The North Face Router vs. Briggs & Riley Cargo Backpack

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 RouterFeatureBriggs & Riley Cargo Backpack
Storage
N Compression N
None Expanded Capacity None
4 Opening 4
N Passport N
N Passthrough N
Carry
Y Backpack Y
Y Hip Belt Y
Y Sternum Strap Y
Inside
15in Laptop 17in
2 Main Compartments 2
Y Organizer N
Outside
× Hard Shell ×
N Rain-fly N
2 Water Bottle Holder 1
Y Water Resistant Y
Material
500D Nylon Oxford Slub, 420 D Nylon, 210D Cordura® Nylon Ripstop800D ballistic nylon

Briggs & Riley Cargo Backpack

Front facing view of the Briggs & Riley Cargo Backpack
Capacity24 L
Weight0.9 kg
Dimensions45.7×30.5×22.4 cm
Airline fit74%
Price$239

Key differences between the The North Face Router and Briggs & Riley Cargo Backpack

Both have: backpack straps, hip belt, sternum strap, 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 133 accept only the Briggs & Riley Cargo Backpack.

Only the Briggs & Riley Cargo Backpack fits

Aegean Airlines, Aer Lingus, Aeroflot, Aerolineas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air Asia, Air Astana, Air Canada, Air Caraibes, Air Europa, Air France, Air India, Air Koryo, Air Macau, Air Mauritius, Air Nostrum, Air Tahiti Nui, Air Wisconsin, AirAsiaX, Alaska Airlines, All Nipon Airways, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, ANA, Atlas Global, Austrian, Avianca , Azerbaijan Airlines, Azul Linhas, Bahamasair, Bangkok Airways, Biman Bangladesh, Boliviana de Aviacion, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Cambodia Angkor Air, Caribbean Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Cayman Airways, Cebu Pacific, China Airlines, China Southern, CommutAir, Conviasa, Copa Airlines, Croatia Air, Cubana de Aviacion, Czech Airlines, Delta Airlines, Dragonair, EL AL, Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, Eurowings, EVA Air, Fiji Airways, Finnair, Flair Air, Frontier Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Gol Linhas Aereas, Hainan Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Iberia, Indigo, Interjet, Iran Air, Iran Aseman Air, Japan Airlines, Jet Airways, Jet2, jetBlue Airways, Jetstar Airways, Jetstar Asia, Kenya Airways, KLM, Korean Air, Kulula, Kuwait Air, LATAM , LOT Polish, Lufthansa, Mahan Air, Malaysia Airlines, Mango, Mesa Airlines, Middle East Airlines, Monarch Airlines, Norwegian, Oman Air, Onur Air, Peach, PenAir, Philippine Airlines, Porter Airlines, Qantas Airways, Qatar Airways, Ravn Alaska, Regional Express, Republic Airways, Royal Air Morocco, Royal Jordanian, SAS Scandinavian, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Scoot, Sichuan Airlines, SilkAir, Silver Airways, Singapore Airlines, Sky Airlines, Skywest, Inc., South African Airways, Southwest Airlines, SpiceJet, Spirit Airlines, SriLankan Airlines, Swiss Int'l Air Lines, TAAG Angola, TAM Airlines, Thai Airways, Tiger Airways, Trans States, Travel Service Airlines, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, Ural Airlines, Uzbekistan Air, Vietnam Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia, WestJet, WOW Airlines.

The North Face Router vs. Briggs & Riley Cargo Backpack: which should you pack?

The The North Face Router carries 16L more than the Briggs & Riley Cargo Backpack (40L vs. 24L), while the Briggs & Riley Cargo Backpack is the lighter pack at 0.9kg (vs. 1.5kg). For carry-on flexibility, the Briggs & Riley Cargo Backpack fits 74% 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 Briggs & Riley Cargo Backpack is the better call.