The North Face Router Backpack

Before the north face router daypack I used the north face surge (the old version) I have been a backpacker for many years and I have worked in designing combat gear for the army. This is my opinion on the router pack after a little more than a month of use.

The router backpack is nearly identical to the new surge backpack with the main difference being the increase in size, from around 30L to 40L. The materials that went into this backpack are excellent and the newer generation seems to be lighter and stronger than the previous. In particular I would like to mention the shoulder straps which are very comfortable and make bearing heavy loads (+20lbs) much more comfortable. The waist strap in my opinion is not really a useful feature, I never used it and in my old back pack the buckle caused the backpack to erode at the base.

The new top carrying strap is smaller, lighter and better located than in previous models as is the zipper design. By having a bi directional zipper that can be closed not directly at the top the bag ensures that the zipper won't open itself from the weight of the content of the bag. The bag is now equipped with a semi hard lining in the bag designed for back support. While it does do its job, this is not a hiking pack. It will no supply the support if you place heavy hard irregular shaped object close to the back of the bag. The tablet pouch is very nice, I would prefer a more elastic material that could accommodate an ipad with a case, but for me that wasn't a make or break feature anyway. What is a make or break feature however is the loss of the second side (bottle) pocket. In the older models this pocket was a dual layer fabric which could be accessed one from the top and one from the side. A beautiful innovation. The new pocket is a single and only on one side of the bag. On the other side is a pouch designed for a laptop charger or other small items. In older north face bags this was located in a zippered pocket under the bottom of the bag, thus keeping both side pockets. The side pockets are important because usually I used one for a water bottle and one for an umbrella when it was raining. If your water bottle is narrow enough you can have both on one side but this also takes away from the ability to balance the load of the bag equally across both shoulders. A good feature of the Router bag is the abundance of small zippered pockets, different from the older model but whether you like it or not is just a matter of taste. I do. A new innovation of the bag is a tapered bottom. This is designed to bring the weight closer to your back which it does well but it has a downside in that the bag can no longer be balanced standing up. Its default position is face down, which is very annoying if you want to access your things/ keep it clean

Lastly I would like to address the size of the bag a major issue. The bag is very big, but the extra size isn't necessarily an advantage for school. I needed the extra space for textbooks, but the way the bag is designed, all the extra volume comes from having a taller/deeper compartment. This means that having books lined next to each other results in the same carrying capacity with more space on the top. Placing books on top of each other like that will likely result in damaging of the books. The added depth makes the bag seem useful for trekking or as an overnight pack, but when you take into account the flimsy back panel and lack of hydration pouch, it is really only ideal for an overnight bag or for traveling. It is my opinion that you should buy this bag for that and try the surge (which is significantly cheaper) if you want to use it for school/college.