Customer Reviews The North Face Borealis

ONLY ONE FULL POCKET. Do not recommend this backpack. the front pocket stops at half of the bag, so the bag is awkward and lopsided. does not sit up on its own due to the front being top heavy. The old version was much better. this is a downgrade.

I use this as my backpack for school, work, and travel. After a month, I noticed that one of the rings securing the elastic bungee cord had come off. Now after about 4 months, I noticed a hole in the space behind the outermost pocket and the middle compartment. Another review commented that the bag is very top heavy and falls over when you set it down, and I second that statement. The only redeeming quality for me is that I love the color. Ultimately super disappointing as my previous North Face backpack lasted 10 years before needing to be replaced.

I use this bag for the gym and work. The outermost compartment does not extend all the way to the bottom of the bag, resulting in a top-heavy design when fully loaded. Bag then falls over when set down.

Bought this to replace my older Borealis I bought in 2019. Compared to my older backpack, the decline in material quality is insane. Flimsier fabric. Metal zippers replaced by cheap plastic. No more vents on the shoulder straps. Less durable stitching. The cost cutting is apparent, sad to see the drop in quality. Returned the backpack in favor of my older one.

I bought this for my highschooler, hoping that it would be the same capacity as mine growing up. The new model of borealis is much smaller. The front packet does not go all the way down to the bottom and the use of space is very condensed.

Nice

TL;DR: The backpack felt too flat and not ideal for school use. The water bottle holder got loose, letting the bottle slip into the main compartment. It couldn't stand upright, showed tiny white threads after hanging it, and just wasn't as functional or durable as expectedespecially with school supplies. North Face is great, but this one didn't hit the mark SPECIFIC INFO: The build looked so.. Flat (no offence) but its not like any other backpack, yeah id use it if i were to ever go hiking but that's not the case, When i used it for school i put my water bottle (24 oz Owala water bottle) the part to hold it inside of the bag opened and got so loose that my water bottle could go inside the main packets where i put my School stuff in (I had a 3 inch binder, one composition notebook and 2 folders and a pencil case) inside of the big compartment (that isn't the laptop compartment) don't get me wrong northface is really good but i just didn't seem to like this backpack as much!! One last issue when hanging my backpack on a chair at the top of the straps you could see teeny tiny white threads each time i put it on my chair, and if i wanted to put my backpack on the floor it wouldn't stand up because it was flat in width (and length) but that's really it!!

Great bag but 2 big complaints 1) front pocket I'd zipper is half way up pocket so everything falls out of bag is upright 2) elastic strings get caught on things and are really annoying

Used this backpack only for a couple of months before the embroidery started unraveling. Even if I cut it, it keeps unraveling. Reached out with warranty claim but haven't heard back yet.:(

Material is not good. Its too thin. Seems like if i want to stick a pin it will just damage too much. Not like the other north face backpacks

One of the shoulder straps broke off only a week from when I purchased

Bought this version abut 18 months ago . Zippered separated from bag and the cord is constantly an issue. Not as well made as previous bags purchased.

This is a heavy backpack and doesn't seem to be flexible for a school. My daughter loves it but it is not my favorite for a high school kid.

Love the look but build quality is terrible. Purchased the Surge pack and the arm strap tore after a year. Purchased this one and the inner lining separated less than 6 months. Yea I'll go elsewhere.

I don't feel easy to pack items in the bag, kind of not user friendly. I feel more tightness to fill in the bag.

I was leaving on a long trip and got this bag for that reason. I absolutely can't stand this bag. It looks great, the straps are comfortable, but the bottle holder is the pits! My bottle is constantly falling out and clanking all over which is super embarrassing. The only thing that has helped is tying my water bottle in the bag with a shoe lace which doesn't look good but it functions. Absolutely do not recommend this bag at all. Because I left for an extended time I can't return it either. It also makes me think the next time I buy something I will get it from a place which honors their products more and stands behind it longer, so I will make my next purchase with the competitor. Extremely disappointed here.

Poor quality, water gets through, bag folds over, and worst of all the straps slide off my shoulders each time I wear them no matter how I adjust the bag. Not very user friendly.

Received a damaged backpack and had to ship it back. Cost of delivery was over $40 and NorthFace would not compensate for time/money lost.

Received the bag with a tear in it (covered under warranty). The price of shipping back was $50, North Face wouldn't cover. Refund takes weeks to process. No compensation for the time/money lost.

My middle schooler has been using this for over 2 weeks and I'm ready to throw it out. The backpack is extremely top heavy due to the front pockets only being on the top portion of the bag and the inner pockets hold very little gear. The front strap system is also throwing the entire bag off balance. It looks like a nice bag but performance wise, this is not it.

This bag has constantly let me down over the course of my time using it. My biggest complaint is that the design is extremely poor, and the bag constantly folds over itself when I put anything in the second largest pouch (see photo). Additionally, there's holes in both water bottle holders that make water bottles slip thru every time. Overall disappointed with the quality and would recommend a different bag for anyone.

I bought this backpack this summer, and my son did not use it until the school year started. It's the 3rd week of school. My son just picked up his backpack, and the shoulder strap ripped off.

I ordered this product online however when I got it there were so many fraying edges and straps that were stiff and crinkly.

the elastic straps have snapped twice, its not even worth trying to get them fixed. the backpack is incredibly comfortable when packed ~Just~ right. arguably the most comfortable backpack I own. but overstuffed? Terrible. not completely full? Terrible. I frequently keep a blanket shoved in the bottom of this backpack to keep it from feeling floppy. putting the two small pockets up high means putting anything in there makes the backpack so top heavy. and these are exactly the pockets where I put essentials that are always in the backpack, so its always an issue. cant set it down on the ground upright. cant open the main pocket without it spilling over. its so frustrating, it feels like they made this thing upside down. Maybe it works great in Australia. suggestions to TNF: replace the elastics with some straps. switch the top pockets to the bottom so they help hold the backpack up. add compression straps to the side (these can hold the water bottles in place) detach the bottom compression from the back cushion (using them currently turns the backpack bean shaped which is uncomfortable) if you have a bored designer who wants to call me you have my email. TLDR: great backpack to wear, Terrible to pack and open. Bad build quality.

The string thing on the back snapped after a month of use. I only went to work as well. really bad quality. Super frustrating.