Customer Reviews The North Face Recon

I bought this for my daughter to use at school. She loves it because it's stylish and holds everything she needs while being comfortable.

North Face has again provided a well made and stylish product.

I'd give this bag zero stars if I could. I'm a law student, and bought this bag exclusively for classes. It is one of the worst purchases I've ever made. The bag doesn't stand up, it flips forward no matter how much or how little you put in it. You can't even lean it against anything. The only way to prevent it from falling forward is to lay it on its back. It's totally impractical. Don't make the mistake I made and buy this backpack!

I use the product for carrying my computer around campus. There are plenty of pockets and they are all functional. But this is my second time with this style of book bag, and each time the side pockets have developed holes in the side pockets within the first few months of having using the item. I don't feel like a $100 bag should degrade so quickly. The holes have continued to get bigger, and now I can't put smaller items like my keys in there because I'm afraid i will loose them if they fall out. however, I do like the color and design of the North Face bags. The pictures on the website are very accurate representations.

I drive a bus so this is my purse, office, everything but the kitchen sink pack. It gets tossed around and shoved around all day every day! It needs to carry alot but also be good on my back and durable. I am sure this pack will do the job, or I'll let you know!

Great for your laptop

Perfect to store smaller and bigger things. Very comfi and carries simply

I bought this for my family's trip to Europe and cursed myself the entire time for choosing this one. The back is hard as if there was a wooden board making it super uncomfortable. It tips forward (will not stand for nothing in this world) so its annoying, but the worst is the zippers don't open all the way, making it almost impossible to reach things at the bottom of the bag without removing everything else. Try changing clothes of a screaming toddler in the middle of a trip holding the child with one hand and with the other trying to grab stuff from the bag that keeps tipping forward and because the zippers are so narrow, you cant reach things from the bottom! We tried it again in our trip to Disney, and omg what a nightmare again... my husband had a better time with his $30 UA bag.... I HATE THIS BAG and wish it wasnt too late to return it

I had been using my wife Wasatch from college for about the past 11 years, so my old TNF backpack had some serious miles on it. This one is a mega upgrade to say the least. Straps are way more comfortable, really like having the chest and waste straps if needed. Zippers are super sturdy and plenty of spots to hook your water bottle, camera, fanny pack etc, on. Love the dedicated laptop pocket and there are more places and pockets to put stuff than I can ALMOST handle. I'm very organized to the point where it's picky sometimes, so while I wish there were event more organizational pockets/dividers in the front, though it certainly comes with plenty. I use this pack for everything from my day to day commute, out in the field on job sites, travel, vacations, you name it. Looking forward to using this for a decade and then letting you know how it wears.

This is a very good backpack for travel, day trips or hauling items to work. Has the main features I wanted in a pack and you can not beat the North Face warranty.

The backpack looks amazing and is the perfect size for a 15 inch laptop with plenty of room for a lot of stuff with multiple compartments. The only major issue for me was the stiff back that this backpack comes with :(

My daughter absolutely loved this backpack.

I struggle because I want a well organized bag including a spot for laptops, but with a big main compartment. This is because I want to use this for weekender traveling on a plane. Most laptop bags are "too organized" with too many small compartments, making the main compartment too small for travel. Most travel bags don't have easy to access outer pockets or a reasonably thought out laptop/organization system. This has both.

There are 2 large compartments. The one closest to your back has a soft lining. That one might be better for a (large) laptop. However, there's no (or not well-placed) protection on the bottom of the compartment, so your laptop could get banged around on the bottom. There's no divider in that compartment, but room for books, a binder, etc, as well as the laptop. The 2nd large compartment, the one in the middle of the bag, could also be used for a laptop. This one doesn't have a soft lining, but again, there's no protection on the bottom of the compartment, so a laptop could be susceptible to damage. There's also room in this compartment for add'l books, binder, etc. Again, no divider in this compartment either. In both of these large compartments, I would add some foam to the bottom to use for a laptop. The outer zippered compartment - furthest from your back - has an open pouch, a zippered pouch with organizing slots for small items on the outside of that pouch, and then another open pouch. Neither of these 2 open pouches is large enough for a tablet, unless you have a Galaxy Note. I'm not sure where the "extra padded tablet sleeve" is; I couldn't find it. Finally, on the outside of bag, there's a small zippered pouch that they say can be for sunglasses. I need it for the things I'd grab the most, like keys and ID stuff. Also on the outside is a medium-size but roomy pouch. It's not secure, so you wouldn't want to leave wallet or cellphone in there. I'm using it now for small bicycling items like gloves, headband, earwarmers, etc. The thing I like least about this bag is the support bar or brace at the bottom of the bag. It looks to provide some support for the structure of the bag, but it prevents the bag from standing upright. So if you put the bag down, it's going to flop over and could possibly spill stuff if the compartments aren't zipped. Also, I can predict that the first place that will wear out on the bag will be the fabric covering this support bar.

This is a great quality product. I mainly use it for school, but it's a great pack pack for pretty much anything. The pack is well designed very roomy. The front mesh pocket is a godsend for easy access to items.

Great school or travel backpack! Love all the pockets and it's big but not too big.

I use this bag for law school and I am loving it! I have to carry a lot of big books and this bag is extremely roomy! It also alleviates the weight off of my bag so it does not feel as heavy. Truly an amazing book bag. The shoulder straps sit just right on my shoulders. I highly recommend this bag. My classmates all noticed its stylish features and are considering purchasing a Recon themselves. Especially after seeing how many books I can fit in and after trying it on. They are amazed that I actually have so many casebooks in it. Plus it doesn't look that big on either! It's magical. It has plenty of pockets as well. I would buy this bag again and again.

Great design and looks to capture more clothes for travel while holding space for computer and tablets.

use it for school and i am in love w it

Love the style and comfort for college

I love my new backpack I love taking it to school it is way easier to walk to my classes that are far from eachother with this backpack because it's so comfortable and makes everything less heavy with the support for my back. It great quality! I would buy it again. I'm even thinking of buying other one for my boyfriend he loved mine when I got it.

Made my daughter excited to go back to school.

Excellent backpack which feels like quality material. Pockets are well thought out. Only con is the outer pocket with the cell phone pocket and other pockets would be better if it extended deeper. Besides that, the backpack works great. It is comfortable to wear and not too heavy. The laptop compartment is padded and fits my 14" laptop perfectly. I am happy with my purchase.

Used for school Love fleece pockets and zippered pockets Rugged yet stylish design Front storage offers endless possibilities from shoes to sweatshirt to mini umbrella

All around daily work + travel