Customer Reviews The North Face Recon

I've had this same pack for awhile now. And let me just tell you, I commute everywhere with it, even packed full it's comfortable, I mountain bike pretty hardcore, SO PERFECT In the Laptop compartment it has a clip perfect for a camel H2O pack. It's like it's meant to be, never punctured or anything for me. And I allso have a 17inch laptop, first bag I've ever owned that works with it comfortable. It has so many bells and whistles it's unbelievable. All of the clips and zippers are really high quality and don't seem to be breaking or wearing hard anytime soon. None of the miscellaneous strings and anything ever get caught up and In anywhere, I just wish they had a restraint for the waist strap. Because sometimes that gets annoying I resorted to zip ties. And it's as waterproof as a tortoise shell, I mean like NO water could ever penetrate this thing from the front of it at least. And it's really breathable, also. It's a really non-fatiguing pack, too! If you ever want a pack that'll live throughout you're long life. And still have some life in it. This is tho one. Good day to you all.

This backpack is everything I was looking for. It holds my 32oz water bottle securely, my 17" laptop (a little snug, but it works!), an extra pair of shoes, and all my other stuff that I find myself needing on a daily basis. I use it mostly for commuting/school, but have also taken it on day hikes and it's so comfortable, even when I have it filled to the brim. I also use this backpack while a passenger on my partner's motorcycle, and I like to think the bright yellow color draws more attention to us so that other drivers take more notice. And I know it doesn't say that it's waterproof, but I got caught i n a huge Texas summer storm recently while waiting for the bus, and everything inside was dry, dry, dry. That was a wonderful surprise.

This is a gorgeous stylish backpack with many great features. My only surprise was the weight. I should have checked before ordering (2 pounds 8 ounce) and now I am not sure whether to keep or return it. I have back and shoulder problems and am leaving for an extended trip. I have decided to take a smaller daypack that weighs a fraction of this pack's weight for the trip as I plan to take everything in one carryon and cannot afford the extra weight. I am considering keeping it nevertheless since its such a great pack otherwise. I just was surprised by the heft when I took it out of the bag. I ordered a smaller pack not expecting it to be hefty. To be fair, it does have reinforced padding and computer slot and padding which helps to explain the weight.

This is a great quality, stylish backpack. There are a ton of straps, and the zippers feel really nice and sturdy. I only wish there was a real third pocket instead of the little pouch kind of thing, although it does help keep the bulk down. Also, I'm a fan of the scarlet and grey looking colors. Go bucks!

Great looking bag! I bought this as a gift for my husband when he travels. Lots of pockets and storage.

Great pack. Holds all my things. Comfortable! Looks Good. What more can I say? Really gets the job done and a great multipurpose bag.

Great pack! Very sturdy and adjustable straps make it easy to adjust depending on what your doing with the bag. I have gone hiking, biking, geocaching, traveling and even for work. Works good!

I bought this for my 9 year old boy entering 4th grade! It is great - plenty of room and very durable.

Unfortunately we had to return this one in Barolo Red since it is a women's Recon backpack (not specified on the Zappos description) and we were looking for a mens/unisex one. Otherwise, the backpack is great! My son has had a Recon for over 4 years and the only parts that have shown wear have been the side mesh water bottle pockets and the front clip. Otherwise, it's held up amazingly well. Prior to the Recon, we would buy Lands End backpacks and they would barely last a school year. The material and construction of North Face recons are far superior and really built to last with heavy wear in mind.

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

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

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.

I really like the colors of this bag. I love all of the compartments. I've been using this backpack for school and some light travel for just over a year. There are no tears, fading, or any damage whatsoever, it is very durable. When I first got this bag, I noticed it was very stiff but was hoping it would loosen up but to this day, it is still stiff in the part against your back and in the shoulder straps. The padding is still stiff and I don't notice any benefit with the FlexVent. The bag itself is light, but once you put a notebook and a pencil case in it, it starts weighing more. The computer sleeve is slightly too small for my HP Envy laptop but with a little wiggling, it slides right in just enough for the bag to zip. Once you add a computer, the bag gets extremely heavy and can hurt your shoulders. For me, on a regular school day, I will have my laptop, chargers, one spiral notebook, a pencil pouch, odd things that I keep in my bag (gum, snacks, hair ties, etc.), and a water bottle. If I try to put anything else in my bag, I have to push and shove to get it in there. It seems very tight considering I only have a thing laptop and one spiral notebook. If you need to take a lot of textbooks to class, you will end up carrying them. One thing that really grinds my gears about this bag is that it has the hardest time sitting up on its base. I will have it full with everything I need for the day but it will not sit up on its base by itself, it always needs to be leaning against something or just laying on its back. Mine always ends up sliding and falling onto its back, even when I am putting my items in it! Really annoying, especially when you are in a rush and the bag is not participating. It gets the job done, though. Great quality and color.

