Customer Reviews The North Face Recon

I'm my sure why this backpack is gender specific, but it provides equal comfort to both sexes.

Great backpack for short day hikes. Has just enough room (but no more) to hold your ten essentials. Could also be used for carrying a laptop for school. I'm only giving it 4/5 because I wish it had a hip-belt. But overall, great pack. Full Disclosure: As a TNF ambassador, I received this pack for free.

I love this backpack! It is exactly the color it looks and has room for everything! I use it for college and it is perfect!

I love the contoured straps. It really makes a difference when carrying a heavy bag. My only negative observation is that the zipper cover on the large pocket gets in the way when opening and closing. Other than that, it feels and looks great and I'm sure it'll last forever

The design of the bag isn't exactly what I like but all of the compartments are great!

I was sort of disappointed that when I got the backpack it was a lot darker than the one in the picture. I thought maybe I got sent the wrong one but I checked the colors on the tag and it was right. Although I still think it's a cute backpack!

I don't like the backing it's a little to hard but maybe when it gets used some more it will be better. Other than that it's got great storage!

The back padding is really rough and hard on skin!!! Otherwise, this is a great backpack. Very roomy and fitting, and i especially liked the fleece pockets!!

The backpack is great. My only problem with it is that like i said above its a bit too wide. The shoulder straps also might be a bit too thick as well but i suppose it was so they could last longer. Aside from that the overall design is great. And the laptop strap is a great addon.

It feels great but if i new it would be this material i would have chosen a different color

I bought this backpack for my daughter for high school. She loves it and it can take a beating while still looking great. I thought it was too heavy because there is some firm support in the back, but it is good for protecting her laptop.

I love this book bag. The color is great. The outside pocket is awesome. the second biggest pocket it very large. My laptop is bigger then 15" so it does not fit in the laptop pocket. The inside in fleece which is interesting. The chest clip is on the opposite side as my old book bag in the same style. The detachable belt strap is a good idea but I do not prefer it.

I really wanted to get an older model of the recon because I loved it so very much however now that they don't sell them im very sad and I think you should bring back the older model. I would totally recommend the older model to a friend not this one though.

This pack is AWSOME the one flaw is the designe kinda weird

Good, but not quite. The top front compart only comes down less than half way up front. The main compartment is behind it, so there is no other compartment DIRECTLY underneath the front compartment. This leads to sagging of the backpack when you put it down. It crumples inward in the middle, or you could also say, bends forward from the top like it is bowing. The more items you put in the top front area, the worse it is. And it takes very little for this sagging to occur. You have to literally stuff a whole lot of items into the main compartment, shoving everything forward undereath the front top area, to prevent this sagging/crumpling inward effect. This backpack only works if it is completely full, otherwise, it is a pain in my opinion.

I bought the Recon backpack for my teenage daughter, and overall, it's a solid, functional school bag with plenty of room. We are loyal North Face customers and love the brand's quality. However, there's a concerning design flaw with the sternum strap whistle. Unlike some of our older North Face packs where the whistle is securely sewn into the strap, this model uses a plastic glider mechanism, which allows the whistle piece to slide along the strap. Unfortunately, the whistle part came completely off not long after we got it. I'm not sure if this has happened to others, but it's concerning that a safety feature can detach so easily. The rest of the backpack is great, but this particular design choice is a definite weak point.

Great packbag! wish they made a smaller version, as it is too big to fit under the seat on an airplane

Straps need to be thicker and the bottom needs to be thicker to protect the computer that I carry

I am replacing my Recon from abt 20 years ago. This bag is worse quality in many ways. - fabric is cheaper, thinner - straps and back have less padding - stitching and zippers not as good

Looks nice but uncomfortable. The straps are way too thin for a backpack. My 20 year old Jansport is more comfortable.

I like the computer section. I like the side bottle pouches. I like the front elastic pouch. I don't like how items stored in the the center zipper area push into the front zipper pouch area, and vice versa.

Plenty of space for laptop and necessary school supplies, however the front netting has ripped and now I will have to find something more reliable for long term use.

Nothing special about this overpriced backpack!!!

The backpack looks stylish and not too big and comfortable. It feels comfortable around the shoulders, but the bag fits less than I thought it would.

I travel a lot internationally, so I was looking for a high quality backpack to use for travel. I saw a review before purchase that the way this backpack is put together causes there to be most space in the main compartment at the bottom, and less at the top - like an upside down pyramid. Since I saw so many positive reviews for the backpack, I decided to buy it. But the pyramid-type shape in that compartment is a significant problem for me. It is very difficult to get to the items in the bottom of the largest compartment of the bag. In order to get to them, I had to unpack most of the compartment. And I think it is also tricky to pack it well, to fill up all of that bottom space. My previous backpack did not have this problem. It had two large compartments which both had a lot more space, so it was much easier to find what I was looking for when traveling. I also liked that my previous backpack's laptop section had two compartments - so I could put the laptop on one side, and items that needed to stay straight, such as important documents, on the other. I would definitely return this if I was not overseas. Since I'll be overseas for months, I will just make do with it and probably buy a backpack that is differently constructed when I'm next in the US.