The North Face Surge vs. Osprey Proxima 30

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 SurgeFeatureOsprey Proxima 30
Storage
2 Compression 4
None Expanded Capacity None
0 Opening 0
front Passport front
N Passthrough N
Carry
Y Backpack Y
removable Hip Belt N
Y Sternum Strap Y
Inside
15in Laptop 16in
3 Main Compartments 1
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) finishbluesign® APPROVED 300D X 450D recycled polyester, PFC/PFAS-free DWR

Osprey Proxima 30

Capacity30 L
Weight0.9 kg
Dimensions48×33×27 cm
Airline fit14%
Price$100

Key differences between the The North Face Surge and Osprey Proxima 30

Both have: passport pocket, backpack straps, sternum strap, 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. 27 accept both. 142 accept only the The North Face Surge, and 0 accept only the Osprey Proxima 30.

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 France, Air India, Air Macau, Air Malta, Air Mauritius, Air Nostrum, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Air Wisconsin, AirAsiaX, Alaska Airlines, All Nipon Airways, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, ANA, Asiana Airlines, ATA Airlines, Atlas Global, Austrian, Avianca , Azerbaijan Airlines, Bahamasair, Bangkok Airways, Biman Bangladesh, Blue Air, Boliviana de Aviacion, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Bulgaria Air, Cambodia Angkor Air, Cathay Pacific, Cayman Airways, Cebu Pacific, China Airlines, China Eastern, CommutAir, Conviasa, Copa Airlines, 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, Hawaiian Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Iberia, Icelandair, Indigo, InselAir, Interjet, Iran Air, Iran Aseman Air, Japan Airlines, Jet Airways, Jet2, jetBlue Airways, Jetstar Airways, Jetstar Asia, Juneyao Airlines, Kenya Airways, KLM, 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, Porter Airlines, Qantas Airways, Republic Airways, Royal Brunei Airlines, Royal Jordanian, Ryanair, S7, SAS Scandinavian, Scoot, Shandong Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Sky Airlines, Skywest, Inc., South African Airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, SriLankan Airlines, Sun Express, Swiss Int'l Air Lines, TAP Air Portugal, TAROM, Thai Airways, Tianjin Airlines (A320 & E190), Tiger Airways, Trans States, Travel Service Airlines, TUI, Turkish Airlines, Ukraine International, United Airlines, Uzbekistan Air, Vietnam Airlines, VIM Airlines (Closed), Virgin Atlantic, Volotea, WestJet, WOW Airlines, Xiamen.

The North Face Surge vs. Osprey Proxima 30: which should you pack?

The The North Face Surge carries 1L more than the Osprey Proxima 30 (31L vs. 30L), while the Osprey Proxima 30 is the lighter pack at 0.9kg (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 The North Face Surge; if you want to travel lighter, the Osprey Proxima 30 is the better call.