The North Face Overhaul 40 Daypack

Comments about The North Face Overhaul 40 Laptop Pack:

Use for commuting to college. Holds books, change of clothes easily. Lots of space. Don't recommend using for hiking/camping. Could use compression straps but wouldn't change anything else.

Comments about The North Face Overhaul 40 Laptop Pack:

I use this bag for work and I couldn't be more satisfied. High quality, perfect capacity size, durable, it has everything.

Comments about The North Face Overhaul 40 Laptop Pack:

The North Face Overhaul 40 Laptop Pack is the finest commuter-style backpack I have owned. I live out of my backpack and carry lots of gear so that I can be prepared for any eventuality. This pack has it all. A very large main compartment, with an ingenious inner pouch accessed via the bottom. It has many smaller pockets with lots of storage spaces and nooks and crannies. The quality of the zippers is better than I've ever seen before, and the material it is made of is very tough. The pack is a heavy-duty, built-for-endurance piece of gear. I especially like that the shoulder straps and belt can be stored out-of-site when needed. To those in the other reviews who complain about it not being good for hiking, I say "This is a very specialized pack, get a hiking pack!"

Comments about The North Face Overhaul 40 Laptop Pack:

The Hallelujah chorus immediately began playing when I found this bag. I'll admit i'm some what of a pack wh*re. I've bought many, but i stopped looking after i found this one.

The first thing you'll notice is that this is a quality bag. Made very well. Great large zippers don't snag at all. Wonderful amount of padding so I feel secure that my goodies won't get damaged. The handles are very comfortable and strong.

I used this bad boy for travel as my handy air plane carry on. When you need to take a lot of stuff but want to minimize the cost of checking bags. a 40 Liter + size bag is your friend. This holds 40 liters and doesn't draw attention to itself. The hip belt can be completely hidden and tucked away. I like that it has a low profile look so flight attendants won't approach me about gate checking my bag that holds thousands of dollars of equipment. Laptop, Camcorder, digital camera, xbox, some audio hardware, etc.

On extremely small planes with 3 seats across you may have trouble with this bag but it will fit under the seat. It's just a matter if a flight attendant sees it and thinks it sticks out too far. But this bag easily fits in the overhead on the other 80% of airplanes that are in use.

Flying from Colorado to Cleveland I fit all the above mentioned electronics and their power supplies plus four or five athletic quick dry shirts, 4 or 5 pairs of boxers, some pants, and more random small things and I did NOT have to use the zipper that allows the bag to expand further. I will put this bag to good use as I fly to Sweden quite a bit. i could not be happier with this bag.

The laptop compartment is huge and well padded. The main storage compartment is very roomy and has some smaller padded compartments near the bottom of the bag. I use them for my portable external hard drives. The Secondary compartment is organized nicely with smaller netted pockets. There is a small, soft, padded pocket that is next to your back which is great for keys, money, passport, or smaller important items. The small pocket on the front top of the bag has a magnetic flap that hangs over it and a zipper under that. The laundry compartment is great, again, awesome quality zippers, fabric, and padding.

I also hike a bit but i wouldn't use this pack for back country trips. I have a Gregory Baltoro 65 that I highly recommend for hiking. You CAN absolutely use this bag for hiking, but I think there are more efficient options. This bag is a little heavy for extended hiking and the hip belt works great for traveling through an airport or going to and from work/class, but hiking 40 miles with a heavy load you would be better off with another bag that has a sturdy hip belt and erect back stays. This bag's back is padded but it has no solid interior frame. Also this bag does not have compression straps of any kind. The expandable zipper is all you have.

As long as you know what you're getting and what you plan to use it for, you'll make a good decision. This is perfect for safely and comfortably getting a large amount of my gear from point A to B :)

i wasn't crazy about the price, but you get what you pay for in this case. And I have no buyers remorse. All the other bags I could find were too far one direction:
1. great hiking pack, lots of room, but not good for holding electronic, laptop, camera gear.
2. Great pack for holding and organizing electronic gear but overall too small to fit any other travel items like clothes, etc.

As an aside, It must be an REI exclusive item or something because I stopped at a northface store and this bag wasn't even in their catalogue. I've only seen it a few other places online as well. If you're fortunate enough to live near an REI check their inventory and go check out this bag for yourself. I'm guessing not many people know about it.

Happy Browsing!

Comments about The North Face Overhaul 40 Laptop Pack:

My son carries an extremely heavy load of books plus his laptop to school daily. I have a very hard time lifting his pack. His back was alway bothering him. I tried to buy rolling backpack, rolling carts, military packs, whatever I could try to alleviate his back issues, I tried. We were going to a chioropractor for the pain. I went into REI thinking they must have something for hiking he can use. We tried several backpacks on before this one. It fits perfect! It tranfers the weight to the area above his buttocks and makes the pack "sit" on his buns. The straps hold it in place and are very sturdy. I was a bit taken back by the price, it was worth 2x what I paid. Now I have to ask my son how his back is, he is not telling me how bad his back hurts. He finally told me it's fine MOM. He doesn't realize the next step I would have taken was to buy him a car!

