Customer Reviews The North Face Surge

Good.

It is good. Thank you.

I just purchased this backpack for my daughter for her birthday. She loves the size, color, capacity, compartments, durability, etc. My other daughter purchased the same backpack for herself @ a year ago. She love it except, the one shoulder strap has ripped halfway through the strap. The North Face warranty department refuses to help replace or repair the backpack b/c they say it is from "usage". We are going to the store to ask for help. I have a NF backpack that is over 30 years old that has held up through school, travel, day hikes, kids, etc. with no issues so, we are not happy with the lack of warranty coverage on a backpack that my daughter only uses to walk to/from her college classes.

Backpack is okay, but not worth the price. The straps feel very flimsy and not typical of North Face gear. Also the backpack has a lot of zippers and compartments, but it doesn't hold very much. There's a lot of excess padding and wasted space.

I use the NF Surge II as a EDC/Daily commuter bag. This pack is stylish, well laid out, and mostly comfortable. I did have to return/exchange the first pack I purchased because the stitching was coming undone on one of the side pockets. Pros: - Organization: The layout of this pack is excellent! It is super easy to organize and access all of my items. - Water bottle holders: TNF definitely made a great improvement with the side water bottle holders. Easy in, easy out and it holds the bottles very securely. - Suspension system: This pack is very comfortable (for the most part, see cons). You can load it up pretty heavy, put it on, and feel like you're not carrying that much weight. Well done! -Style: This is a great looking backpack IMO. Cons: - Zippers: While the zippers are quality YKK, they lack the structure/stiffness to operate smoothly. One handed operation of the zippers is very poor and this is my biggest gripe about the pack. While traveling it would be helpful to be able to open/close pockets without using both hands. There are ways to manipulate, jerk and pull the zippers using one hand, but since the zippers flex and bend so much, they usually hit a stop. - The Surge II falls over: Touted as a new design feature, this bag will stand on its own ONLY if it is packed out to near full capacity. The back pad is too long IMO and tips the pack forward, causing it to fall over like any other backpack, unless you have the main compartment stuffed to full capacity, which is a rarity for how I use the pack. - The bottom of the back pad is too long (as mentioned before), so a thin blade of plastic catches my belt and pushes my pants down a bit which is quite annoying. TNF should shorten this pad or have it roll away from the back. Otherwise the pack is very comfortable to wear. - The material is a bit too thin. I understand TNF is trying to make this pack light, but it is sacrificing functionality and protection by doing so. Downpour = Wet items.

I've been using this backpack for about 3 months now, with very mixed feelings. Most of the bag seems reasonably well built, with decent organization, and I like the color (blue in my case). It even sort of stands on its own... some of the time. Unfortunately, the Surge also has some significant issues, which may lead me to stop using it. 1) They went with significantly undersized zippers compared to my old North Face Recon, which makes it much more difficult to open and close the bag, especially when full. The thinner zippers flex and bend more, which means that they have a tendency to twist and bunch as you slide them open and closed. 2) The front zippers aren't double zippers, so you can't chose to keep the close point in a place that could be managed one handed, so you almost always end up needing two hands to close the front and top pouches. You need to push the zipper all the way into the back corner. 3) They removed the small front/top pocket. They could have kept it, even if they wanted the fleece pocket, but they didn't. This makes it more difficult manage small items without a separate pouch inside, which is a pain, and makes it harder to grab chapstick or earbuds, for example, on an airplane. 4) The bags form looks good when filled out perfectly, but under real use, it has a crumpled look and isn't very elegant. This happens because they made everything very tight to eliminate the need for compression straps. 5) The small internal pockets are lined up with each other in a way so that the bulk sits at the same level instead of being staggered, and so reduces what you can use them for. It also makes it harder to get things in and out. 6) While the laptop and front compartments are nice, this means that in this narrower bag, you don't even have room to stuff in a lunch or something in the main compartment. They should have made this compartment bigger and provided the side compression straps in order to keep the bag tight to the back.

The backpack is big and has many compartments. But the middle compartment, which is the main compartment, is not big enough for one textbook and one binder. It is not ideal for school.

I bought the Surge to replace my 9-year old Recon backpack. It was pricey, but I was willing to pay more for a new favorite backpack. I am disappointed in the surge. There are some nice qualities, like the fleece lined pocket, the YKK zippers, and the waterproof bottom. However, I couldn't fit NEARLY the same amount in it that I did in my Recon. I know they're different models, but the general basics should have been up to the same standard. I used my recon for traveling, teaching, and going to college. It held up and I am just disappointed in the Surge. I tried to fit the same amount of items in both, and if it can't even comfortably fit headphones, a wallet, a pair of gloves, a notebook and a travel kit, how is it going to fit all of my teaching manuals, laptop and papers to grade??

When it comes to organization and functionality, the bag is perfect. 10/10 The bag fails, however, in materials and make. The harness system also feels unsafe; the connection between the backpack itself and the shoulder pads is cheap and feels like not gonna last.

It seems that the quality of materials that North Face used in previous backpacks is no longer in use for their products.

Replaced a previous Surge with this one after the original had a strap seam come undone. This new model Surge has a lot less room in the main baggage area. Other than that it's a solid, comfortable bag.

I am a college student and I use it for carrying books and my computer. While it seems as though it has plenty of useful pockets, it is not waterproof which is very disappointing for the price. I was not aware that it was not waterproof until I was walking to class in the rain with an umbrella and went to get my books out and they were soaked.

