Customer Reviews The North Face Surge

I like the pockets, but a big issue with this backpack is that you can't really fill all of the pockets. Once you put a laptop and notebook in the first compartment and then fill the front pockets the ability to use the main large pocket is drastically reduced. I can barely get a water bottle to squeeze in. I wish they would have kept the old Surge backpack design from a couple years ago, that worked much better

This bag is everything. I am a daily business backpack user and have had some great backpacks in the past. I did a ton of research and decided on this Surge Backpack. It is by far my favorite backpack that Ive ever used. It's the perfect size and great quality. I anticipate using this for years and years.

Love this backpack - was exactly what I was looking for my work backpack. Has a perfect fit for laptop and my portable monitor and pockets for peripherals, pens, etc. Water bottles slots are big !

Love this backpack. It's very effective.

Really like this bag. Perfect work laptop bag. Compartments provide everything I need for storing glasses, cords, writing utensils, laptop cord, mouse, etc.

Great backpack. Love all the functional pockets for storage. The only issue I have with the backpack is the outer pockets. Those pockets essentially share the space with the main compartment. So if I add stuff to the outer pockets, you lose room in the main compartment. There's room enough for a change of clothing, a light jacket, and a small toiletry kit. I would like to give it 4.5 stars, since I really had only that one issue.

Though I have not been able to use this backpack yet, it has all the compartments that I will need on our trip to Iceland this summer. There is ample room for extra clothing, water bottle and camera tripod. We will be traveling by van and will need these items close by as we exit and enter the vehicle.

Good quality! Bigger bag for taller people. The laptop case is very protective. Only thing I wish the zippers on the top were metal. They'll eventually snap off. Part of the bag has metal zippers they should just have every compartment that way. It's worth the additional cost.

There are a lot of positives to this backpack. It's a great look. I was a little bit unsure about the j-shaped pockets, but they're actually really nice and it's easy to get stuff out of them without having to dig. It's a little tough to fit a lot into the big compartment because the laptop compartment is so sturdy but if you have a nice laptop, I could see that being a benefit (having a quality laptop compartment). All in all, I'm happy with that I bought this backpack.

Use for travel & work. Very spacious w proper amount of sections.

Bought this as a travel bag and although it's very spacious, what I didn't like was how limited the laptop sleeve pocket was. I think without it, it would have given me more room to store clothes or accessories to give it a 5 out of 5

Reading the reviews beforehand, I was a little cautious that the shoulder straps would hold up. For my purpose of transporting a laptop, cables and sometimes a lunch to and from work it's been perfect and doesn't show any wear over the past 3 months. It's true the should straps are connected at the top to the bag by cloth material but it feels pretty sturdy as long as this backpack isn't overloaded constantly. For work or school if you're able to grab the Surge on sale, a solid performer imo.

Good design, nice feel, comfortable to wear, but lacks sturdiness when standing.

This backpack is awesome. It is water resistant so my gear doesn't get wet, and has lots of compartments for books and computers. This is more of a school backpack, and isn't great at packing clothes or other items like that.

Used as a school backpack. Despite the stated volume, it doesn't expand much and can't hold all school books. Shoulder straps are falling apart after 5 months of use. One snapped.

Good bag. Fits my MacBook Pro 16" and love the extra sleeve for my tablet.

Good bag. Fits my MacBook Pro 16" and love the extra sleeve for my tablet.

I ordered this because it has great organization and several useful pockets. I like the look of it better than any pack I've seen so far. I bought the asphalt gray standard model, not the Women's Surge, because I could not get the neutral gray color I sought. It is stylish and it's easy to access all the pockets. I love the easy-to-grab zipper pulls. When it arrived, I found that the back panel is quite stiff, the pack is heavy even when empty. I'm 5'4", and the bottom of the pack, when the straps are properly tightened, sits a full 3" below my waist. The Women's Surge pack is only 1/2" shorter, not different enough to adjust to an average 5'3"-5'8" woman's frame vs a 5'10-6'3" man's size. I weighed it with an accurate luggage scale: 3 lbs. 1.5 oz, not the 2 lbs. 12oz listed on the website description. My goal was to find a replacement for an old 18.5" tall, organized (non-Northface) backpack that weighs 1.5 lbs. Northface, I would love to see this same pack in a 15-20% smaller, 40% lighter version with the same amount of organization. I need my travel pack weight to be primarily my laptop, books and other items, not the pack itself. Disclaimer: I am a retired luggage/pack designer who travels several months a year, so am uber-sensitive to the style, organization and ergonomic details of all my travel products.

I absolutely love this backpack! The 30l size allows for ample space. Its durability is unmatched, partly due to unique strong nylon-type fabric. I use it outdoors exclusively, setting on the ground in the snow consistently, and no moisture has yet seeped into the interior of the backpack. All of the clasps are in the right place so the pack sits on my shoulders and mid-section very comfortably. I highly recommend this backpack and would buy it again easily.

Has many pockets I love it

I originally reviewed this after a month of use and wasn't impressed. It wasn't bad, but seemed to have a lot of compromises. After 2 years, I stand by most of what I wrote, but would rate it a bit higher. The zippers, despite being much lighter than my old Recon, have held up well with frequent use. I do feel like double-pull zippers would have been a better choice. The only issue I truly fault them on anymore are the horrible non-stretchy pockets which aren't really functional for anything bigger than an umbrella because of how the fabric pulls when you insert something bigger. I also wish that they made the main compartment bigger and then added compression straps to keep things tight, but they accurately describe the overall volume, so it's hard to fault them on it. It's just very difficult to put anything bulky in the bag with the main compartment constrained by the laptop sleeve and front compartments.

Very comfortable and spacious. Pockets definitely take up one another's space when filled, but still plenty of storage. Tons of small pockets and organization.

I originally reviewed this after a month of use and wasn't impressed. It wasn't bad, but seemed to have a lot of compromises. After 2 years, I stand by most of what I wrote, but would rate it a bit higher. The zippers, despite being much lighter than my old Recon, have held up well with frequent use. I do feel like double-pull zippers would have been a better choice. The only issue I truly fault them on anymore are the horrible non-stretchy pockets which aren't really functional for anything bigger than an umbrella because of how the fabric pulls when you insert something bigger. I also wish that they made the main compartment bigger and then added compression straps to keep things tight, but they accurately describe the overall volume, so it's hard to fault them on it. It's just very difficult to put anything bulky in the bag with the main compartment constrained by the laptop sleeve and front compartments.

Bought it for my husband. Perfect for his needs. (School and hiking)

Love the backpack!