Comments about The North Face Overhaul 40 Laptop Pack:

I found this backpack to be very comfortable and easy to use. The only drawback was the hanging length of the adjustable straps.

Comments about The North Face Overhaul 40 Laptop Pack:

This is a good pack, that I've been using daily for classes and hiking for about 3 months, but I have some issues with it.

First the good. It's a decent pack with some really good ideas.
First, the clothes compartment on the bottom is excellent, I'm able to keep my windbreaker or any other layer I need during the day down there and I hardly notice. Great for when you need to have a change of clothes or a jacket, but don't have time to go home and get them.
The laptop compartment is well padded and the backpack as a whole is waterproof, I don't have to worry about my computer getting banged around during the day or wet when the weather changes.
The padding on the back is comfortable and allows for good air flow. The shoulder straps are nice and well padded too. The handles are also very sturdy and strong. A durable pack all around.

Now the bad.
I am a college student and I was excited when I got this backpack because I thought it would be perfect for doubling as an overnight pack for hiking and a daypack for classes. However, after 2-3 months of using the pack, I've come across some issues I have with the pack.
First is the lack of any external pockets. There is only one small pocket at the top, which is good for carrying some pencils, a very small notebook, or a headlamp at best. I haven't had much use of it because it is so small. Because of the lack of pockets on the exterior of the pack, I have to dig into one of the main compartments to find anything I am looking for.
The second issue I have with the backpack is the size. It's a large backpack, but I went on an overnight hike a few weeks ago and I was pushing its limits with just a change of clothes, a compressed air mattress, pillow, book and notebook. I then went on a hike a few days later carrying a waterbottle, Canon SLR, and a case logic camera case and had the same problem with feeling like I packed the backpack to the brim. I realized after this that this pack is not really designed for camping, but rather for business trips.
The Overhaul is also very bulky, to the extent of being awkward when maneuvering in crowed spaces. I am not sure why this is, I think it's just the way the pack is designed.
Also the water bottle holders on the side are made out of an elastic material that is good, but it makes it hard/nearly impossible to access the waterbottle without taking the whole pack off. I alos am concerned that the elastic will strech and wear out over time, as I always carry a 32 oz nalgene or something similar with me.
I also have noticed that the pack is pretty heavy. This is due to it being very well padded. As a result of this, after about an hour of walking and standing, especially with a load for an overnight hike, the shoulder straps really started to weigh down on me.
So in short, I've found the pack to be bulky, heavy, and not meant for the activites which I had hoped it would excell in.

All in all, this is a decent pack from The North Face. I would not recommend it for hiking or extended use throughout the day though. It is much better for going to a few classes, overnight business trips, or flying. Outside of that I cannot really reccommend it.

Bottom line: If you're not planning on doing anything outdoors and want a well padded, waterproof, large capacity bag, then go for it. However, if you're looking for something more technical, less bulky/heavy, with more easily accessible pockets and you have hiking and extended use in mind, your money would be better spent elsewhere.

Comments about The North Face Overhaul 40 Laptop Pack:

I find the shape of this bag a little awkward and top heavy, and it doesn't stand up easily. The lack of compression straps is really disappointing! I like the organization and number of pockets, but the rear pocket (laptop or laundry) has too much padding and makes the bag excessively bulky. I have had difficulty traveling with this since it doesn't fit easily into overhead bins on flights, even when not opened to its max capacity. Overall extremely well-made bag with quality materials and craftsmanship, but shape is a bit off.

Comments about The North Face Overhaul 40 Laptop Pack:

Terrific pack. Heavily padded with ample room for a laptop - haven't tried a 17" but looks like it would fit in the dedicated pocket with no problems. Lots of pockets and places to store odds and ends...even a nifty pocket behind the suspension and one under the magnetic flap with the North Face logo.

Suspension is very adjustable, and I like the feature that allows you to unclip the shoulder straps and tuck them behind the back padding.

Also like that it is expandable...can fit a lot in the main compartment. Squeezed three days worth of clothing, toiletries, my iPad, and a rain jacket with room to spare. Laundry section is also handy, but takes some space out of the main compartment when bulky items are stored in it.

Haven't had it in the rain, but looks like it should keep your gear dry.

Only nitpick: no compression straps. It is a huge pack. I'm 5'8" and 150 lbs...the pack looks a tad ridiculous, but I don't care. It will last a long time.

Unsure why the previous reviewer said "no waist belt" as it does and can tuck away.

Tad expensive, but it is worth it if you haul around your electronic gear and need something that is very flexible.

Comments about The North Face Overhaul 40 Laptop Pack:

We have a toddler and a baby so I was looking for a medium size back-pack with lots of pockets to use when traveling or doing daily excursions.
This back-pack works great for that use as there are a lots of different size pockets and make it easy to organize all the stuff we always carry with kids.
I was disappointed though that there is no waist strap to carry the weight on the hips a little more when the pack pack is loaded, it would be more comfortable.
The design is not made for hiking to my opinion.