I use my backpacks for work and Cary various things in them. I have the last models of the Borealis and the Surge, so I just wanted the newest version of the Surge. The color scheme screamed out to me as it looks like Boba Fett from Star Wars. That's about where the fun stopped. I transferred all my items from my current 5.11 Rush24 2.0 and found that the new Surge suffers from the same, and more issues than the older version. To start, the water bottle pockets are stiff as all heck. And the don't seem to expand as far as the previous model. The organization pocket is still small, takes up room in the main compartment when full, and creates an upper weight for the pack which will make it too over. The main compartment seems smaller than the old one and doesn't seem to expand like the older model. The front "filet" pockets, while neat, don't seem practical and the zippers aren't as fluid as the rest of the pack. The Surge is comfortable though, just not great for my needs. I ended up returning it yesterday and will continue to use my 5.11 Rush24 2.0.

A laptop and a few clothes the bag feels over stuffed.

I use it for work moderately, not too heavy but would average 10lbs there about. However after a few months of wearing the strap is ripping and I will need a new bag soon. Really don't want the same quality, as I would like something that lasts a little longer.

The backpack looks great with all its compartments and storage but in reality it's a bad backpack, the main storage compartment is very small even for a freshman in high school! It's so small I can only fit three 1 in binders with no extra room. The other north face backpacks are a much better choice for high school kids.

Bought the Surge for work travel in early March - it's July 30. 5 months, 5 business trips. As of today, the seams are stretched/ripped on several pockets, like the very top one and the laptop sleeve for some reason. And - despite the huge capacity - you can't access the things in the biggest pocket, which means you have to unpack the bag to get anything out of it. Disappointed to say the least. I expected more of THF. Will be looking at alternatives.

I had my north face borealis backpack for about 15 years and used it almost every day. Other than some normal fading, the backpack stayed in great shape. I decided to "upgrade" to the this pack, and within 6months the stitching on the backpack strap began to separate (see picture). I would like to think this is a fluke but I think clearly the quality of north face has declined tremendously.

Second bag, second time it has ripped.

At first glance, this pack is very stylish, good-looking, and is very practical. Lots of space and pockets, as I was able to fit a heavy charger, laptop, a few notebooks, and headphones. I thought this bag was incredible UNTIL IT WASN'T. Look closely on most TNF Packs and observe the shoulder strap attachment. Now personally, I could not understand why there is a portion that is put in-between the bag and the strap, but the nylon material was very weak when carrying my daily items. Mind you, other bags did not have an issue with this weight, and rather could hold more. My previous TNF bag could hold such weight. This nylon material that mediates between the strap and the bag tore on me just after one week of use. Shortly after I was left with a weaker backpack and had to turn it into warranty (TBD for results). Due to my personal experience with this bag, I would recommend staying away from TNF bags with this particular shoulder strap design, as it appears for me, they cant seem to handle a decent weight. I would recommend other TNF bags with shoulder straps which are directly attached to the bag itself, to as they tend to be a more sturdy design. If you have a very light daily carry, I would love to recommend this bag, but again its a larger bag meant for more carry, so it can be difficult to justify this purchase.

I have an older Surge from 2018. I recommended it for my girlfriend and tested it for her needs. We got the newer version and it is very small compared. Same items don't fit. Did liter get smaller?

I got this backpack for college. It was more expensive compared to other bags, so I was expecting it to be high quality. Unfortunately the shoulder straps are nearly broken after only 2 years of use.

I bought this to replace a North Face Overhaul 40 backpack that I've had for about ten years. It was great, but the lining had started to disintegrate with age and I found that my stuff always had little black flakes all over it. This bag is a major step backward from the Overhaul 40. First of all, it's just as large physically, but somehow it holds 10 L less (the Overhaul 40 was rated at 41 litres, this one is rated at 31 liters). How does that work? Secondly, the pockets are nowhere near as convenient the Overhaul 40 had a few pockets inside of the main compartment which were very useful, and now they're just gone, replaced by a completely open space. So much for being able to organize anything. This one has more outside pockets, but I don't always want to put everything (especially medications, etc.) in outside pockets. The Overhaul had a convenient, flap-covered pocket in the top specifically for sunglasses, that is lost here. It also had a small, semi-hidden pocket in one side that was good for stashing things that you want to keep out of view (cash, etc.) but want to have easily accessible. Again, that's gone in this one. What we get with this one instead is a stiff back (it feels like maybe there's a stiff sheet of plastic in there?) which might or might not be helpful in carrying it but is almost definitely adding weight. And some oddly placed, not particularly convenient or usable pockets on the back. Finally, while the interior dividers are rather bulky, the outside fabric feels thinner and flimsier I hope it will hold up over time, but I've got my doubts. Honestly, I'm not very happy. But I need something for some upcoming travel, and this is the best I've found. So I'll live with it. But North Face really needs to rethink their design and bring back the Overhaul 40. Newer isn't always better, and in this case it's definitely not.

I bought this to replace a North Face Overhaul 40 that I've had for about ten years. This is a big step backward in design. And somehow it holds 10 L less, even though it's just as big?

The flex back support system seem to put a lot of pressure on the laptop. I wonder how safe that is. Also even though this is marketed to hold a laptop and tablet at the same time, support advised me not to put my iPad and laptop in at the same time. So where am I supposed to put my iPad? Also, when resting on my lap (like on a train) it hurts if the laptop is inside because there is no padding at the bottom. So it's uncomfortable.