REI Co-op Diamond Pin vs The North Face Surge Backpack

Lightest of them all, but BULKY! It absolutly need to be out of your backpack, bike saddles and maybe your car too. I dont have a problem having it outside of my pack, but if its raining it wont fit under my pack's rain cover. Comfort is an issue for some people, I find it OK for me as I mainly sleep on my back. Dont even consider it if you're a side sleeper, unless you use it as a base mattress for winter camping with another inflatable one (like the Xterm)

The grab handle on this back is excellent. Great grab one and even for my big meat mitts. I got really big hands so this grab handle is comfortable. I...

I like the longer tree straps that Eno makes as well, even though they add a little weight, they are longer, more versatile, stronger, and easier to set up by yourself, especially using screw gate carabiners, which are a must!

Yeah, it's definitely not like super comfortable, which is funny for a backpack to not be super comfortable on the straps. Yeah, that's true, it's not...

Using paracord/550 cord, or line of your choosing, the tarp can be quickly setup to provide instant shelter for a quick lunch on the trail. I did bring 4 titanium 'tent' stakes, which aided in the setup anywhere aspect of the hammock/tarp. These coupled with my trekking poles also allowed me to set this system up on the ground as a tent-like system. I found the quality to be excellent, the weight perfect for a solo hiker, and the ease of setup commendable

I'm really looking forward to getting it on the trails and testing it in that domain. Let's just be upfront and honest about TNF warranty, bar none the best. When you buy the product, you are also buying a guarantee from them and they stand behind that. That's worth the cost to me

I find the pad too narrow as my arms over and over again fall outside the pad at night and I wake up because the cold under my arms. If it would come in a wider version – wow! Then this would be the absolutely best sleeping pad ever invented as it has perfect stiffness, especially compared to other similar mattresses on the market (says me who doesn't like inflatable mattresses). Please make a wider version!!

I normally keep the face mask and some hand sanitizer in here so this pocket is actually really good for like holding food and stuff. I normally put a...

The Z is perfect for additional insulation on ice or snow. It is light and warm for warmer temps too.

One handed operation of the zippers is very poor and this is my biggest gripe about the pack. While traveling it would be helpful to be able to open/close pockets without using both hands. There are ways to manipulate, jerk and pull the zippers using one hand, but since the zippers flex and bend so much, they usually hit a stop. - The Surge II falls over: Touted as a new design feature, this bag will stand on its own ONLY if it is packed out to near full capacity