The North Face Surge vs. Jansport Odyssey

Two carry-on travel backpacks, compared spec for spec.

The North Face Surge

Front facing view of the The North Face Surge
Capacity31 L
Weight1.3 kg
Dimensions51×31×18 cm
Airline fit89%
Price$140

Feature by feature

The North Face SurgeFeatureJansport Odyssey
Storage
2 Compression 2
None Expanded Capacity None
0 Opening 4
front Passport top
N Passthrough N
Carry
Y Backpack Y
removable Hip Belt hideable
Y Sternum Strap Y
Inside
15in Laptop 15in
3 Main Compartments 5
Y Organizer Y
Outside
× Hard Shell ×
N Rain-fly N
2, side Water Bottle Holder 2, side
Y Water Resistant Y
Material
210D recycled nylon ripstop with non-PFC durable water-repellent (non-PFC DWR) finish420 Polyester Dobby, 210 Nylon Point Dobby, 840 Junior Ballistic Nylon

Jansport Odyssey

Front facing view of the Jansport Odyssey
Capacity39 L
Weight1.3 kg
Dimensions50×35×31 cm
Airline fit2%
Price$100

Key differences between the The North Face Surge and Jansport Odyssey

Both have: compression straps, backpack straps, sternum strap, laptop sleeve, built-in organizer, water bottle pockets, water resistant.

Which airlines take each bag as a carry-on

We checked both bags against the carry-on size limits of 189 airlines. 4 accept both. 165 accept only the The North Face Surge, and 0 accept only the Jansport Odyssey.

Only the The North Face Surge fits

Aegean Airlines, Aer Lingus, Aeroflot, Aerolineas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air Asia, Air Astana, Air Baltic, Air Canada, Air Caraibes, Air China, Air Europa, Air France, Air India, Air Koryo, Air Macau, Air Malta, Air Mauritius, Air Nostrum, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Air Tahiti Nui, Air Wisconsin, AirAsiaX, Alaska Airlines, All Nipon Airways, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, ANA, Asiana Airlines, ATA Airlines, Atlas Global, Austrian, Avianca , Azerbaijan Airlines, Azul Linhas, Bahamasair, Bangkok Airways, Biman Bangladesh, Blue Air, Boliviana de Aviacion, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Bulgaria Air, Cambodia Angkor Air, Caribbean Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Cayman Airways, Cebu Pacific, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, CommutAir, Conviasa, Copa Airlines, Croatia Air, Cubana de Aviacion, Czech Airlines, Delta Airlines, Dragonair, EL AL, Emirates Airlines, Enter Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Eurowings, EVA Air, Fiji Airways, Finnair, Flair Air, flybe, Frontier Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Gol Linhas Aereas, Hainan Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Iberia, Icelandair, Indigo, InselAir, Interjet, Iran Air, Iran Aseman Air, Island Air, Japan Airlines, Jet Airways, Jet2, jetBlue Airways, Jetstar Airways, Jetstar Asia, Juneyao Airlines, Kenya Airways, KLM, Korean Air, Kulula, Kuwait Air, LATAM , Liat Airlines, LOT Polish, Lufthansa, Luxair, Mahan Air, Malaysia Airlines, Mango, Meridiana Fly, Mesa Airlines, Middle East Airlines, Monarch Airlines, Nordwind Airlines, Norwegian, Oman Air, Onur Air, Pakistan International, Peach, PenAir, Philippine Airlines, Porter Airlines, Qantas Airways, Republic Airways, Royal Air Morocco, Royal Brunei Airlines, Royal Jordanian, Ryanair, S7, SAS Scandinavian, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Scoot, Shandong Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, SilkAir, Silver Airways, Singapore Airlines, Sky Airlines, Skywest, Inc., South African Airways, Southwest Airlines, SpiceJet, Spirit Airlines, SriLankan Airlines, Sun Country, Sun Express, Swiss Int'l Air Lines, TAAG Angola, TAM Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, TAROM, Thai Airways, Tianjin Airlines (A320 & E190), Tiger Airways, Trans States, Travel Service Airlines, TUI, Turkish Airlines, Ukraine International, United Airlines, Ural Airlines, Uzbekistan Air, Vietnam Airlines, VIM Airlines (Closed), Virgin Atlantic, Volotea, WestJet, WOW Airlines, Xiamen.

The North Face Surge vs. Jansport Odyssey: which should you pack?

The Jansport Odyssey carries 8L more than the The North Face Surge (31L vs. 39L), while the The North Face Surge is the lighter pack at 1.3kg (vs. 1.3kg). For carry-on flexibility, the The North Face Surge fits 89% of the airlines we track — the higher of the two. If you prioritise packing volume, choose the Jansport Odyssey; if you want to travel lighter, the The North Face Surge is the better call.