Customer Reviews The North Face Recon

I am very happy with the initial quality of the pack. The materials seem rugged as well as the sewing and the zippers are very adequate and smooth. I received it about a week ago and immediately took it on a camping trip where I managed to pack a wool blanket, full size towel, toiletry bag, 32 oz water bottle, extra shirt, Bose mini SoundLink speaker, knife, bug spray, sunscreen, extra cash, two pill bottles, deck of cards, headphones, boonie hat, and headlamp along with more small nick-nacks like a pen, lighter, eye drops and nail clippers. I didn't even use the front stash pocket. It is deceptively large, nice looking and comfortable to carry. Although, I identify two potential problems. 1) the plastic back panel that gives the pack rigidity seems a bit long (shown in pictures). With repeated use and setting the bag down I can see the material wearing out exposing the panel. 2) there are two types of mesh on the front stash pocket. There is a stretchyand a more porous, rigid one that the compression straps are attached to with no reinforcement. With repeated use I could see the mesh ripping. With these potential issues I am still very pleased with the bag. The North Face claims their bags are built to last and if this one doesn't I am certain it will be because of one or both of these design flaws.

I had the last version and this one is a small upgrade minus a couple things. First with the a good, the new water bottle tabs are big enough to house the water bottles so they don't fall out. Second, the front storage has less fleece making it easier to take pens for pens/pencils and other items out. The older version had too much fleece and made it hard to take items in and out. Now the bad, my biggest dissapointment, I bought the older version because the laptop was well protected in its sleeve. The sleeve did not go to the bottom of the bag which protected it well when you dropped your bag after a long day. Not in the new version, that's unfortunate, because this bag had potential. Also, the new front compartment is part of the main compartment. It makes is hard when pulling out a book or anything in all honestly. As you pull out the item it gets caught on the front compartment making a hassle. Lastly, the back panel, really not much to say except I don't like it. It is stiff and uncomfortable. In my opinion, aside from all the negatives, this is the only bag I have found that you can take from school to the trail, it is why I continue to purchase.

I bought this last year. The straps are very stiff and don't mold very well to my shoulders. It does fit a lot and has great pockets. The bag unfilled also weighs more than I would like. I thought using it more would soften it but it has not. I would not buy this backpack again.

I purchased this backpack to use for school. When it first arrived I was excited about the look and feel of the backpack overall. Pockets are nicely lined and I was able to fit my laptop, empty binder, 2 single subject notebooks and a pencil pouch in the main pouch comfortably. Now the issues I had with the backpack.. The straps when warn comfortably the backpack was up so high on my back it was right up to my neck, and there is a random plastic piece at the top under the material that rubs against my neck/head if I turn my head in any direction or look up. When I lowered the straps so the backpacks was more comfortable, (besides the super stiff back) the straps inside of the straps point upwards and do not lay flat on the shoulders. The back is so stiff and there is zero flex to this backpack at all so don't expect any sort of comfort from that. It is nicely padded but it doesn't help with the comfort. The corners of this backpack are sharp and when you bend to the side they poke. Very disappointed in this backpack!

Its more of an orangey red colour, but overall still a very good backpack

Best products on the market know all round thanku north face

Overall, I love this bag. It was stiff at first but after a month or so the straps and back were more comfortable. The pockets are great, especially the fleece lined sleeves for a computer, tablet, and phone. It is also pretty water resistant as I walked across campus in the pouring rain and all my stuff stayed dry. The only downside is that the water bottle holders are not very durable. I always carry a water bottle and one of the holders started to tear after only having this bag for a few months.

I use this bag every darn day. I ride a scooter, and I need a reliable bag in order to get all my stuff around with me. I actually got mine on sale half off! This bag is great! It usually takes me about a month to ruin something I use every day...I overpack things, drop it, the cats try to attack it, spill stuff on it, tear it, etc. My recon bag is still in perfect condition after using it over a year. Highly recommend!! The things I usually bring in it are a bulky laptop, clothes, makeup, hairbrush, phone and charger, notepad, books, and always my water bottle. Plenty of room! I've also used it as a personal item on flights and taken it camping.

I loved the color of the backpack but I was disappointed with how stiff it was and how quickly it tore from the shoulder strap area. I'm not sure if mine was defective but I only had it for 5-6 months and I only carried my macbook, a five subject notebook, cell and laptop chargers and snacks while walking around campus. There was no way it should've torn so quickly and easily.

