Customer Reviews The North Face Borealis Backpack

I bought this for a 2 week combination business trip/vacation in Europe. I did a lot of research and chose this based on the great Zappos customer reviews. My 17 inch laptop fit well with some room to spare. The bag held all of my work papers and the balance of my personal vacation items. Side mesh pockets were perfect for my water bottle. The bag is a bit big for daily use, but for a vacation carrying lots of stuff, perfect! Highly recommend!

This is the best bag for me! It is so comfortable and fashionable too! I am very happy with my purchase. Zappos shipped it so fast too. I've received my bag in two days after I laced my order. Thumbs up!

Have been using this pack for day trips throughout SE Asia. Capacity is quite generous. Nice pockets, strong zippers and durable materials. My only complaint is that the shoulder straps are rather wide, more appropriate for men than women. I have the ink blue and love the color!

I loved this bag! It was exactly as Zappos described it. It arrived very quickly and was just what I was hoping it would be like. I purchased this bag for a trip to Europe in the Fall, so I haven't actually used it yet. I really like the inner utility/media pocket. It has a place for just about anything including: MP3 player, cell phone, journal, calculator, etc. I also like the reflective tabs on the front of the bag, which make it easy to see or be seen in the dark. North Face products are always high quality, so I'm sure it will hold up just fine. I'm looking forward to putting it to the test soon. I would highly recommend this bag, especially the brown/black combo.

I ordered the bag for my boyfriend because he carried an old, ugly, back in the day lap top bag. He wanted a backpack that would fit his 17" laptop and this was it. He loves it. He can fit his laptop along with a couple books and materials such as pens can be organized in a separate pocket. It is a sleek design, not bulky, and provides adequate protection and space.

I have a small frame and it fits perfectly on my back. Worth every penny! Great pockets...I managed to fit everything I needed for a weekend getaway.

I commute on foot or by bus and have neck issues so a backpack has worked the best for me (instead of messenger-style or duffel/tote bags). Tried out different styles and brands and so far, this has worked out. The sizing is great; fits my shoulders and the length is just right (I'm 5’3”.) It is large enough to fit all my stuff, distribute the weight well, is sturdy with good zippers, and I don't look like a high school kid. I use this backpack every day to commute to work with my gym stuff (shoes, clothes) and has enough room to fit an extra change of clothes. I don't carry a laptop in it (though it has a deep pocket with a strap to hold it to the back of the pack) so put my gym shoes (sz 8.5) in there. There's 2 mesh pockets on the outside that can hold water bottles. I find it very useful to carry a banana in the outside pocket without the banana getting all brown by the time I get to work. I thought I'd never use the bungee on the outside but it's been great to strap in a light jacket. It's also a handy place to stick your hat in it when you have your pack off while riding the bus and pulling it out when getting off the bus. So far I've only used it while the weather has been nice, we'll see how it does in the wetter and stormier months. Need to comment on the color. Gypsy Pink didn't tell me much but the coloring is awesome. Most of the pack is purpley-red, with a panel of brighter red in the front with accents of bright pink (bungee, and a few strips in the front) and grey. It's a adult girl's pack. :)

I love this bag! I got it for camping this summer and it is great! It has quite a bit of room and is very comfortable. The different pockets and holders are nice. The best part is that it looks great! My boyfriend is thinking about getting one as well.

This very stylish backpack is professional-looking enough for me to carry it to work and to MBA classes interchangeably. It seems to have a lot of straps hanging off it at first, but you can easily remove and store the waist belt straps for future use. The bag has good organizational features and I like its ability to carry a couple liters of water. Overall a great bag.

North Face Borealis - This pack is awesome. Looks great, very functional and worth every penny. Comfortable, hold way more than I would have thought, great individual storage compartment, totally recommend for you.

Excellent medium sized day pack - Got this to hold a Mac 15" since old TNF pack is for biking and a little small. Loved the helmet holding attachment on the old pack, but the cords on this work fine for that. I'm 5'3" and didn't want a huge pack. Good size, good ventilation design for my back (hate having a pack that sticks to me), and it's nice looking. Overall very happy with the choice. Do wish it opened all the way (the zips down the sides) and that the pockets inside were of a heavier fabric like my old pack. Computer pocket makes up for all that though and also appreciate the cinches on the side pockets since old bag didn't have that and the elastic does go after a while. Straps are a little far apart for my female shoulders, but the chest strap solves that.

Lacking in size for high school students - This is a well constructed backpack. The material, etc. is of high quality but the size of the back is not sufficient for high school students to carry their textbooks and binders in. If you are looking for a backpack that is small and will hold just a couple of books, I would recommend the Borealis. My son took his to school only one day and then changed back to last year's Under Armour backpack because it is much larger.

Great style - North Face is the "in" bookbag at my daughter’s high school. I'm thankful you had such a good selection so I didn't have to beat the pavement again this year in search of the "perfect bookbag." Plenty of room, good padded straps, and "cool" styling.

Wonderful - I love wearing backpacks, and this bag did not dissapoint me whatsoever. I got the Spanish Rust color, and it looks great. It's very comfortable, and there is ample space for stuff that you would carry from day to day. I highly recommend this bag, as you will not regret buying it if you decide to make the decision to purchase it. Hope this review helps!

2 College guys - Both my sons asked for this backpack for Christmas and were thrilled to receive it. They can carry more in the backpack (books, notebooks, etc.) and it will be great for their hikes and backpacking in So. California.

Great bag - Very sturdy, good quality material. Comfy shoulder straps. I have a really big laptop and it fits really well.

I bought this model 4 years ago. I just had to replace it because 2 zippers broke down, ones on the smaller pockets - so it was not because of heavy loads. The pack is very heavy empty, 1# more than the similar volume backpack that I just replaced it with. And I didn\'t seem to gain sturdiness for the extra pound I carried every day! Also this bag is relatively long, so it was not so comfortable for someone with a short torso.

I got this backpack as a splurge to hopefully last all through high school. By the end of my first semester of freshman year, it was much more worn (fraying at the bottom, etc.) and dirty than the one I had all through middle school was after 3.5 years of use. It was also so small that my FIFTEEN inch laptop barely fit and actually broke a little bit on the corner while in the backpack. It looks small, too -- I'm a girl and it's pretty much too small on me so I'm sure it would look comical on a big 6' guy. I've gone back to my old middle school one but am saving for a Big Shot -- to give North Face another chance.

I don\'t love this bag. Contrary to one review I read, it really is too big for a 5\'4" woman. The pouches are all the wrong size and shape, and there\'s no small internal zipper pouch for a wallet, change, or the various sundries women need to carry around. Everything goes into one of the 3 big pouches and gets lost in the bottom somewhere. I am a grad student and have a lot of books to carry, though, and this bag does have plenty of room, and the shoulder straps (though they are too wide for my frame) are well-padded. If I hadn\'t spent so much on this one I would probably go back to the old Jansport I used in undergrad.

So, this backpack is very cute and Zappos delivered it quickly. But, it is WAY too small. All you can possibly fit is a computer and one notebook. So, if you want to use it for school... do not get this backpack.