Customer Reviews The North Face Surge

Nice backpack lots of compartments! Very comfortable to wear, and can hold alot. Downside is it does not stand up on its own.

The compartment layout rocks...LOOOOVE the outer pocket interiors, gray and one side, white on the other...smart! Sits comfortably on my back...just wish the hip belt was beefier and had pockets.

Not good if you need a lot of stuff. I'm a nursing student and can only fit my laptop, 2in binder, 2 subject notebook, and a few miscellaneous pens, pencils, etc. My textbooks don't fit at all.

The bag is great quality and seems to hold up very well. The only thing I wish was different is the capacity. Due to the amount of pockets and sections, it can be tricky to fit everything in it. Period!

Overall good. Water bottle pockets are too tight. I wish this was a touch bigger like the pack that replaced it. But there was only one option for 35l and not my style. Pocket layout it good though.

For school backpacks

This backpack is made very well and durable. The first time I used it, I packed it to the brim with no issues. Even when trying to zip a very full back pack, the zippers closed smoothly. There are plenty of pockets for storage and internal compartments for organization. The only complaint is that the main opening is narrow.

My 13 year old loves his new backpack. Only time will tell about the durability. Hopefully it last long then his llbean

I use this product for school. It has so many pockets, which is my favorite part. My only complaint is that the grey is a lot darker in person than online.

Sturdy and lot of pockets

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

Love the backpack!

Use it for school very good, everything fits

Great Backpack. I use it to travel and carry my computer.

I am a senior in college and just got the backpack. My favorite feature would be the waist strap! There truly is a difference with it on. I wanted something to ease the pain from my neck and shoulders and this did it. I also love how compact it is. I moved everything my old backpack to this one and it felt light because the volume was much smaller so the inertia was much less. The front pockets may be my only drawback but other than that, it's nice.

Bigger than expected