I had a different north face backpack for 10 years of school use it finally gave out. I got this one to replace it and I have to say out of all the brands of backpacks I have used north face really stands the test of time. I am in my first year of college and I know this will take me beyond my four years. It is even comfyier than the first one and is easier on my back and shouldres. The only thing is the colors in the photos seem bolder than what you get

I bought the rocket red/everglade melange color which appears completely purple in the online photo. The color in real life is an orangey coral. Very misleading :( great pack though

I have had recons classic and current!!! Straight forward bag...

love it i don't know why you would buy any other backpack

I would not buy this product, or any other from The North Face ever again. I purchased a Recon backpack after doing extensive research when starting university in Winter of 2014. After spending 4 hours doing online comparisons, I thought it was time to replace my Jansport backpack which I had for over a decade, & which, there was nothing wrong with it, but it did not have a Macbook pocket for a laptop. I take 3-4 courses a semester and this is all I use this backpack for. After having it for about a year, the mesh water bottle pocket wore down. I was not concerned about it really and kept using the backpack just the same. Last year, the back fabric wore down. I took it into the North Face Store in West Edmonton Mall in December of 2017 (where I purchased it) in between my semesters to have it replaced/fixed because I thought this was unusual for a lifetime warranty backpack I had had for only 3.5 years. On December 30th, the store manager replied that the warranty department could not fix it because the backpack was undergoing normal wear and tear (meaning wearing it on your back is going to destroy the fabric) I replied to the store manager with this: "Hello and good afternoon. Thank you for your response, however, I find it to be absolving your company of the onus of accountability. By simply wearing a backpack on your back, the fabric is supposed to have a complete deterioration in a mere 3 years time? How is that normal wear and tear? I would call that faulty craftsmanship and an inability to accept responsibility for a product that claims to carry a lifetime warranty, when in fact it is actually only a few years time. I do not find this acceptable. I feel like I have been duped and furthermore, that I have honestly wasted good money on a product that has no quality associated with it." I was also informed the backpack was ready to pick up, but when I spent two hours in January going to the West Edmonton Mall location to pick it up, it was not there.

I recieved this back pack as a Christmas present for a school back pack and at first I was pleased. It has a nice computer pocket and good cup holders on the sides. Although it would be a very good hiking back pack it doesn't seem like it is a good back pack for school. The biggest pocket barley fits all of my spiral notebooks and binders and it is very hard to get out. Also it is very heavy when picked up compared to my old backpack it is not light weight. Too many straps and not easily acessable. I recommend, but not for a school back pack.

Please Bring Back the NorthFace Bigshot!!!

Bought this pack for EDC and I love it. Very roomy & very comfortable.

I was iffy about TNF backpacks because I was a used to to LL Bean bookbags that I've had for the past 7yrs and the lining on the inside is falling apart so I decided to buy a north face. My main concern was wondering if my hp 15.6' laptop would fit in the sleeve and it does! :) I can fit my entire life In this bag which makes me happy. Ivhope this bag will last me as long as my LL Bean one did or longer.

It is so comfortable i can carry multiple textbooks at the same time, it protects my laptop, and i look good in it. However, i have a hard time fitting binders in it. Overall though, it is great for travel, hiking, and school and i love it, i just wish i could fit a one and a half inch binder plus some other stuff instead of only that one item.

As a high school senior, I have a lot of weight to carry around. While this backpack has served as great protection against the elements (rain and snow), I find it giving my sore shoulders both due to the strap placement and the weight. I strongly recommend going with a darker color because I purchased light grey and within a few months dirt was showing! Overall I think this is a sturdy backpack, but I would recommend something more lightweight for students.

I am a college student using this backpack strictly for school. Pros Love all the pockets and awesome internal organization pockets Nice big reinforced bottle holders Cons The plastic back support makes this backpack uncomfortable and bulky and not easily manageable, I cut mine out and the backpack is 10x more comfortable and sits upright without falling over now

For all of high school and most of college I have used my Recon backpack daily, and now after 6.5 years of heavy use it is just now showing light signs of wear. It is still holding up and usable today.

cool backpack

When my mom took me into The North Face store when I was in high school, the sales person told us that this backpack had a lifetime guarantee. I was so excited and turned to my mom and said this is great! I can jut bring it back at the end of this year when it wears out like mine do every year. Well it didn't. I used it through college, grad school, and beyond. And now I'm 33 and have 4 kids and am passing it down to my 2nd grader just so I have an excuse to finally get a new backpack. I use it constantly and it still looks new. It looks like there are so many new features now on the newer version of the same bag. I can't wait to get a new one and I hope it lasts another 15 years +!

I bought mine in 2006. It was stolen 2 days ago. In between it served as my every day carry (EDC) pack to work (construction) and computer pack, overnight bag for travelling, to the library, to the shooting range, day hiking and as a second bag when kayaking/camping. One of the lanyards for the zippers wore out a few months ago - well after 11 yrs what did I expect? :) Temporarily replaced it with a large paper clip. The front nylon mesh gets used a lot but the elastic wore out right away. It was a great place to put something damp - like a rain jacket. It was just a tad small for my 17" laptop but it fit. Also just large enough for my collapsible .22LR to take to the range. I put tools on the side cinch straps for ready access and my survival/first aid in the small pocket. The side mesh pockets are straight up instead of angled forward (this may have changed in the newer version) and were great for storing everything from a water bottle to misc. items. It had a lot of small pockets inside the second main pocket for items like pens/batteries/cords, etc. Most of them were superfluous for me. I may buy again or look for a slightly larger bag for my needs.