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10 Game-Changing Surf Gear Upgrades for Spring

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10 Game-Changing Surf Gear Upgrades for Spring

Originally posted on SURFER | By Jason Lock | Last updated Mar 28, 2026 9:00 AM ET

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As of March 19th, it is officially astronomical spring in the northern hemisphere – with meteorological spring kicking-off from March 1. With every turning of the seasons, there comes a bit of a mental reset, and maybe a material one too. The water's heating up, so it may be time to take a look at what needs upgrading from last year's stash.

Better yet, there's a whole load of products on the market to make spring-surf-life that little bit easier, or flashier, depending on your fancy. Here, we've collated just a few of them – and if there's anything you're swearing by over the spring months, let us know in the comments and we'll add them to the list.

ION – Surf Shield Tech

Here's some tech that's quietly walked onto the scene. ION, the Germany-based wetsuit company, have developed some surf apparel that is fin-cut resistant. In fact, their Surf Shield series was brought to life to protect anyone in the water from wayward fins, reefs or, if you're of the foil revolution, to offer protection against those aluminium masts. The rash vest is made out of tough, reef-resistant HPPE fabric. That's not to say you're going to bounce right off, or this line is a form of armor, it's just to offer more protection when flirting with rock-bottomed barrels or the likes. Worth a look if you're heading to some shallow slabby thing.

FCS II – White Edition

FCS II have just released a fresh batch of rudders for your trusty thruster. The brand's White Edition fin sets come in four different types; Carver, Performer, Accelerator and Reactor – categories FCS II have now used for a while to help define what fins you should be using. All do varying different things – though we'd argue there's a distinct blurring of lines between the Carver and Performer sets. As in the title, FCS's limited edition range offers up all the above in a distinct white color palette, available in medium or large. Don't know which sized fins to surf? It was Joel Parko who once attributed his early-life success to sticking with large fins as a grom versus any other size, so there's that little tidbit to take into consideration.

Rise of the Eco-Tail and Deck Pads

Yulex wetsuits are growing in demand year on year as calls for eco-alternatives are ringing out all over the globe. Though performance is catching up with its neoprene equivalent, it's not quite there – yet. But have you given much thought to your tail or deck pads? The eco-fix is making its way to your underfoot traction and the thing is, you won't even be able to tell the difference. Tail pads like FCS's T-3 Pin Eco is made from sugarcane-based bio-foam – and does everything good traction is meant to. The arch bar sits comfortably in the groove of your foot, and the whole pad kinda locks you in place. Pick up this version if you're surfing pin-tails, or narrower tailed boards. There's a mid deck-pad available too, if you're a fan of going sans wax.

Love Machine – Burner

The latest design from the brain of Ryan Lovelace; the Burner is a mid-length designed for good waves. Available from 6'0” up to 6'10” this twin pin is billed as the shortboard for people who don't shortboard, or the midlength built for performance shortboarders. The Burner will go in just about everything, except waves that require a proper bit of groveling. This could be your new favourite travel board, and custom orders are available with a range of fin options on offer, twin, quad, twinzer, 2+1, take your pick for this spring standout.

Patagonia Yulex Regulator Lite – Long Sleeved Wetsuit Top

The team at Patagonia remain committed to performance surf gear. Their Yulex range is the closest to neoprene on the market – to the point now, you may be hard-pressed to tell the difference, except for longevity. Their long-sleeved wetsuit tops are some of the best in class, offering a load of stretch, a blend of natural and synthetic rubber – all created from sustainable sources. Perfect for a summer surf when the water reaches 2mm territory and you want to ditch the confines of a full wetsuit.

SurfEars 4.0

Ear plugs have become essential surf gear, especially if you want to protect your hearing. Having tried a whole range of different varieties of plugs (including shoving blutak up in there) SurfEars just work for me. They're comfortable, do the job, while letting sound in and come with a variety of different attachments to help fit your ear. That's not to say they're perfect, and have been left scrambling mid-set to pop one back in after a duck-dive pulled them out, but they're a better option for me personally than others – which made me feel like I was... under water. Hard to explain. Anyway, even with the water warming up, ear plugs are still essential protection against the elements. Yes, more crucial during the winter, but there's little reason to not wear them year-round. One of the only shields we have against surfer's ear.

Florence Marine X, Windshield Long Sleeve Hooded Rashguard 2.0

Another rash guard! Yes, for good reason. John John and bros Florence Marine X brand has been coming up tops in a whole range of review cycles. This 2.0 version promises to retain all the heat of a wetsuit top, while protecting against wind and sun. According to Florence Marine X, the Windshield takes “things to the next level. Covered in an innovative coated material, the Florence Windshield Hooded Rashguard blocks all wind and absorbs zero water, becoming the go-to piece of gear for many on the North Shore of Oahu.” This is a high-performance product for people who want to spend long spring days in the drink.

Matunas, Eco-Wax

Matunas is the first and longest-standing eco surf waxes on the market. First released in 1998, the brand's had almost 30-years of innovation, utilising eco-friendly, non-toxic and biodegradable ingredients – including jasmine, raspberries, strawberries and tree sap from apricots, all grown from the Matunas family farm based in Santa Cruz. A step up from the bees-wax alternatives on the market and best of all, it actually works. Too long have surfers been burned by the promise of high-performance eco-waxes, only for it to smear across your board. Make this spring a conscious shift to more planet-friendly materials. Let us know how you get on.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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