and Bruce break down how the Aeroshield Impact Suit came to be a purpose-built product in our arsenal. 🚩

Nathan Florence:

Every conversation we have when me, John, and Ivan are coming up with something—it always comes back to the same thing: what can we make that’s really purposeful? What solves a problem for real surfers in real conditions?

We had a bunch of issues we wanted to solve in our padded Impact suit: stiffness, heat, lack of mobility. We wanted flotation, but we still wanted to feel like we were wearing tropical gear. The question became: how do we make something you can wear in the tropics that gives you flotation and protection, but doesn’t feel like you're in a padded superhero suit?

John Florence:

The Aeroshield Impact Suit has been a really specific, purpose-built product that we’ve been into from the beginning.

We surf Pipe all the time during the winter, and it’s big, it’s scary. It’s not on the XXL scale where you’re wearing a full padded inflation suit, but it’s gnarly enough that if something goes wrong, you want that little bit of added safety.

The problem with most padded suits is they’re just bulky. They’re heavy, thick, and stiff. And in warm water, you’re overheating in them. We wanted to find a way around that.

Bruce Moore:

In the past, we used really thick EVA panels—same stuff they put in life vests—and added those into wetsuits. But since neoprene is already buoyant, we thought: what if we just used really thick neoprene instead? The problem was, neoprene is also an insulator. So in the tropics, you’d overheat.

What we ended up doing was taking those thick neoprene panels and perforating them. The water flows through the entire suit, not just in and out of the seams. It actually flows through the neoprene. It’s kind of the opposite of how you traditionally view a wetsuit. Usually, you’re trying to keep the water out so the suit can insulate. But we weren’t using it for warmth—we were using it for flotation and impact protection.

John Florence:

It’s cool when you wear it. It’s not overly hot. Honestly, it feels like you’re wearing a spring suit. But you’ve got the same float as our suits with the heavy pads.

Bruce Moore:

We got really excited about the fact that with the thick neoprene, we could spread the flotation across more of the suit—not just in a few heavy zones like tailbone or ribs. With EVA, it gets super bulky when you try to cover too much. But with this design, you get more coverage, and the flotation feels more stable and balanced in the water.

This was the first time we ever tried something like this. And it only worked because we were willing to rethink the whole purpose of the wetsuit.

The version we have online is a short john—minimal, sleeveless, all about paddle power. But because we make each one individually through our Japan program, you can get it in any version: long sleeve spring, short sleeve full, full suit for cooler water—you name it.

Nathan Florence:

It doesn’t have to be used for the craziest slab ever. We use it for that, sure. But maybe you’re just getting out of your comfort zone on a six-foot wave in the Ments. You don’t want to touch the reef. You want some flotation. Maybe you’re on your first surf trip in a decade and just want to feel safe on the first day.

That’s what we made it for. You can paddle out and look totally normal—but you’ve got some floatation and impact protection.

Bruce Moore:

It’s cool to look at the footage and actually see water moving through the suit—especially at the flex points, when you’re bending. We’ve been tweaking the concept over the past few years, and this current version really came out right.

Nathan Florence:

We ended up with a suit that works for us at 10-foot Pipe—where we’re not hot, we’re not restricted, but we’ve got flotation on and we’re being smart. And it works just as well for the 60-year-old guy on his first trip to Indo who just wants to enjoy his session and not get smoked.

John Florence:

It just adds that little safety factor. But at no point should it be something where you’re like, ‘I’m wearing this, I’m invincible.’ You’ve still got to be able to handle yourself out there. It's just a little helper. It’s just a pretty incredible product that's been very specifically purpose built.

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