The North Face Router vs. Osprey Quasar 28L

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

The North Face Router

Front facing view of the The North Face Router
Capacity40 L
Weight1.5 kg
Dimensions54×35.6×26.7 cm
Airline fit3%
Price$149

Feature by feature

The North Face RouterFeatureOsprey Quasar 28L
Storage
N Compression Y
None Expanded Capacity None
4 Opening 0
N Passport N
N Passthrough N
Carry
Y Backpack Y
Y Hip Belt Y
Y Sternum Strap Y
Inside
15in Laptop 15in
2 Main Compartments 2
Y Organizer N
Outside
× Hard Shell ×
N Rain-fly N
2 Water Bottle Holder 2
Y Water Resistant Y
Material
500D Nylon Oxford Slub, 420 D Nylon, 210D Cordura® Nylon Ripstop210/420/630D Nylon Dobby Blend

Osprey Quasar 28L

Front facing view of the Osprey Quasar 28L
Capacity28 L
Weight0.8 kg
Dimensions34×28×6 cm
Airline fit99%
Price$149

Key differences between the The North Face Router and Osprey Quasar 28L

Both have: backpack straps, hip belt, sternum strap, laptop sleeve, 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. 6 accept both. 0 accept only the The North Face Router, and 181 accept only the Osprey Quasar 28L.

Only the Osprey Quasar 28L 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 Niugini, Air Nostrum, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Air Tahiti, Air Tahiti Nui, Air Wisconsin, AirAsiaX, Alaska Airlines, All Nipon Airways, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, American Eagle, ANA, Asiana Airlines, ATA Airlines, Atlas Global, Austrian, Avianca , Azerbaijan Airlines, Azul Linhas, Bahamasair, Bangkok Airways, Belavia, 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, easyJet, EL AL, Emirates Airlines, Enter Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, Eurowings, EVA Air, Fiji Airways, Finnair, Flair Air, flybe, Frontier Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Gol Linhas Aereas, Great Lakes Airlines, Gulf Air, Hainan Airlines, 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, Korean Air, Kulula, Kuwait Air, LATAM , LC Perú, Liat Airlines, Lion Air Group, 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, Qatar Airways, Ravn Alaska, Regional Express, 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, Spring Airlines, SriLankan Airlines, 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, Virgin Australia, VivaColombia, Volaris, Volotea, WestJet, Wizz Air, WOW Airlines, Xiamen.

The North Face Router vs. Osprey Quasar 28L: which should you pack?

The The North Face Router carries 12L more than the Osprey Quasar 28L (40L vs. 28L), while the Osprey Quasar 28L is the lighter pack at 0.8kg (vs. 1.5kg). For carry-on flexibility, the Osprey Quasar 28L fits 99% of the airlines we track — the higher of the two. If you prioritise packing volume, choose the The North Face Router; if you want to travel lighter, the Osprey Quasar 28L is the better call.