Customer Reviews The North Face Recon

Great backpack. Bought one my first year of college - now in 4th year and am replacing with one just received. Practical, looks great, can carry all my college books and laptop with no problem.

Use that as a daily commuter bag from Connecticut to New York

Plenty of room, well made, comfortble, outstanding color.

The waist belt is not available on many backpacks this size. Makes it easier to go from work to class to hiking.

I use when community to work on my road bike, for hiking, and for traveling.

I bought the backpack for my boyfriend as a Christmas present. He has had a North Face backpack to take to work for the past 10 or so years and it finally gave out. He is a chef and will often have knives and food in the backpack to go to catering jobs or to bring to work. I like that it has padding on the back because he will wear it on his motorcycle and the padding will add a little extra support for the items he carries.

I got my first recon bag about 12 years ago. It lasted until now, and when I was at the North Face store I mentioned that it had some normal wear and tear, and she told me to consider sending it in to north face under the lifetime warranty. I brought it in and they took care of the rest. About a week later, the north face sent me a gift card (digital and physical copies) for the full retail value of a brand new recon bag, which I have just received. Love north face; love a company that builds products that last over a decade. I am a customer for life! 10/10 would recommend.

These backpacks last a long time! I have friends who have them and love them. I also bought it for the warranty.

I ordered this backpack for school. It has been great I use it when I travel. Love it!

It will be used for school and travel.

Great comfort and I love all of the well thought compartments. Lighter weight than my current pack which is a plus

I'm a college student so it would be great!

Great quality, I have one of my own and got this as a gift for my partner.

I'm a big fan of the elastic front pocket. I usually throw my keys and some snacks in there so I don't have to go digging for them when I need them, but need to get them quickly when I do. The side pockets hold my umbrella and 32oz hydroflask comfortably, and the chest straps support the backpack beautifully. The only caveat is that I can't find a way to hide or take off the waist straps, but it's nothing major. 10/10 after a week of owning it.

Great north face product as usual. Not too small or too big. Very comfortable to wear.

Got this as a gift brother in law. Backpack is lightweight and super roomy

Will be using it to carry my computer in college.

Excellent back pack for college! Versatile durable a. comfortable. Will recommend to friends!

Bought this for teenage grandson.

I am a full-time student and have been using this backpack for about a year and a half. I love it. However, I've found that this bag has its pros and cons. The Recon has room for lots of storage with its various pockets both in and on the bag, making it easier for me to stay organized. The bag appears very sleek and simple, yet stylish, which I am a huge fan of. However, one thing I am not too fond of is the condition of the mesh water bottle pockets. I never expected my water bottle to leave such noticeable tears in the pockets, especially after not being in either one for very long. I carry around a 32 oz. Hydro Flask in my bag, and maybe I'm at fault for thinking I could do so without causing any damage, but I'm still disappointed with the pockets' durability. Quite honestly, I get a little sad when I look at the pockets because I feel like the bag doesn't look as nice anymore, and that maybe I'm not getting all of my moneys worth out of it. I'm not sure if the warranty still applies to me/my bag, but if it does, I would absolutely love it if TNF team could reach out and let me know. Regardless, I think this bag is wonderful, and extremely efficient, and I most definitely recommend it to those looking at it.

The backpack will primarily serve as my college support system for books, laptop, water bottle and all the other things necessary for a day on campus. It also travels with me on trips and will be my go to pack when I take a semester in France. I expect a lot from my backpacks and use them until i can't anymore. My current pack is ripping at the bottom and EMS is no longer around I had it for 4 years. I appreciate the life time warranty North Face has and their good reputation. I look forward to using this for my last year and a half of college and then for getting to and from my future job as an engineer.

Buy it

I ordered this product to use for college. I love it! I got the vintage white and new taupe green colored one, the white is a little less vibrant in person than online. I still really love the look of the backpack. A common complaint in the reviews was that the backpack cannot stand on its own, this is true. However, when filled it stands easier. The reason it does not stand on its own is because of the back support, which I would rather have than have my backpack stand freely. The only other thing is that the straps are a little uncomfortable, but its a fairly new backpack so with time it will probably get more comfortable. I expected to have more space in the middle packet, but it is enough room for what I need. Despite these few negatives, the backpack is great!

My daughter loves this backpack for college!

I have been using your products for years and I refuse to use any other brand. What I love about your company is that you not only make high quality products, but you guys also take customer satisfaction very seriously and constantly strive to make your products better and better. I purchased the Women's Recon Backpack (TNF + Burnt Coral) a few months back and I have to say that I absolutely love it. The colors are gorgeous and it really is the best backpack out there. As a graduate student in an intense program I need a backpack that is going to be of the best quality. Your recon backpack delivers. As much as I love this new version of the recon backpack, I still would like to offer some feedback/suggestions. 1) The last TNF backpack I had was the older version of the Borealis (the classic version still available on your website). Although I consider my new recon of even higher quality (materials wise), one thing I loved about my old Borealis was that the pockets stretched out/were very roomy. They were similar to the Jansport-style big student backpack. I know that Jansport is a sibling company of yours so I think if you could find a way to mesh both styles into one TNF backpack, that would be amazing (2 much larger main compartments that stretch out that can fit binders, textbooks+ 1 front utility compartment with an organizer that goes all the way down + 1 laptop compartment all the way in the back). So basically what you guys have now but with one more large main compartment and an organizer that goes all the way down. 2) A backpack that can stand up and not fall over 3) Whoever suggested to bring in that burnt coral/rose gold design needs a pay raise from your company. ALL OF MY FRIENDS love the burnt coral/rose gold accents on my backpack. Please continue to make styles that incorporate the burnt coral/rose gold colors. This is one of the "in" colors right now and I know anything with rose gold tends to sell like hot cakes!