Customer Reviews The North Face Surge Backpack

Overall loved the design and size. It's approved by American Chiropractic Association, which is great! I love the built, overall size. I felt it's a bit heavy but I am getting used to it. I feel it give me good grip even when I hold the pack with my hands. Zippers are smooth and sturdy.

I switched from a 15 year old North Face back pack which was wearing thin to this new one. I wanted to have the same features with better pockets. They are a lot of them ! I wish some of the pockets could hold all the little wires / snack bars / flashlight / and the like with 2 tennis balls (Nope)

I loved it but the center storage area which is the main part of the pack was just too big for my needs or any needs I could imagine for commuting. What I put in there was lost in the depth, the pack is very long.

Use this for school and weekends camping

I travel between three offices for my client and this backpack holds everything I need. It is surprisingly comfortable and feels very light. I have back issues and great it is ACA certified. the only draw back for me it is, it does not stands on its own and I have to lay it flat.

The backpack has great pockets for small things and a huge middle pocket for anything else. The sleeve makes it really easy to put notebooks for school and laptops in.

Product is great! You get more then enough room. I use it for college all the time and the back support makes walking 20 minutes back and fourth between classes a breeze.

It is very stylish and durable but is a little small.

Great backpack and this new version of the surge has many upgrades from the previous version. My only complaint would be the fact it weighs more than some other backpacks I own, and straps are uncomfortable at first until broken in.

It is very well built but lacks enough pockets

I wish it has the following: (1) Rain cover (the old version / 2006ish) had a zippered pocket on the bottom. Please bring this back. (2) This pack should weigh less than 3 pounds! If Osprey can do it, you can too! (3) An RFID pocket. (4) More reflective detail. (5) More TSA-friendly laptop compartment that opens all the way, so the laptop doesn't have to be taken out, just like in the 2017 version.

Bought this backpack for my son for his first year of college! I'll be sure to write an updated review once he puts it to use!

You can use this backpack for anything, well anything that doesn't involve water. Overall, this backpack is very useful and made with quality. I just wish it was at least water resistant.

It's a great pack. I looked at a lot of backpacks to find one that I could use to both commute and hike, instead of having two dedicated packs. This one is durable, with good, sturdy fabric and zippers. I only wish that it was waterproof and maybe had a more substantial wastebelt.

This is a great backpack. I love the look of it and it is the perfect size. The straps need some time to break in as they are pretty stiff when you get the bag. It has just the right amount of pockets for everything you could need without them taking up space or never being used. Has a slim pocket for your laptop and some folders or papers, one big pocket for any books or clothes you may need, then smaller pockets for laptop accessories, sunglasses, pencils, etc. The only issue I have with this bag is it is not water resistant or proof. Being a student that will be walking to class every day, this was a big deal for me, but the rest of the pros outweighed this con. I feel for the price, TNF should be able to include waster resistance. Overall, it is a good looking bag with a good size and right amount of pockets. I also feel very comfortable putting my laptop in the laptop sleeve since its fleece-lined and very padded.

I've had an older surge forever and loved it. I got it on sale and it is a meh color so I've been contemplating on adding a second one to my travels. Low and behold they redesigned the whole darn thing. Backpack is solid but I have no idea why they called it the same thing because it's a completely different backpack. The front pocket which had a really sweet storage set up is different and lost the narrow 1-2 inch fleece lined Pocket. This one is also not TSA compliant. I bought it 2 days ago from the SoHo store and will give it a run. I do like the new pockets to organize documents and an iPad in the back. I REALLY miss that front zipper that faces you on the inside pocket though. Great bag for travel though. It can easily fit a few packing cubes for an airplane. This bag always captures what my carry on can't handle as I travel 1-2x a month for business and personal travel.

I was looking for a pack to use when our family travels. Found this bag and appreciate its capacity for holding snacks and water bottles. Laptop compartment not necessary for my needs and would have preferred additional space in main compartment.

Great pack. Plenty of space to store all my tech equipment. However, this redesign is no longer lay-flat. The laptop compartment doesn't open all the way so you still need to take it out for TSA screenings.

This is my second Northface backpack -- a Bigshot from almost 10 years ago was my first. I think that says a lot about the quality and durability of Northface back packs. This Surge backpack builds on top of that -- great pockets, compartments, and functionality. That being said, I was a little surprised how heavy this backpack is empty when I first got it mailed to me. 3 pounds, 3 ozs! Every pound matters, especially when I travel international trips with my laptop + DSLR camera (4 lbs /w lens). Northface, hope you can somehow find a way to trim the weight off the unburdened backpack (off the next generation). That would be great.

It was a great productloved the pockets, the straps, organization. However after minor use as a school back (maximum 20lbs of light daily use) the top strap busted, safety whistle buckle busted, and the back-mesh is non operational as it causes itching. The main issue is I can no longer use the pack to hang from a hook, which is how I store my pack typically. I am a graduate student in mechanical engineering with a passion for quality, but after NorthFace has claimed that the failure of the top loop handle is a) normal wear and tear b) non repairable it pains me to say I will have to look into other brands for a higher quality pack. If the Surge can't handle a typical day to day use as a school pack, it won't be able to handle a daily commuters daily load such as laptop, multiple books and electronics, which will be more than what my pack ever experienced. If I had to guess, I am assuming osprey might be a better bet, or some other company that backs their products with a warranty that covers stitch malfunctions, but one can only hope. It is too bad as was once an advocate for NorthFace and their products but it seems as if their passion for standing behind their products has started to decline PS, after I asked to see if I can even just pay for the top handle strap to be fixed customer service said they would be in touchjust to find out they sent it back to me regardless without communicating with me. So I guess I don't have a choice on what step is next with my repairs.

I bought this backpack to replace my old surge and it is just as great with some improvements such as the daisy chain and side fastening straps. However, I was extremely disappointed when I opened the front large pocket to find it is nowhere near the same full length size it used to be. Now instead of being a great backpack with a laptop compartment and two full sized compartments now I feel like there is only a laptop compartment, large compartment and just another small pocket I wouldn't even feel comfortable storing an ipad in. Also with the new redesign of the surge coming soon removing many of the features I have learned to love it seems that Northface is straying farther and farther away from being amazing backpacks.

Looks aesthetically good, but is heavy without yet adding anything to the bag. The shoulder straps use an odd hybrid system with a flimsy nylon strap next to 1/2 of the regular harness strap, which doesn't seem durable. I've returned the bag because I can find a lighter bag with stronger shoulder straps to carry my laptop and other stuff on the days I can't work from home and must go into the office.

My college sophomore has used her Surge since Freshman year of HS & it's still perfect! But due to the pandemic my sophomore daughter in HS is not permitted to use lockers at school. She has carried her Surge for 3 semesters and it is now unusable. The shoulder straps have completely separated from the pack. We need to find something more durable to carry the extreme weight of all books/binders. No fault of The North Face just a casualty of change.

The website says that the bag has a lie-flat design. IT DOES NOT. At least not the one I have. The laptop compartment doesn't open all the way so if that's what you are buying this for, then think twice. The laptop keeps falling on its face when I lean it against the wall. Terrible design. Right now, I have to hold it between the wall and a desk. Not ideal, they should do something to fix it so it can lean easily against the wall. Fleece pockets are amazing! They have good storage space but my only issues are stability and incorrect website description

Great for carrying many books, binders, all personal belongings