Brandwave

Kathmandu vs The North Face:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Kathmandu had more branded searches than The North Face among backpack brands in New Zealand. Kathmandu had about 57,600 branded searches, while The North Face had 5,660. Kathmandu made up 47.7% of all backpack brand searches we track, and The North Face accounted for 4.7%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about backpack brands, Kathmandu appeared in four of the five answers and The North Face in one. Kathmandu was mentioned before The North Face in three out of four answers that named either.

Among backpack brands in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Kathmandu, about 10 searches for every 1 for The North Face

Kathmandu 57.6K searchesThe North Face 5.7K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Kathmandu, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, The North Face in 1

Kathmandu in 4 of 5The North Face in 1 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Kathmandu, named ahead of The North Face in 3 of 4 answers

Kathmandu first in 3The North Face first in 1

Follow Kathmandu vs The North Face and get free monthly updates on what changed

By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

Track your brand against a rival →

Top backpack brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Kathmandu was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. The North Face was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Kathmandu was listed before The North Face in three out of four answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Osprey1st
  2. Macpac2nd
  3. Kathmandu3rd
  4. Deuter4th
  5. Bellroy5th
  6. The North Face6th
  7. Herschel–
  8. NOMATIC–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Kathmandu4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Macpac4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Osprey4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Deuter3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Bellroy2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • The North Face1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Herschel0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • NOMATIC0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about backpack brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 20, 2026.

Is Kathmandu or The North Face more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Kathmandu and The North Face by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight backpack brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Kathmandu and The North Face among backpack brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Kathmandu, The North Face. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthKathmanduMacpacThe North FaceBellroyOspreyHerschelDeuterNOMATIC
Oct 202544.5%46.3%3.5%3.2%1.4%0.71%0.34%0.05%
Nov 202549.1%42.2%3%3.4%1.2%0.73%0.32%0.02%
Dec 202546.4%46.9%2.8%2.1%0.99%0.58%0.23%0.03%
Jan 202645%45.5%4.1%2.5%1.6%0.93%0.34%0.04%
Feb 202644.6%46.5%3.6%2.6%1.6%0.7%0.36%0.05%
Mar 202644.9%46.4%3.6%2.7%1.5%0.58%0.36%0.03%
Apr 202648.9%42.8%3.9%2.4%1.3%0.39%0.28%0.04%
May 202644.9%45.8%4.6%2.7%1.3%0.39%0.3%0.04%
Jun 202645.6%45.4%5.1%2.3%0.91%0.4%0.17%0.03%
Jul 202649.8%40.8%5.2%2.3%1.2%0.5%0.18%0.02%
Aug 202647.7%41.1%5.8%3.1%1.4%0.55%0.28%0.03%
Sep 202647.7%41.7%4.7%3.4%1.5%0.65%0.33%0.03%

How has the Kathmandu and The North Face comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for New Zealand backpack brands in September 2026?

1 change

  1. In September 2026, The North Face lost share of searches among backpack brands in New Zealand, from 5.8% to 4.7%.

How are branded searches counted?

28 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Kathmandu’s and The North Face’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Kathmandu

19 branded search terms

  • Kathmandu
  • kathmandu bayfair
  • kathmandu beach shelter
  • kathmandu beach trolley
  • kathmandu botany
  • kathmandu gloves
  • kathmandu lyall bay
  • kathmandu northland
  • kathmandu outlet
  • kathmandu retreat 280
  • kathmandu retreat 80
  • kathmandu socks
  • kathmandu st lukes
  • kathmandu sylvia park
  • kathmandu tower junction
  • kathmandu trolley
  • kathmandu vest
  • kathmandu waitakere
  • kathmandu westgate

The North Face

9 branded search terms

  • borealis the north face
  • the north face
  • the north face daypack
  • the north face fleece
  • the north face puffer
  • the north face raincoat
  • the north face sale
  • the north face vest
  • thenorthface

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among backpack brands

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Put your own brand in this comparison

Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.

Start free