The North Face

Surge 31L Backpack

The North Face Surge Backpack

Absolutely love my new Surge backpack from The North Face! Super spacious, durable, and perfect for work, travel, or hikes. The laptop sleeve and organization pockets are a game-changer.

Surge Backpack 2025

I use the backpack daily for work. I have own several north face surge backpack. The 2025 I'm highly disappointed. I have to struggle to get 32 oz water bottle in the side pockets. They do not stretch like the previous years edition. The inside are much smaller. The same items I had in my 2020 surge edition does not fit into this 2025. north face please go back to the old formula. I should not have to struggle to get my water bottle in my side pocket because it does not stretch. after I put a 1 inch binder, laptop, chargers and pen in my backpack it's full. my previous backpack held binders, laptop, sweatshirts, scrubs, pens and chargers and had room left over.

All around great, very versatile

Size Bought:

31L

Great Bag all around. Spacious for hiking as well as taking a lap top into the office. It’s a great bag all around and the style works in the mountains as well as corporate.

It held up a few months but straps are ripping

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.

Best school backpack I've used!!

I've been using this Surge backpack since 2019 and it has been great! I've heard my family's thoughts on the newer model of the same backpack and they are not as impressed. The straps are more prone to breaking and the seams have started tearing pretty early in the life of their backpack. This being said, my older model has been so great! It's gone through years of hauling notebooks, folders, textbooks, water bottles, and clothes for practice after school. One of the shoulder straps did begin to tear last year (2024) slightly but a quick stitch-job has got it back to working order. I would definitely buy a North Face backpack again!

Does not stand unsupported

I bought the Surge since North Face describes its "ability to stand unsupported". It does not. The backpack keeps falling. This is a deal breaker for me. I was looking for a backpack that can stand and wouldn't have bought the Surge if I had known that I will have to find a chair or a wall for it every time.

Timber Tan color way does NOT look like picture

Bottom and water bottle pockets do not match the tan/yellow of the nylon and is a really ugly brown color. Material feels very thin and zippers for smaller pockets are not good quality.

DID NOT PROTECT MY MACBOOK AIR AT ALL

My North Face Surge BackPack DID NOT PROTECT my MacBook Air AT ALL. The bag slipped from my hand from waist height onto the street, and, I fully expected it to have protected my laptop but it didn't. One of the corners of my laptop is completely ruined and I was lucky that the screen has remained intact. I bought this bag specifically because it supposedly offered a suspended compartment for the laptop and, up top it gives you the false sense of protection since it is heavily cushioned. But, on the bottom, where it matters most, it's thin/no cushion AND the edges of the laptop compartment are perforated (not sewn together). This unprotected bottom corner of the laptop compartment has caused my laptop's edge to hit the ground and absorb the impact, smashing its aluminum body! I am really disappointed in North Face for having cut corners on such an expensive bag, since it has ruined the aesthetics of my machine and caused it to loose resale value.

Great comfortable backpack!

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

I would buy this backpack again and again.

I use this book bag for work. I love that it has many compartments and I am able to keep everything organized. I also like that my water bottle fits nicely. The pouch for my computer is adequately padded to keep my laptop safe.