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The North Face’s Classic EDC Backpack Is Now Fully Trail-Ready

The new Borealis Trail takes the DNA of The North Face’s most popular backpack and retools it for outdoor-focused day trips.

Black The North Face Borealis backpack with multiple compartments and adjustable straps, worn by a person in a white jacket against a teal background.The North Face

By Ben Bowers

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The North Face has introduced a trail-ready evolution of one of its most iconic everyday packs.

The new Borealis Trail Backpack retains much of the original Borealis DNA, while introducing several thoughtful updates tailored to hiking and outdoor pursuits.

It also arrives on the heels of the Borealis’s 25th anniversary, underscoring how enduring the original design has been since its launch in 1998.

Trail-focused tweaks

Light gray and dark gray backpack with black elastic cords on the front, worn by a person in a navy blue checkered shirt and navy blue knit beanie. The backpack has "The North Face" logo and "Borealis Trail" text on it.
The new Borealis Trail rethinks and optimizes the original Borealis design for outdoor-centric day trips.
The North Face

At first glance, the Borealis Trail looks like a close relative of the classic Borealis, but subtle changes make it more trail-focused and functionally distinct.

Black The North Face Borealis backpack with trekking poles attached to the front using elastic cords, featuring padded shoulder straps and a top handle.
The most noticeable change from the classic Borealis is a revised front bungee and pocket system that are clearly optimized for stashing and accessing more unwieldy gear.
The North Face

The most noticeable upgrade is a revised front bungee system that now uses dual webbing loops, giving the pack more versatility for securing jackets, trekking poles, or other quick-grab gear.

Between this system sits a vertical secure-zip pocket positioned at the center front of the bag. The revised pocket design makes it easier to stash and reach bigger items. And when paired with the enlarged rear compartment with a sweeping clamshell zipper, the backpack’s geometry is clearly better optimized overall for lugging bulky or unwieldy loads.

Close-up of a light gray fabric surface featuring a zipper with a black plastic pull tab attached to a braided cord. Next to the zipper is the logo of The North Face in dark gray. The fabric appears durable and textured, likely part of a backpack or outdoor gear.The North Face

The central compartment’s inner sleeve has also been reconfigured to fit either up to a 16″ laptop or a hydration bladder, while revised shoulder straps make routing hydration-hose easy and clean.

A slew of new external details also add more versatility for attaching extra gear. This includes a pair of tool loops and a set of revised side water bottle pockets that extend higher to hold bottles more securely when you’re in motion.

Yellow and black North Face backpack with padded shoulder straps, a chest strap, and a blue hydration tube attached to the left shoulder strap.
The central compartment’s inner sleeve can hold a hydration bladder or a 16″ laptop. Revised shoulder straps make routing the hydration hose easy.
The North Face

There’s also a smaller pocket integrated into the front straps, which keeps a smartphone easily within reach without needing to take the pack off.

In terms of size, the Borealis Trail measures 18.9 by 12.4 by 7.09 inches, making it slightly shorter, wider, and thicker than the original Borealis’s 19 by 12 by 6.5-inch frame. The volume remains the same, but the Trail’s proportions clearly favor outdoor usability.

More versatile than the original?

Teal and black backpack with padded shoulder straps, partially open to reveal a laptop, a spiral notebook, a rolled beige blanket, and a rolled gray knit item inside. A white water bottle with a silver cap is in the side mesh pocket. The interior lining of the backpack is gray.
The main compromise comes in the loss of the second front pocket with its array of organizational slots, something that urban users may miss for corralling small essentials like pens, keys, or chargers.
The North Face

The standard Borealis has always been embraced by commuters, students, and travelers, though it has also proved to be a capable dayhike pack in a pinch.

The new Trail version, is intentionally less dual-purpose, but still has most of the features you’d want from an EDC pack.

A person wearing a light-colored jacket and a floral-patterned cap is placing a smartphone into a zippered mesh pocket on the shoulder strap of a black The North Face backpack. The backpack strap features the brand's logo.
A small pocket for EDC items on the left strap might be the most convenient feature of the Borealis Trail.
The North Face

The main compromise comes in the loss of the second front pocket with its array of organizational slots, something that urban users may miss for corralling small essentials like pens, keys, or chargers. Yet in the age of Gorp-core, where technical gear feels at home on city streets, the Borealis Trail arguably looks more at home in city environments than the original did over a quarter century ago.

Pricing and availability

Green backpack with padded black back panel and adjustable shoulder straps featuring small zippered pockets and reflective strips, along with chest and waist buckles for support.
The Borealis Trail retails for $30 more than the classic Borealis pack.
The North Face

The Borealis Trail Backpack is available now in multiple colorways directly from The North Face and through outdoor retailers like REI.

Priced at $129, it sits about $30 above the original Borealis, giving buyers a clear choice between a commuter classic and a trail-tuned update.

For those looking for a weekend escape backpack that can still handle weekday commutes, the Borealis Trail makes an interesting case.

About the Author: Ben Bowers is the Co-Founder and Chief Content Officer of Gear Patrol. Throughout his tenure in media, Ben has written and reported on everything from consumer tech to whiskey, watches, cars, camping, and personal style. These days, he gets to write less than he’d like to.

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