Customer Reviews The North Face Women's Surge

I very like the quality of the bag, but I wish that it would be bigger

Nice bag, I had the model from 2 years ago which I liked better. I wish they would keep a good thing going.

I purchased this backpack for my granddaughter who is going off to college this year. On her "wish list" was a couple different backpacks but when I found this particular one it seemed to really fit her total needs . . . like the compartment for her laptop which is very well padded and protected. The many other smaller sections on the backpack are really great for her other supplies to haul around campus and have everything organized so it's easy for her to find at a moments need. I didn't mind paying the slightly higher price for this one because I know she will get a lot of use out of it and the quality is wonderful! Almost makes me want to go off to college myself. The gray & baby blue colors are beautiful (if you can call a backpack beautiful), gray is one of my granddaughters favorite colors so that makes it even more special to give her. Thanks North Face!

I love this backpack. I have been using north face backpacks for 10 years now. This one is my favorite. It has a slim design but fits everything I need. The multiple zipper compartments allow for me to organize everything I need to take with me.

I purchased this bag to use while traveling/working in Europe. I needed a bag that would carry and protect a laptop and also fit easily under the seat of a plane. So far, the bag is perfect. The compartments are useful and everything is kept snuggly in a contained space. The one downside I have experienced is the stiffness of the straps. Without a huge weight in the bag, the straps cut into my collar bone and leave a red mark. After repeatedly squeezing the straps, they have softened up. So, I will continue to work the straps until they are comfortable.

Its a good backpack, I just don't find it as functional as I would have liked. The front pockets don't feel easy to access and the spacing in the bag s not great. It manages to look large and bulky while feeling like it doesn't hold a lot. I do like the spot for the tablet as I have a laptop and table to carry around, but overall this backpack really doesn't feel super functional for my travel needs and as a student.

Good compartment, easy for organize. But heavyweight (to me), and I don't think this backpack fits 31L

I was looking for a large capacity backpack to use when traveling and bought this. My luggage didn't fit as much as I expected.

Wish it was bigger like my old north face, this was feels harder to put a lot of stuff in, but I'm sure I'm just getting used to it

My daughter used the Surge backpack all through 4 years of high school and it was great! We ordered the Surge for my younger daughter as she started high school and it is so different. It doesn't hold nearly what the old one held and is awkward with the pocket locations.

The pockets are smaller than expected but over all a nice backpack.

On the small size, ended up returning as my child could not put the laptop and binder in the backpack. It was too tight

This bag is not good hiking or for non laptop/iPad storage. The laptop section is well padded but the main section isn't good for bulky things like coats, snacks, water bottles... It's more for schoolbooks, paperwork, folders, etc. (flat items)

I like the back support and computer padding for protection. I use the bag for my large work laptop. However there it's very thin/tight, so there isn't much room for bulkier things.

I have loved the Surge backpack I received for Christmas in either 2015 or 2016. It has been a total workhorse, accompanying me every day for both work and travel. I would easily give it ***** My mother and daughter decided 10 years was enough and gifted me a new one, which I have been using for the past 10 days of both work and travel. Until last night, it warranted ***. It has already green a tear in a seam by the grab handle, which reduces the rating to ** Positives *the water bottle pockets are much better USB the previous model *the straps on the bottom of the backpack, which are perfect for carrying a jacket on a commute or while sightseeing Changes that are not good *lack of a front grab handle *depth of the front organising panel - I don't have a place to store masks *fewer internal zipper pockets - my passport storage pocket no longer exists *new flex vent system less effective than before - it's winter, and my back is getting hot every tune I wear the pack for more than a few minutes. *external pocket zippers don't work well - I think this use because there is so much extra fabric *there were straps by ye water bottle pocket that I was annie to use to put through the loop of my umbrella for extra security/stability. The new pockets are deeper and stronger, so this may not be a problem Other changes *separate pockets for iPad and laptop are fine, though not necessary (I carry both daily) *more loops to use for hooking/lashing things *dimensions have changed so it fits under an airplane seat more easily I'm extremely disappointed that the pack already ripped when I picked it up by the grab handle last night. You can see in the photos that it is not overloaded. This is the way it is most days of the week. The previous version of the Surge is still completely intact after 10+ years, other than a little wear on one corner of the bottom. This is extremely disappointing. Unfortunately I can't switch back bc my ops surge is at my mother's house in Kentucky, and I am in Hong Kong.

This bag has a lot of exterior storage pockets but once you load them up you can't fit anything on the inside. It's not great as a school backpack for people who actually need to carry books/notebooks. Also, the little pulls on each zipper break if you pull on them which seems... counterintuitive? Returned. Wish I would've just stuck with tried and true bag from a better company.

The first day my daughter used this, one of the little pull tabs for the zippers broke. What good is a backpack without a zipper pull?

I am very unhappy with this bag and am going to try to return it. I have one major complaint and several minor complaints. The biggest problem is that the bag won't stand up on its own! The stiff laptop section makes feels like a surfboard shape, and trying to rest the bag on its bottom (one tip of the surfboard) doesn't work. Even if I try to prop the bag up against something like a door, it still slides down onto its front or back. Not good if you're trying to load/unload it, or if you have a full coffee holder in one of the pockets. That stiff laptop section just makes the whole thing unwieldy. The other pockets feel cramped because of it. I'm trying to carry a 15" laptop and a lot of bulky laptop components (hub, mouse, power cord, etc.). I feel like it should be able to hold everything, but it just doesn't!

I got this backpack for High School I was really disappointed with the quality of it. Before I bought it I thought it would last a long time but the stitching in a second pocket busted my first day of school and within the first week one of my zippers fell off on the main pocket where the computer pouches and the other one fell off a couple weeks later. I was hoping I could use a return policy to get a new bag but it expired so I was unable to get one. So I did not have a zipper pull tab for the rest of my freshman year and to the end of my Sophomore year. I was hoping I could use this backpack for a travel bag but I ended up washing it and it completely fell apart. I'm hoping this was only my experience because I really liked the concept of the backpack and all the pockets.

This back pack is horrible. I had the previous model and I could travel for a full week with it! I can barely do an over night at my boyfriends house. This bad barely opens up to put clothes in. SO MAD

Purchased for my seventh grade daughter. At one year mark, strap is almost completely torn off. This young, and just for school purposes, it shouldn't be in this condition. Very frustrating.

I like to use a back pack for work. I usually carry a change of scrubs, toiletries, lunch and 2 drinks. I can hardly get that to fit in this bag. Just waiting for the zipper to finally break! Horrible design

I purchased this product and the strap broke after less than a year. I got the warranty replacement with relatively minor hassle. The replacement bag also ended up with a broken strap and zipper after 1 year. I did the warranty again, and the bag is currently working. I purchased another one in the midst of all that for my daughter and today (2 years into this bag) a strap has broken again. I dont have the energy to deal w warranties and downtime anymore. I will be looking for another brand.

This backpack is not the same volume as the surge I bought for my other daughter in the Spring of '24. This one barely fits the book and binder for ONE college class for the current recipient. I am very disappointed in North Face and its quality these days. I have several basecamp duffels from 1991 to 2024! I have several NorthFace backpacks from 1980 to 2024! I bought a women's surge in 2019 that is going strong, even as I load it up everyday! My son has a men's, but the straps pulled out of his - military supplied - he had to buy a second! very poor design on that. I hope NorthFace can help me out with this surge.

Returned