i loved the backpack but its a little stiff, i think i need to break it in and use it for a while. the only thing i don't really like is that there are a lot of tassels to tighten the straps. its great for outdoors and hiking but for work or school the straps and tassels get in the way

This is a great backpack!!! - and I'm a tough critic. I shopped around heavily and nothing compares for all-around-daily-use. As a Brooklynite (no car) I use it daily for carrying every-thing for work commute, lugging around workout gear/professional gear, air-travel/weekend get-aways, and getting groceries/supplies. Simply put, it's my man-purse with extra cargo space for business and travel. I use the backpack so much it (they) become too grungy to be "presentable" so every few years I buy a new one - donating my old (after cleaning it best I can). I've gone through 2 and will likely replace my third soon. Owning several generations of this backpack design, I've seen it evolve over time and get better with each version. Still, one improvement I'm waiting for Northface to implement would be making the interior with a "high-contrast" bright colored material (like professional camera equipment bags do) as that the (typically) black interior makes finding things an unnecessary struggle - and as my "man-purse with extra cargo room", you can imagine that finding all those little things fast gets frustrating - particularly in low light environments. - fixing this is easily engineered by using bright "high contrast" colors for interior materials (hint hint Northface). Note: I have consistently busted the front chest strap on all my bags. The chest-strap has an elastic component which makes it more comfortable but doesn't hold up over time - a fix for this could/should be engineered (...) Also note: eventually the zipper will tend to habitually snag on the "rain flap/deflector" for the zipper - which isn't uncommon given the heavy use/wear but this too could/should be engineered better.

I wanted a backpack that was big enough for all my stuff and had multiple organization pockets and this bag is perfect for that! I'll admit sometimes it does been hard against my back but chest and hip straps help aleve some of that pressure when I use them. Overall a good purchase

I am a student and I have had this backpack for 3 years. This backpack doesn't have enough space for many of the textbooks that I use in school, but I can fit a 3 inch binder with a couple of folders with out the backpack geting too bulky. The zippers snag frequently, but this backpack is made out of good material since it hasn't torn yet. All in all, I give this backpack 4 stars.

I bought this backpack to mainly carrry my books, tablets, etc... to work or to study. However, I found it is very comfortable when riding my bike with my gear. Also, the space of this bag allows me to pack for weekend trips. Finally, I have taken out my work and school items and thrown in my 10 essentials, binoculars, camera equipment, and a water reservoir and taken on some day hikes. The only thing I wish the Recon had was a way to lash my trekking poles to it when I don't need them. The Recon is a great multifunctional backpack.

I bought this for my sister who is in college and she loves it.

Got this backpack for school. The color is not as bright and vibrant as the picture indicates which is disappointing but still a good backpack. Even my camera makes the backpack look more vibrant than it really is. The main color is more a darker purple.

Great product. I bought the TNF black and assumed it would be all black like the picture but some of the straps are grey.

I frequently use this backpack for light travel, such as as hiking. It is very lightweight and easily able to hold a full days worth of food and clothes. It is comfortable, but the long straps that hang down are from the tightening clips are unnecessarly long. I would reccomend this backpack for anyone who takes small hikes, commutes daily, or needs an inexpensive bag for occasional use.

Used this backpack for day trips to Disneyland. It is comfortable and holds a lot. The backpack is slightly heavy without anything in it.

I use this product for school and I love it very much. Lightweight and can hold multiple binders. Many pockets for all my school supplies.

Overall I am satisfied with this backpack and plan to use it for the rest of college. However, there are a few things about this backpack that bother me. 1) I ordered the surf green color, in the picture it looked more mint colored, when I got it, it was more of a pastel neon green, if you can imagine that. Overall I was very disappointed with the color. 2) The bag is smaller than I thought it would be. I am a college student and needed a large bag, I find myself having to chose which things to leave each day because this backpack just cannot fit it all. Despite these issues I have been able to continue using this backpack and I would recommend it as long as the buyer is awareness that it is smaller than other bags.