North Face Borealis Backpack Review

The Borealis is North Face's flagship everyday daypack — the step up from the cheaper Jester, and the one you see on half the commuters and students in any city. It's a 28-litre pack aimed squarely at carrying a laptop plus the daily bits: charger, notebook, lunch, a layer, gym kit.

The current version has an updated FlexVent back system and a bit more front stretch storage than older models. It's not trying to be a trekking pack or a travel bag — it's trying to be the one bag you grab every morning for years, and on that brief it's very good.

This is the Borealis's headline feature and the main reason to pay North Face money. FlexVent means injection-moulded, ventilated shoulder straps and a rounded, mesh-covered back panel that keeps air moving so your back doesn't turn into a sweat patch on a warm walk or a run for the bus.

Loaded up with a laptop, charger and a water bottle, the weight sits close to your back and stays stable rather than sagging. There's an adjustable sternum strap and a removable waist belt for when you're carrying more or walking further. It's genuinely comfortable in a way cheaper daypacks aren't — this is where the money goes.

There are effectively three zones. The large main compartment has an internal organiser sleeve and swallows a surprising amount for 28 litres. Against your back sits a separate, padded laptop compartment with a fleece-lined 'false bottom' so your laptop sits a couple of inches off the deck if you drop the bag.

Up front is a cluster of pockets — a fleece-lined one for your phone or sunglasses, a larger slip pocket for a tablet or notebook, and smaller organiser slots. Two external bottle pockets (one lets you grab your phone without taking the bag off) and a front elastic bungee for stuffing a jacket round it off. It's sensible, real-world organisation rather than gimmicks.

North Face build quality is the other reason people buy this pack — the fabric is tough, partly recycled, and shrugs off years of daily abuse. The face fabric is water-repellent, so a shower or a spilled drink beads off.

The caveat: water-repellent is not waterproof, and there's no rain cover included. In a proper downpour, water can creep in through the zips despite the storm flaps — so it's fine for a commute, but you wouldn't trust it to keep a laptop bone-dry in a monsoon without a separate cover or dry bag.

A few honest gripes. The zips can be stiff out of the box and take a while to loosen up. The laptop compartment only unzips about halfway, which makes sliding a bigger 15.6-inch laptop in and out slightly fiddly, and there's no top strap to hold the laptop in place.

The bigger point is what it isn't: at 28 litres with a front-loading design and no real hip-belt support for heavy loads, it is not a travel or trekking pack. It won't carry a week's clothes comfortably, and it doesn't open flat like a suitcase. Buy it knowing it's a daypack and you'll love it; buy it as a round-the-world bag and you'll be disappointed.

North Face makes three similar-looking packs and it's easy to get confused. The Borealis (this one, ~£110) is the flagship: separate laptop compartment, fleece-lined pockets, removable waist belt, the best materials.

The Jester (cheaper) drops the dedicated laptop compartment — the sleeve sits inside the main compartment — and simplifies the pockets; fine if you don't carry a laptop daily. The Borealis Classic (from around £69) is a lower-priced version of this pack with its own overhauled suspension and the front bungee — the value pick if you want the Borealis shape for less and can live with slightly simpler materials.

As a second bag, absolutely — it's an excellent 'personal item' daypack to carry your valuables, laptop and day kit while a bigger pack or case holds your clothes. It fits under an aeroplane seat and is perfect for day trips once you've dumped your main bag at the hostel.

As your only travel bag for a longer trip, no. For that you want a 40–45-litre carry-on backpacking pack that opens flat like a suitcase, with a proper hip belt — a different category entirely. Don't try to make the Borealis be that bag.

Buy it if you want one durable, comfortable daypack for commuting, uni or the office that carries a laptop well and can handle the occasional day hike or weekend away — and you're happy to pay a bit more for North Face comfort and longevity.

Skip it if you're after a bag to actually travel the world with, or if you don't carry a laptop and just want something cheap — in which case the Jester or a budget daypack will do the job for less.

RRP is around £110 on North Face directly, but it's very widely stocked — JD Sports, Blacks, and the usual outdoor retailers regularly have it for £90–£105 and colours go on sale often, so it's worth shopping around before paying full price. Given how many years of daily use you'll get out of one, it's reasonable value even at RRP.