A surf top is the single piece of gear that decides whether you keep fishing when the weather turns or walk back to the truck. Get it right and you stop noticing the rain. Get it wrong and you'll be cold, wet, and miserable in twenty minutes.

This is a quick field guide to choosing one. We'll go through the six things that actually matter, and use two tops from our Phase Gear line — the sElement 2.0 and the sEclipse — as real-world examples of what “good” looks like at two different price points.

1. The material: waterproof and breathable

Waterproof alone isn't enough. A trash bag is waterproof. After 30 minutes of casting, you'll be soaked from the inside out from your own sweat.

What to look for: a fabric with both a waterproof rating (look for 10,000 mm or higher) and a breathability rating (8,000 g/m²/24h or better). Numbers above 20,000 / 15,000 are pro-grade.

Bonus: some stretch in the face fabric. A stiff shell fights you on every cast.

How our tops stack up:

• sElement 2.0 — weatherproof shell tuned for rain, wind, and spray. The everyday choice.
• sEclipse — 20,000 mm waterproof, 15,000 g/m²/24h breathable, with two-directional mechanical stretch. Pro spec, built to fish all day in serious weather.

2. The hood: can it actually stay on?

This is where most surf tops fall apart. A hood that blows off in a 25-knot wind is worse than no hood at all — you're fighting it instead of fishing.

What to look for:

• A rigid brim that holds shape and keeps rain out of your eyes.
• At least three adjustment points (top, sides, back) so you can fit it to your head shape and not someone else's.
• A cut that tucks under your chin so waves can't push it back off your head.
• Drain holes inside the hood, so it doesn't parachute when you get pushed under by a wave.

How our tops stack up:

• sElement 2.0 — an adjustable storm hood that tucks under the chin and cinches down. Handles most weather you'll actually fish in.
• sEclipse — the WeatherFender Hood System: rigid brim, three-point adjustment for buffalo heads and peanut heads, plus internal drain holes. This is the hood you want when you're swimming jetties or fishing the outer bar.

3. The zippers: fully taped, top to bottom

What to look for:

• Fully taped seams on every zipper. An untaped zipper is a sponge.
• A main zip that goes all the way to the top of the collar so you can seal in your neck when waves come over.
• No uncomfortable neoprene neck gasket — a high-collar plus a taped zip does the job without strangling you.

How our tops stack up:

• sElement 2.0 — fully taped zippers across the jacket. No more water filling the front.
• sEclipse — taped zip runs all the way up the neck, with storm flaps. Comfortable, weatherproof, no gasket.

4. The cuffs: this is where 90% of leaks happen

Anyone who has cast in the rain knows the feeling: water runs down your wrist and floods the sleeve. By cast #20, your shirt is soaked from the elbow down.

What to look for:

• A cinching outer cuff that tightens at the wrist.
• An inner cuff — neoprene is ideal — that creates a second seal even if the outer cuff loosens.
• Extra material in the sleeves: a tight sleeve fights you on every cast and causes fatigue.

How our tops stack up:

• sElement 2.0 — adjustable cuff system you can cinch tight at the wrist.
• sEclipse — the Casting Cuff System: extended neoprene inner cuff plus an adjustable outer cuff. Extra sleeve length means the cuff stays in place when you cast, and water never makes it up your arm.

5. The pockets: secure, drained, and built for fishing

What to look for:

• An interior pocket for your phone and keys, sealed away from spray.
• Taped zippers on outside pockets so they don't fill with water.
• Drain holes in the outside pockets. Because you will forget to close a pocket eventually.

How our tops stack up:

• sElement 2.0 — weatherproof pockets sealed against rain and spray.
• sEclipse — 3+1 pocket layout: three outside (taped zips, storm flaps, drain holes) plus one secure interior pocket for phone and keys.

6. The fit, weight, and packability

The best surf top is the one you actually bring with you.

What to look for:

• A casting-focused cut in the shoulders so you don't fight the jacket on every cast.
• An ultralight shell if you fish all day or carry your gear in a backpack.
• The ability to layer up in cold weather or wear it over just a tee in summer.

How our tops stack up:

• sElement 2.0 — lightweight enough for shoulder-season runs, roomy enough to layer.
• sEclipse — 108 g/m² ultralight fabric that rolls up small enough to disappear into a daypack.

How to actually pick one

Once you know what to look for, the decision usually comes down to how hard you fish.

• You fish a few times a month and mostly in fair weather: a value-tier top like the sElement 2.0 ($119) covers everything you need. Weatherproof shell, sealed zips, adjustable hood and cuffs.
• You fish every chance you get, in any conditions: step up to a pro-grade top like the sEclipse ($340). The WeatherFender hood, Casting Cuff System, and ultralight ride pay for themselves the first time you fish a 12-hour storm.

Bottom line

A surf top is the one piece of gear you don't want to learn was the wrong choice while you're standing on a rock at 4 a.m. in 40-degree spray.

Test the six criteria above on whatever you're considering. If it passes, you're good. If it doesn't, here's where we'd start:

➤ Phase Gear sElement 2.0 — $119
➤ Phase Gear sEclipse — $340

Watch Pete's full walkthrough of both tops at the top of the post for the on-camera version.