Customer Reviews The North Face Router

Works for school, mountain climbing, weekend bag. Spacious and love all of the compartments! Love the Router!

Lots of room. Nice laptop sleeve. Worth the money in my opinion!

Fire backpack holds all my stuff and super comfortable

replacing my 20 year old north face bag with this seems like a great upgrade so far!

Used it to travel to Puerto Rico almost didn't need a carry on from how spacious it is perfect for weekend vacations.

School and carry on for airplane is ideal!

It was exactly what I was looking for college. Really comfortable and big

Wonderful upgrade to Borealis backpack. Perfect size to hold everything, great construction; sturdy.

I was looking for a laptop backpack, and I first looked at the usual suspects - Swiss Gear and Targus. I ordered one from Targus. I returned it because the quality wasn't backpack quality. It was more like computer-bag quality. Which meant it wouldn't last as long as a real backpack, and I couldn't confidently take it off the beaten path, and international, and expect it to hold up. This was my perception after looking at stitching, zippers, straps, materials, and weatherproofing. In the end I bought a North Face Router for twice as much money. Everything about it is better made and sturdier. I've had several North Face packs (and Gregory, Lowe, etc.) and should've looked at backpack makers to begin with instead of at computer accessory makers. I hope my research can save you time.

Great size bag for what I need. I planned for weekend use, commuting to/from school/work, etc. I filled this bag up with plenty of stuff when I first got it. I put my 17"/7 lb. laptop, 5 average sized textbooks and several days worth of clothing in it, along with toiletries and other items. I was happy with the carrying capacity and overall total weight when full. I am a female who is 5'9/120 lbs. I could comfortably walk around the house with it on. I didn't feel any pinching or pulling from the straps.

First the two complaints, the bag gets much of it's capacity from it's height, I am 6'1" and with a pretty tall torso, if I tighten the straps the bag is a little bothersome as it's right up on my neck. You can fix this my loosening the straps and allowing it to hang down further but then the bag is looser on your back. The only other complaint I would have is the bag is quite heavy even empty (again 6'1" 200+ man and I think it's noticeably heavy), this is something I am sure I will get used to and isn't burdensome for me but might be for a smaller framed or less strong person. Otherwise this is absolutely the best bag i've found for general use, i'm no hiker or mountaineer so maybe this won't stack up against those bags but for me a guy that will use this generally for packing gym clothes and sneakers, my lunch, my laptop, some paperwork or maybe a bunch of random misc items when riding my bike or motorcycle or when going on vacation this is perfect and has more then enough room for all that and enough pockets to keep it all organized! I have only had it for a few days now so time will tell how it does in situations like vacation packing but already with the compartments and storage capacity I know it will be great, enough that i've logged onto north face's website to write a positive review haha.

Great back pack -- good size and capacity. Appropriate size and compartments. Good load distribution.

This bag is well designed and laid out. Went to TNF near home and tried daypack. This works for teaching and coaching. Along with traveling and day hikes.

I just got back from a business trip to Belgium and the router backpack saved the day! I'd done lots of research on other bags before I decide to pick up this beauty and it didn't disappoint. 41L of space with several large compartments easily fit my laptop, peripherals, notebooks, and clothes. And several smaller pockets were perfectly place for quick access to my calculator, pens/pencils, cell phone, mobile charger, wallet, and spare change. There was even a nice felt pouch in top of bag for easy access to my shades. Kept my belongings safe and secure during my whole trip even dry while I was walking for an hour back to my hotel in a heavy downpour of rain after the Flanders cycle race finish in Oudenaurde The pack looks good too amid so many other bags that don't. In general I always go for black and was very happy with this. So the question is why wouldn't you buy the router pack? Solid and sturdy yet light, well designed and flexible for different use, super roomy and well design with many small and large pocket to fit your gear, and you even look great wearing it! GO FOR THE ROUTER DONT BE A DOUBTER NUFF SAID (wait...great warranty!)

This is my 2nd TNF backpack and will not be my last. Love the quality and durability. Large enough to hold everything I need at the time but not too big that it becomes a burden. It's perfect for the constant day trips I take, whether they be for work or pleasure I always have this backpack with me. TNF never let's me down.

So far it has been very comfortable, has more pockets that I have things to stuff in them, and will serve for much more than just carrying my books around campus.

I have been using the Borealis for a few years now and love this backpack. I recently purchased a 15" MacBook and although it did fit in the Borealis, it was a very tight fit - had difficulty getting it in and out of the pack. I ordered the Router due the extra room and I am glad I did. This pack has plenty of room for all my business travel needs and allows me to pack the laptop AND iPad in the same pocket for easy access. I don't travel light so this pack allows for the extras needed my electronics and leaves plenty of room for a change of clothes - or two. If you want a pack that is versatile for your day to day travel, this is the one you want.

