North Face Recon vs. Rab Adrift 30L Day Pack

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

North Face Recon

Front facing view of the North Face Recon
Capacity30 L
Weight1.2 kg
Dimensions49×30×19 cm
Airline fit92%
Price$110

Feature by feature

North Face ReconFeatureRab Adrift 30L Day Pack
Storage
4 Compression N
None Expanded Capacity None
0 Opening 0
front Passport N
N Passthrough N
Carry
Y Backpack Y
removable Hip Belt removable
Y Sternum Strap Y
Inside
15in Laptop 16in
3 Main Compartments 2
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) finishnylon ripstop

Rab Adrift 30L Day Pack

by Rab
Front facing view of the Rab Adrift 30L Day Pack
Capacity30 L
Weight0.7 kg
Dimensions54×31×26 cm
Airline fit17%
Price$90

Key differences between the North Face Recon and Rab Adrift 30L Day Pack

Both have: backpack straps, hip belt, 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. 32 accept both. 141 accept only the North Face Recon, and 0 accept only the Rab Adrift 30L Day Pack.

Only the North Face Recon 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 Niugini, 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, Belavia, 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, Czech Airlines, Delta Airlines, Dragonair, EL AL, Emirates Airlines, Enter Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, Eurowings, EVA Air, Fiji Airways, Finnair, Flair Air, flybe, 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, Porter Airlines, Qantas Airways, Qatar Airways, Republic Airways, Royal Brunei Airlines, Royal Jordanian, Ryanair, S7, SAS Scandinavian, Scoot, Shandong Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Sky Airlines, Skywest, Inc., South African Airways, 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.

North Face Recon vs. Rab Adrift 30L Day Pack: which should you pack?

The North Face Recon carries the same capacity as the Rab Adrift 30L Day Pack (30L vs. 30L), while the Rab Adrift 30L Day Pack is the lighter pack at 0.7kg (vs. 1.2kg). For carry-on flexibility, the North Face Recon fits 92% of the airlines we track — the higher of the two. If you prioritise packing volume, choose the North Face Recon; if you want to travel lighter, the Rab Adrift 30L Day Pack is the better call.