Customer Reviews The North Face Recon

Pros: 1. Outside design is very smart looking. 2. Big mesh pocket is functional. 3. Fleece lined sunglasses pocket is a appreciated necessity. 4. DEEP dual waterbottle pockets are great, something that NF has not previously included. 5. Ventilation is awesome, especially for biking. Cons: 1. The straps at the top, where they attach to the bag rub on my neck which is quite uncomfortable and itchy - personally, I don't like my backpack hanging low on my back especially with weight, regardless, the shouldn't rub. 2. The organization pocket only reaches halfway - it's a waste of space in my opinion, why not extend it fully? It also makes the top half of the bag bulge outwards, unevenly, when packed. 3. Laptop compartment is only about 1 inch from the bottom of the bag which doesn't seem like very good protection. I also appreciate having the laptop in the main compartment but that isn't a huge deal for me. I have a 5 year old Surge II that has served me well through high school and college and a 2018 model Recon that I've used for the last year. I liked the look of the 2019 Recon and wanted to try it but I will stick to my 2018 bag instead. If I could take the organization pocket, single main pocket (laptop space included), and wider straps of the 2018 Recon and stick them on the 2019 model, NF would have themselves a near perfect bag. In summary: if the straps don't bother your neck and, what I consider to be inconveniences more than issues, are of no concern, then I recommend this bag simply because of NF's amazing reputation and my pleasant experiences with other models of their bags.

I use this for school. I like it, but I wish it wasn't so heavy. Also, I wish there was a spot to put the extra straps (waist strap) in. I know the older recon backpacks had a little pocket for them. I wish this one did too.

one thing i would change is more main pockets.

I have used the previous version of the backpack for all four years of high school and it does not have a single rip or tear. It is durable and long lasting. I intend to use this model for college and expect it to hold up the same. Great product!

This is a pretty good backpack. It holds a lot of stuff... if you pack it correctly. I agree with some of the other reviewers that the shape makes it hard to use. When I first packed this bag for a trip it seemed to hold very little but it turns out there was still a lot of room at the bottom that was inaccessible if not packed in a specific order. I assume this will also make accessing my items at the bottom fairly difficult. My husband's mens' North Face backpack unzips much further making his much more convenient and I wish this one had that feature.

I just got this new back pack for school, it is so cute and the colors are great!

Overall, I love the style of the bag. However, it doesn't fit all my books in at once for school

Straps are not comfy

My daughter loves her backpack! We ordered from NorthFace to get the color she wanted.

I purchased this backpack for college I love the quality of the materials and the overall design. I love that my hydro flask (24oz) fits perfectly in the pockets and isn't to bulky, I am also able to fit my umbrella in the front pocket. However my only problem with the backpack is the women's straps are smaller than I expected.

I use this product for school. I enjoy that the computer pocket is big enough for my computer. It seems very stiff to me.

I was really excited to buy a North Face backpack for my upcoming year of Law School. With heavy books, a structurally sound backpack is a must. I was pleased to see that they offered the backpack in Rose Gold! However, when I received the backpack I was disappointed that the stitching on the front was just gold and the zippers were a copper color. I would have preferred for the accent colors to be simply gold or I would have bought a different color scheme. That being said this backpack's structure is exactly what I was looking for to protect my back from my heavy textbooks. I won't return it for a different color because the school year is already here, but a word to the wise for Rose Gold Lovers: try a different color.

Good product!

I use this backpack for school. It has room but would be better if it was a little more roomy for all my books and notebooks. Very cute and comfortable though.

I purchased this backpack for my daughter in middle school. It is a very durable backpack that can take a lot of weight from books and laptops.

I use this product for college, and it has plenty of room for all me stuff! Very comfortable. The only thing is I wish the front pocket was a little deeper, but there's plenty of room elsewhere!

My High school kiddo looked at many many backpacks, this one seemed to be the right size for her tablet, books/papers, water bottle, and lunch! It's not too small but not overly big and bullky. We are hoping it lasts all 4 year years.

I wish the pack had a bit larger capacity, and that the outer pocket extended further down.

This is a great bag. I would give it 5 stars but I cannot. The plastic backboard is not removable at all. It is sewn into the back of the bag. It should have been an option to remove it. More forward thinking into versatility and preferences needs to be done in the design process. Otherwise this is a great bag.

College student

Us wit for what ever you want

This bag is great in so many ways but it does fall over a lot and can not be upright without leaning onto something. The bag is also very stiff on the back side with no great bend

I decided to buy a new recon because I loved the one I bought about two years ago. I love the color that I chose (rabbit grey with copper), but when I got it and compared it to my older one, I realized that it seemed a bit smaller. My older one is 31 liters compared to one and it's also a bit wider, which makes taking out items easier. Also, with the first zipper that has the pockets, it doesn't run all the way down like the older one and it also has less pockets (probably because it doesn't run all the way down & because it's not as wide). Another con is that it has less padding, but it does have a separate zipper for my laptop which I LOVE (but still wish it had a bit more padding). All in all I still love my new one and it's still as comfortable, but I just wish it had a bit more padding and pockets like the old one. This is still a great backpack and I still recommend it! :)

I love the design and the fact that allows you to carry a heavy load comfortably. Also, the zippers are good quality and love the laptop compartment However, I wish it had more pockets to organize cables, and that the top handle had better padding.

it's amazing and works for all my needs but it would be nicer if the front pocket,first zipper one, extended all the way down!