Customer Reviews The North Face Women's Surge

Off the Richter!! Got a Surge backpack 2 years ago and just swooped in on the updated version. Really light with big comfy straps and some super engineered back padding. Feels great on. Way better pocket system then the last one. 1 easy access big fuzzy pocket right on top for the shades. Another easy zip tablet pocket on the front and then a super secure fleece padded laptop pocket on the inside. Also has a luggage type handle on the front that makes it easy to carry like a duffle. Solid day to day back and big enough to load up for a weekend adventure. Plenty of inside storage pockets but not so many that I'm digging around in it forever. Wetsuit fits in no problem. Found a spot for my emergency rope. Style lines are way better and the black/red/grey is pretty rad looking. Stoked on this one!!

I have had this backpack for 5 years, and have used it every single day of that time, carrying a usual load of 10-15 pounds. It still looks new. The amount of thought that went into the design really shows when it matters. At 33L, it has often been my only bag on week-long pop-up camping trips. It has been to Alaska with me twice. Even completely packed out, this thing still manages to be comfortable on my back. It is far-and-away the best backpack I have ever owned. As a work bag, even as a light backpacking bag, it is really tough to beat. I'd give it 6 stars if that were possible.

I bought it to replace my Swiss Gear bag, that was too heavy and too loose when I used it. and SURGE is just perfect! you won't fell the weight of the bag when its on your back, even if its really heavy. it has a lot of room in it and lots of pockets to put your stuff in it (for me its really important) and of course a place to my laptop and its cables

I bought this since I'm a doctoral graduate student who travels in cities often. I thought I could use it for both school and travel. It's deceiving because it looks like it can hold so much, but it really doesn't. It's a long and narrow, so you have to stack everything up inside the backpack. I prefer backpacks that are wide where I can easily see everything. I'm 5'3" and it was too long for me, it kept uncomfortably hitting me in my tailbone. If you like long and narrow backpacks, this is perfect! If you prefer shorter and wider backpacks, keep searching. I gave it to my niece who is in college (and much taller than me) and she was thrilled because it was free. She's been using it and likes it

I use this pack for school. It's very comfortable and I love the strap design for boobs. It feels very durable and I do not think I will need a new backpack for a long time. One downside though, I wish the main compartment was a bit wider. It's lacking in space, especially considering the cost. Otherwise, I love the look and all of the different pockets for organizing small items.

I love Surge Northface backpacks. I have purchased multiple over the past several years for my kids in college. The backpacks take a beating and are very durable. The only thing that I don't like about this recent purchase are the pulls on the top zippers.

I really like the backpack. It's easy to organize things in it and it is comfortable to wear, and it seems very durable. The one drawback, for me personally, is that the main compartment is a bit narrow for my taste -- I like to pack and book and overnight clothes when I travel sometimes, and it is a little tight for that to be done easily. But I recommend this backpack.

Great backpack with great space!

Love this ba knack. However it seems smaller than the one I replaced.

This is a nice bag, great quality, just not the right bag for me. The back of the pack is padded/rigid and the laptop compartment is heavily padded leading to a heavy/sturdy bag but without much room left for other stuff.

Hiking, travel and outdoors. There's too much interior padding which cuts down on the roominess. You can't put as much stuff in it as I would like. Like the pockets!

I used my my Surge for about a year before it was unfortunately stolen. I loved it, very durable and excellent internal organization. I could put my huge gaming laptop and by giant calculus textbook in there along with all my school supplies without breaking my back- super comfy and nice suspension. The only flaw in the design is where the compression straps attach, in FRONT of the laptop compartment. When you have a heavy load and cinch it down tight, all that force pulls against the sides of your laptop instead of on the rigid pack panel. Over time, this caused damage to my laptop, messing up the screen and breaking the case. Now I have to deal with a few lines of dead pixels on my nice gaming machine, which is a huge bummer. I'll be replacing my backpack with the Router instead of the Surge for the sole reason that the compression strap attaches BEHIND the laptop compartment.

I usually have to carry a very heavy laptop to work everyday, and using my regular backpack made my shoulders sore. I switched to Surge on hubby's insistence, and boy did it help! It distributes the weight very well and is extremely comfortable for everyday use. I've used this is a carry-on bag in flights and found it very comfortable. It has tons of pockets and sections to store all kind of small/big items which you can quickly access. The loop/handle at the front of the bag is more handy that you'd think! The only improvement I'd love to see is that the side pockets to carry bottles should have an elastic band or loop to secure the pocket, my bottles keep falling out of it otherwise (and I've lost a handful of bananas stored there too!).

I got this backpack for my Junior year of high school because I needed a durable comfortable back pack to hold all my books. Its incredible roomy and I could fit all my school supplies in it plus once I put it on and strap myself in it almost feels like nothing. My only complaints are when nothing is in the bag it already weighs 3 pounds which kinda sucks , and what I have to say the worst thing about it is that it does not stand on its own. When in class and I need to constantly get things out of my bag, having to lift it off the ground is extremly annoying. I either have to lean it on my friends bag or lay it on the floor on its back. Over all the bag is great and i'll use it throughout high school and maybe even college. Its roomy and great for business and everyday travel, but is a pain to get things out of. I would recommend it to other people definitely!

This is a great size for a woman's backpack. Although it can hold a ton if needed, it also can be held more compact, using the side straps. I actually use it for a flute bag. My flute and piccolo fit in the middle compartment, and an orchestra-sized folder fit in the back compartment. It is well organized for all my accessories, plus phone, wallet, keys, etc. It seems like it will be very durable. I do wish there was just a little more padding in the bottom of the middle compartment.

Great fit and style. Use for daily bus commute to work as well as day hikes/travel. Only suggested improvement would be to lighten the weight.

I used it for High school and for years and years on, great pack!

In general, this is a great bookbag. It has a relatively large capacity and is nicely divided and organized. I originally got this bookbag because my previous one didnt have much lumbar support. This one looked like it could give me that support i needed. Its more than I''ll ever need really but it helps that this bookbag is very versatyle - itd be appropriate for amost all occasions: travelling, hiking, commuting, etc. The only thing i do not like about this backpack is how the waist straps dangles. In an older model of the recon, they had little sleeves for which you can slide the waist straps in. I do not see why they could not incorporate something like this as well.

I couldn't believe how convenience the bag is. I have all my school supplies as well my lap top. This is my third back pack and I love each one off them. This one is the best. Good job NF

I use this product for school. I got it because I wanted a bag with many organizing pockets, was not disappointed. I open the package and read the label, the bag itself with nothing in it is over 3 pounds. It is heavy and I have literally nothing in it. Apart from that, many soft lined pockets, comfortable, it keeps its shape, I am not afraid to put something with value in it in fear it would break.

Everything is high quality on this bag; they really didn't miss a detail. I love how the bag compresses to be pretty small when there's not much in it, but it can actually hold a couple days of clothes comfortably when you fill it up. I docked it one star because the bottom is designed to curve upwards, so you can't really stand it up on the ground. I can see this being pretty annoying at airports where I'll probably be taking it on and off regularly.

The quality is great. I use it for school. I think a flatter base would work better for classroom use. This one topples over when set on floor. I would love this as a day hike bag or just a casual day trip when I need my laptop. The laptop compartment is rigid and provides good protection for a laptop. It is the bulk of the weight. There are many compartments (pro for day hike, con for classroom use).

Good all around back pack. Would be a five star if it didn't weigh so much pre-loading...

I use it to carry my computer and gym clothes and such to work every day. It's definitely good for that, but should not be taken as a hardcore outdoor pack, as it is missing important features such as a good hipbelt and hydration bladder support.

Purchased for gift.