Customer Reviews The North Face Recon

I use this backpack for school and it's great. I have my laptop and my otherness school supplies in there and it fits perfectly. You could never go wrong with North Face."

Bought for grand daughter's first year in high school definitely her Fit all her needs and expectations She is very particular Very satisfied 5 stars in my opinion

Solid construction and plenty of pockets for keeping stuff compartmentalized. This backpack looks good and wears comfortably. I've been through hundreds of backpacks, and this one is ideal for all the uses I need - getting my laptop and files to the office, my tablet and peripherals to the coffee shop, snacks, water and clothing for a day hike, and stuff for navigating a day of sight-seeing in the city.

I use it for school, but it could easily be used for any activity you can think of. It has a lot of smaller pockets inside the three main ones, which is nice. Really a good backpack, however the laptop compartment is stiff to protect the laptop, which makes it a little uncomfortable to wear. The backpack is a good size as well.

I use this backpack for school and it's amazing holds about 3 3inch binders and a laptop. Perfect size for college student

Great for travel and work. Overall great bag

Great for school! Lots of space

I am a college engineer student and I have to carry my laptop with me. My old backpack would cause back aches but as soon as I switched to this one I could tell the difference! I'm so happy I purchased this.

My 10th grader uses it for school to carry her many books. It has a lot of room. Also has great small pockets for her money, school ID and phone. The padding on the backpack makes a huge difference in comfort level compared to other backpacks.

Overall the backpack is outstanding. The only thing that could be improved is the laptop compartment. Please add a fleece lined compartment on both sides.

Perfect size and weight for my Freshman daughter

I bought this one for the room and durability specifically. I have a 14" hp and it fits perfectly in the laptop zip area. However, if I put more than two 3-subject spirals, two folders, and a 1" textbook in the other main pocket, it's a tight fit overall. The zippers aren't under pressure because everything is low enough in the backpack that the fabric next to the zipper doesn't have anything pulling on it, so that is one compensation. Again though, bulky items are not welcome. There is kind of a design flaw where if you have anything like a calculator in the front pockets for organizing, it takes up space in the top part of the main pocket, so you have to shove your planner and stuff in past the lump from the front pocket, and then when you want it back out you have to hold the front pocket of the backpack forward to reach into the main pocket, under the lump from the front pocket, and grab your stuff. Likewise, it pushes the notebooks against the laptop compartment. However, the side storage for water bottles/umbrellas, as well as the very front outside pocket are roomy and store things outward from the backpack, so you don't lose space on the inside. It's amazingly convenient to be able to put away keys or a wallet without having to deal with a zipper, and still know it's not going to fall out. Overall, it's durable enough I don't mind having to stuff it. It's worth noting, though, that because of the durable design, you lose comfort on the shoulders. I think it's designed to store more vertically than horizontally, and that's where you see the little inconveniences I mentioned pop up. So if you just have a laptop, a few notebooks, and then little things like chapstick and pens, it's perfect. If you are looking for bulky storage though like calculator, planner, pencil bag, hair brush, and especially if you have a 15" laptop!, I would find something bigger.

I use it for school and I like be it but I have lots of books and sometimes it can be a tight squeeze!

Bought this in gray for my 8th grader. It's beautiful and seems to be sturdythough time will tell. The colors are the same as viewed online. Smaller than her previous backpackwhich I pointed out to her when we viewed the measurements prior to purchase. But even though it's a tight fit to get all her school stuff in (it basically fits four 1" 3-ring binders plus a "pencil pouch" with a few supplies, calculator, etc. but not extra space hogs like her lunch box) she is adamant about making it work. Because she loves it that much.

Great bag for a student in college especially on who has a had a history of back issues like myself.

I got this for school and it's wonderful has amazing storage nice feel on the shoulders seems high quality I'm impressed.

I love it.

Mostly used for school, helps carry the weight without feeling too exhausted

Bought this in gray for my 8th grader. It's beautiful and seems to be sturdy-though time will tell. The colors are the same as viewed online. Smaller than her previous backpack-which I pointed out to her when we viewed the measurements prior to purchase. But even though it's a tight fit to get all her school stuff in (it basically fits four 1" 3-ring binders plus a "pencil pouch" with a few supplies, calculator, etc. -but not extra space hogs like her lunch box) she is adamant about making it work. Because she loves it that much.

Love this backpack but just a little all for all my books and binders in 10th grade

It seemed like a great backpack - super roomy with lots of pockets - but it sat way too high up over my shoulders, which was not only uncomfortable but not functional because I couldn't even turn my head.

I use the north face recon for school and work. My favorite aspects of the book bag are how snug it fits to my body and how stylish and durable it is.

Great backpack

Bought the Recon and the Borealis to compare. Liked both as they're very similar, but the Recon is supposed to be bigger and better for outdoor use. I didn't find this to be the case, but its a personal preference. Both fit the same amount of things (pair of sneakers, gym clothes, a few notebooks, and a rain jacket) but the Borealis seemed to hold the weight differently. The Recon was more top heavy and looked "fuller". The main deciding factor was the water bottle pockets. They both fit large bottles but when wearing the backpack I could not get the bottle in or out of the pocket of the Recon but could with the Borealis.

I bought this bag for my middle school son and it holds all of his books and he still has room. I loved th colors.