Customer Reviews The North Face Recon

I bought this for my son to take to College. It's the perfect size, great construction, looks great and has all the right compartments plus his laptop is safe and secure. Even fully loaded, this backpack is comfortable on his back and shoulders. Love it!

I really love this backpack. I bought it for law school, and it comfortably holds my laptop, two casebooks, my 1.5 inch binder, and my lunch. Lots of other law students have the same one.

As a commuter student in college, I needed something that would do well when walking around campus and going from one place to another. This bag holds a lot and has pockets for almost everything. I love this bag, and I don't think I would buy another one besides this one!

I am a graduate student, so I use this book mostly for school. Overall I love the design and quality of this backpack. I only have two minor complaints: 1) I can only carry one text book, one notebook and my laptop in the large compartment (in all fairness though it is a rather large textbook), and 2) the bag has a tendency to want to fall forward no matter how it's positioned or loaded (its just a bit annoying when trying to situate it in the narrow seating rows of class while still being able to comfortably access the front pockets...then again I've only been using it for about a week so maybe that will correct itself once it's a bit more broke in). Like I said very minor complaints. For the most part I love it. It is very comfortable even when filled with my heavy textbook and laptop. The fleece lined pockets are wonderful. I would absolutely buy it again and/or recommend it to a friend.

I love this backpack. It has good support for my laptop and I don't see myself hovering over because my backpack is too heavy. I can't hold a lot of my books but I have very big books and binders. It is very fashionable and is worth the money.

Loves how durable but love how stylish

Excellent for first year of high school takes the place of the fact I have no locker it is my portable locker

I use my North Face backpack to school, and it is very helpful. I have to carry a lot of heavy books and binders and it all fits in the backpack and it's comfy too!

love that there's enough space to fit everything for the school day and after. my books, folders, and sneakers for track fit perfectly! totally worth the price

Great for teenagers in need of a larger bag to carry for school.

Great people and a great store.

Backpack is great for every day use. I can easily fit my laptop and 3 books with plenty of space left over. Would highly recommend this backpack to anybody!

Great backpack for school!!!

This bag is everything I needed. It is durable, so it is holding up to my three textbooks and various binders and sheet music, and still has room for my lunch. I can also fin a good two weeks worth of clothes in it which makes for easy travel. It's organizational pockets have greatly helped me keep up with everything at school. I do wish the front pouch was a little bigger to fit a pair of running shoes however. This bag is fantastic, and I would definitely recommend it to a friend.

I purchased this Recon BackPack for my 15 year old grandson as a back to school present. Not only does he use it daily for his books, papers and laptop, but he also uses it to transport his swim gear. As a year round competitive swimmer and also on the Myers Park High School Mustang swim team, he needed a durable backpack for not only school but dual use with swim gear.

Love the bag, just wish that the hip buckle had a place to be hidden like in last year's design.

Long story short: straps severely hurt shoulders, back support is stiff and uncomfortable despite padding, not nearly enough space for my books and supplies (as a graduate student). I really wanted to love this backpack. I considered giving it 2 stars because I like color, but that still doesn't outweigh the cons. I read another review stating that this backpack hurt their shoulders, and their shoulders were sore long after they had removed the backpack -- to my surprise and disappointment, this is true! The straps are NOT comfortable. The padding is stiff, almost as stiff as whatever material makes the back support of the backpack. It almost feels like it's rubbing a groove into my shoulders, like a rug burn, and while I only had it on for a minute to test out the weight of my school books/laptop inside of it, my shoulders continued to hurt for a few minutes after I took off the backpack (so I can only imagine what it's like after wearing this thing for half an hour or more). The part that goes up against your back is slightly more padded, but due to the inflexibility of it, it did not feel soft nor comfortable. I even tried adjusting the different straps/buckles, and nothing helped ease the heaviness/stiffness of the backpack. Just an added point, the buckles that go across the chest stick out funny and don't lie flat when unbuckled, which bothered me because they were basically right in my face when I look down. You can't fill the pockets in the extra compartment too much, because it dramatically reduces space in the main compartment of the backpack. After putting a few things in it, the pack became restrictive near the top, yet still roomy at the bottom. This made it difficult to fit a laptop, books, notebooks, planner, calculator, etc. because there was no more room at the top for stuff to go side-by-side, but at the bottom there's still plenty of space (maybe because it anticipates needing room for things to distribute when you put the pack on/take it off?).

I am on the smaller side (5'3") and this backpack works! I was afraid it was going to be too big and bulky for me but it is perfect, it fits all of my notebooks, textbooks, and counter for school and the straps help disperse the weight. Along with the extra padding, my back doesn't hurt after a long day of classes! Also my 40 oz hydro flask water bottle fits perfectly in the pocket. Will be purchasing all backpacks from north face in the future.

I use this product as a student at Virginia Commonwealth University. It is light weight, comfortable, and highly functional. I love the built in compartment for my laptop to keep it safe and protected. I would recommend this product to all students, business people on travel, and more.

Daughter loves this backpack. Perfect size

This was the very first North Face backpack I have purchased for either of my children and I can't believe what we have been missing out on! It's so lightweight and durable and how can anyone argue with a lifetime guarantee!!

Another perfect back to school backpack from Northface! We went with this over the Borealis for the extra room. Beautiful color and fantastic use of space...its like a portable office space. Lightweight and very roomy without the bulk. Excellent backpack!

Fits my laptop and all my materials for school!

This is a great backpack. Never ordered from Northface but love the quality of this backpack. Would recommend to any high schooler or college student

Bought this bag for our teenage daughter. She has been carrying "stylish" designer bags for the last 3 years that are less than "sturdy". I finally talked her into a more traditional bag that was stylish that she could use for more than 1 season. I was tired of hearing "That's not cool anymore" She spotted this bag and said that she liked it. I ordered it figuring that if she didn't like it I would keep it for myself. She absolutely loves it. Has just enough organization pockets and large pockets for books and gym clothes and is supper stylish!