My new North Face Surge backpack

The North Face Surge backpack 2016 (EU version)

I've now purchased a new North Face backpack to replace my aging 'fake' Hotshot. I finally decided I wanted the genuine thing. In doing my research I discovered that my old Hotshot backpack was in fact the women's version. One of the makers labels inside had 'ladies' printed on it. That's one thing to be aware of that TNF produce variations for men and women. It can be hard to distinguish which is the men's and women's version but I believe the women's versions have more padding on the shoulder straps for example. Check the labels carefully to be sure though.

My criteria was a 30 litre capacity backpack to use for commuting, day trips and holidays abroad. I usually take my ipad so needed a good pocket for that.

Initially I thought it was a case of replacing one Hotshot backpack with another, but I was wrong. Having looked more closely it became apparent that the current TNF Hotshot backpack has none of the features I liked with my fake version. It was the Surge backpack that had most, but not all of the features I enjoyed with my Hotshot.

I was a little confused when I came across the Router backpack is it looked identical to the Surge. However, it turns out that the Router is a larger version of the Surge and only appears on the EU version of the website and not the UK version. I've seen several Youtube reviews of the Surge backpack, mostly from the USA. The USA version is different as TNF produce variations for different markets. Some videos referred to a Surge and Surge II backpack which was a bit confusing. I was surprised to find lots of comments about these being used as school backpacks. I certainly never had anything that good when I was at school!

Unfortunately I couldn't find any retailers in my locality who stocked the Surge backpack so I started looking online. This meant I was relying on information I could find online to ensure it was the right bag for me.  Finding online suppliers for the Surge backpack was harder than I anticipated. In the end I made the purchase from the official North Face website (EU). The full price was €120 but registering beforehand with their website gives a €10 discount. This includes postage and free returns. It's not often I end up paying top wack, but decided it was worth it in this case. At least I can be sure it's 100% genuine. I checked on eBay UK and found plenty of sellers with Surge backpacks for around £80. But why take the risk for the sake of £20?

Features

The North Face Surge backpack 2016

The Surge backpack has less options for attaching additional items than my old Hotshot. The Hotshot had daisy chain loops, D clips on the straps and two straps underneath which could be used for securing a rolled up fleece. Not to mention a handy mobile phone pocket on one of the shoulder straps. The Surge is limited to just use of the side compression straps for attaching things.

The Surge has two three external pockets on the outside. I would be reluctant to put anything of value in the lower two if I was in a populated urban environment (e.g. tube or metro). I imagine it would be easy for a pickpocket to pull down the zip and gain entry before you realised what had happened. Some of the pockets are fleece lined which is a nice touch but very difficult to clean  if you had a liquid spillage or leaking sticky sweets! The foam padding and fleece lining no doubt contribute to the 1460g weight. The top external fleece lined pocket would be ideal for sunglasses for example. I like the fact that there's a separate fleece lined pocket for a laptop or tablet which makes it more convenient for gaining access at airports.

The Surge has retained two water bottle pockets which I've always found very useful to have. I found the mesh style water bottle pockets on my old backpack handy for other things such as damp gloves, which had a better chance of drying in a well  ventilated pocket. 

Other features with my old Hotshot backpack I liked were the large additional reflector on the back and stowaway padded waist strap.The Surge has just four discreet reflectors, one of which is the bicycle loop.

The Flex-vent padding on the back is a big improvement. I found the padding on my old backpack comfortable but it would sometimes give me a sweaty back. It also has a more rigid frame. 

The side compression straps are diagonal rather than horizontal on my old backpack.

I'm pleased to find the backpack still had the clip for keys inside one of the small pockets.

Height adjustable chest straps

Surge has an additional strap which can be secured across the chest as with my Hotshot. Initially it seemed too high until I realised it was height adjustable.

The Surge backpack is clearly a very well made product. However, I'm still impressed with the standard of my old fake Hotshot backpack. In fact, I could easily believe it was genuine if I hadn't bought it myself from a market in Bangkok for £14! Despite this, I would still urge anyone to buy the genuine product.

It can be hard to find a product which suites several different purposes but this is certainly ideal for my needs and worth the money.

I've also produced my own short video reviewing the backpack here:

April 2018 Update

Having enjoyed my TNF Surge backpack for the best part of 2 years It has now been returned under the lifetime warranty.

In recent months I noticed that some stitching was coming loose on one of the inside mesh pockets. On closer inspection I thought it could be a manufacturing fault. I sent details to TNF and they were willing to take it back. I would have taken a replacement but it seems their system is designed to provide a refund.

So my TNF backpack experience ended on a rather sour note. After exchanging several emails and being passed around a bit, they did accept it as a return under their warranty terms. I found an old box to package it in and TNF provided details of the carrier to collect it.


It's a disappointing conclusion but I decided to take the opportunity to purchase something else.  There didn't seem to be many similar backpacks around 30 litres or more. I settled for a Fjällräven 28 which was about the same price. At first I was worried it would be too small at 28 litres but it doesn't feel much smaller than the Surge. The big plus is that it's much lighter than the Surge. I like the fact that it's more simplistic but very functional and well made. It has less pockets and padding than the Surge but certainly sufficient for my needs. I would describe the Surge as more 'technical' - lots of excellent padding, waist belt, straps etc. The surge padding would make it better if you were using it with just a T-shirt whilst cycling or hiking for example. However, for everyday city use and short breaks I find the  Fjällräven 28 to be an excellent alternative.