I bought it for my son as his school bag to replace his old one. My son is in middle school and has many heavy text books and notebooks. This bag hold them well. It is strong and well designed with many useful pockets. Love it and may buy another one for his brother.

Bought this backpack to take to Florida on a special trip to pick up a puppy. I needed a BackPack that could hold my camera bag inside as well as a have a spot for my iPad and a font loading spot for my purse. I needed something also to hold necessities for the puppy on the trip home. It was very accommodating and perfect for my needs. We plan on ordering a second one in the future for both my husband.

Full Disclosure: I am extremely brand loyal and this backpack is one of 5 North Face that I own. The others being Surge, Borealis, Recon and Hammerhead. My Recon bag wasn't giving me the space and comfort that I needed whilst carrying my college textbooks from class to class. I chose the Router because if its size, back support and its organizational pockets. There is more than plenty of space in this pack for my needs although it is worth noting that the bag gets its volume from how deep it is, not how wide it is. That means once I have packed my books all the extra space is at the top of the bag rather than the front and sides. That helps a lot in keeping all of the contents close to your back and cutting out the sway of wider bags. That the contents stay close to your back also make this pack comfortable when carting heavier loads. The padded back and the straps are comfortable also.The endless pockets and pouches are great for stashing whatever I need day to day. Although I don't use it, the laptop compartment easily holds my 17" Sony Vaio which is a big machine. Being able to tuck the hip belt away is a new feature for me and a welcome one. It keeps the buckle from digging in to your back or swinging around and catching onto things. All in all this pack is exactly what I needed and fulfills all the reason I bought it and fulfills them very well. Initially the price was hard to swallow but it's utility over the next 4 years will probably make it worth the price tag. This bag does everything it promises and if you need the space then it's fantastic. If you don't quite need this much or want to spend a little less then the Surge and Borealis are excellent alternatives. In my opinion you can't go wrong with the North Face packs, you just have to find the one that fits your needs best. Everything else about their bags will likely be the best you have used.

I got this bag as an additional carry on for a trip to Europe. It was perfect. Held all that I needed it to and fit where it needed to be stowed. Easy access for me to all the compartments and I felt secure that it was not an easy target for a criminal. I endured a lot of rain and it was not a problem for this bag. Can't say enough about it, just love it.

I Bought the Router backpack because I was going on a trip and need a bigger backpack to accommodate all my electronic gear in addition to my laptop. Awesome Backpack! Really well designed, and constructed. Has held up well and has room for all the electronic gear I was carrying through Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, including a 17 inch laptop. No tears or lose stitching, including the small handle at the top of the pack. The design makes carrying about 35 lbs of weight very easy on the back. The bag even looks nice. Two comments: 1. Even though you could use the bag as a large day pack, it is too big to wear in the front. The reason this could be an issue is because if you are traveling in a sketchy area, and want to make sure people won??t rip off some of the contents of your pack, people often wear their pack in the front. It is difficult to wear this pack on your front because of its size. 2. Since I think of this as a trekker??s backpack, North Face might want to consider installing loops that make it possible for people to padlock the three single zippers when they are fully closed. Only complaint The sunglass pocket (that??s what I use it for) could be bigger to accommodate a full sized sunglass case.

After trying a number of well-constructed bags, the Router seems to deliver everything that I have been wanting. First and foremost, it's big. Plenty of room for my laptop, diaries, and lots of books. Yet it is still lightweight. Second, it has all kinds of useful pockets and pouches for pens, delicate gadgets, and accessories. Finally, it looks nice and appears to be durable. This should be a bag I can keep for a long time.

It's a great backpack that holds all of my school books (2 textbooks, 3 binders, 2 notebooks, planner and a pencil case) with room to spare.

I commute to school most every day of the week and my old backpack was just too small for the amount of stuff I carry with me. I previously used the Borealis version and love the backpack but my new laptop was taking up a lot of room. Sometimes I spend the night at school and therefore need more books for 2 days worth of classes and a change of clothes. This backpack is absolutely perfect for what I need. The separate laptop pocket is ideal because after spending so much money on my laptop I like to know it's safe and not getting scratched or hit by my books. The book pocket is large enough for me to fit 4 1/2" binders, a textbook or 2 and clothes if needed. This backpack isn't necessarily wider compared to other North Face ones but it is definitely taller. The number of front pockets allows me to store all my pens, calculators (yes plural) keys, wallets, sunglasses etc and know exactly where each item is. A great pro is the special pocket just for the laptop cord. It's very useful to just be able to grab the cord and not have it be tangled with everything else that is in the bag. The only con I have is that it does look rather large when walking around campus but that's expected with a backpack of this size. I will definitely be taking this backpack with me when I also travel whether it be road trips or plane trips it will hold a good amount of clothes. If you're looking for a larger backpack to fit your needs be sure to give this one a try! P.S. I first went to local sports stores to check it out in person and then when on thenorthface.com to pick out a color I liked. Mine is red!