Customer Reviews The North Face Borealis

I think I bought this when I didn't know what I was looking for in a backpack, and it wasn't cheap! Now that I've used others, I can't wait to get rid of this one and buy something else. Main cons: WAY too heavy, has a sloped bottom so when you put it down on the floor or a chair, it ALWAYS falls forward (silly, I know, but it bothers me). Also the side pockets I use for my water bottle have worn through and ripped (I've had this bag for 3 years). The back pad is so thick and wide, and it gets really hot if you're walking anything more than a couple blocks with it. Definitely don't recommend for hiking/ trekking but could be useful for someone who doesn't have to carry much or travel long distances... but maybe just use your purse.

I ordered the zinc grey heather/ surf green women's borealis backpack and the backpack was much smaller than expected. The grey color also looked black and was not as attractive as what was pictured.

I bought this right before I took a trip and used it for 2 and it is already showing fraying, pilling and loose seams. The shoulder straps already have a frayed look and pilling on the mesh. There are also undone seams already which makes me question the integrity of the backpack. I understand what wear and tear is on a backpack but for it to show these signs only 2 weeks after use is absurd. I doubt I will be buying much else from TNF with their quality of products declining. You can barely fit anything in the main compartment if you have a laptop in the bag and items in the front section. Honestly, I am just disappointed in the backpack overall. Otherwise, I love the Night Green Color.

The first week I have used this My shoulder and back have been hurting for 3 days. The backpack is already faling apart. The stitching is coming out and I am returing it. It is beautiful, convertable, and nice...but its not worth the money I spent. Additionally it is pretty small for the stuff I do.

When I got this backpack as a gift, I loved it. It was cute and seemed spacious. When it was time to use it for school, not all my binders fit and the pouch sizes are awkward. Also, the bottom strap around the waist is way too long. Once I had all my books in it, my shoulders started to hurt and was leaving red marks.

hi i bought this backpack under a year and the backpack side pockets are already breaking. it has holes now from my daily use to keep my water bottle and thermos. my old north face backpack lasted me 10 years. this one barely last 1 year. i wish the material was the same as i had when i got it 10 years ago. now i don't feel that north face backpack are as good. now i have to go out and spend more $$$ to have a durable backpack hoping to last more than 1 year.

I've seen so many great reviews of this backpack and decided to try it out for myself for school. What I did not expect was the backpack to wear out so easily and the zippers staining when I've kept it in mint condition. On top of that there's no way to clean it so I'm stuck with a fairly new backpack that looks quite old. Would I purchase this again probably not but it was a good backpack while it lasted

Overall, this is a great backpack. But the problem with it comes from the back of the backpack. It literally kills my shirts. Because of the mesh behind the backpack, my clothes got worn at the spot where the backpack touches my lower back. I didn't realize that after awhile. Same spot on every shirt. I am not happy about that. And I certainly don't know how to fix it. So please fix it!

Loved the design but I returned it for the woman's one. The style of the bag didn't fit my smaller back. The large pocket is very deep and awkward for books. The laptop sleeve is extremely tight. the middle pocket is also oddly deep. It bulges at the top part of the pocket. I would recommend the cheaper version.

I got the TNF Black/Origin Blue model. The colors definitely did not match the stock picture. The blue is more of a grayish color in artificial lighting. However it does appear more blue under sunlight. I wore the backpack for two days for college and it felt very heavy. This might be because I've been using a Jansport Superbreak for the past 4 years, which is 0.75 lbs compared to the Borealis' 2 lb. The Borealis looks big but it actually doesn't fit much. I could barely fit a 2 inch binder inside with two other notebooks plus my wallet and some other little items. Carrying three notebooks and some small personal items felt as heavy as carrying a textbook and 3 notebooks in my Jansport. Overall, this is not a good backpack if you want to use it for school or traveling, because it will not fit much. However, if you are just using it to carry a laptop to work, it could be a good backpack for you.

When I got this bag the plum colored pieces that hold on the jacket string were gray not plum colored as pictures. I called to tell them about this and all they could offer me was a 10% refund. Unhappy about this because that is false advertisement. This bag is very plain and looks very ungirly.

Loved the look,design, and space but was way to heavy and uncomfortable

This is a great looking bag but that's it! Very bulky and extremely heavy. I'm a college student and can only fit one book and binder in comfortably. The design was with good intentions but it's impossible to utilize all the pockets due to lack of space. I really looked forward to using it but unfortunately I had to return it. I was surprised at all the great reviews (??)

I bought this backpack for high school. Online, it looked big enough for a couple binders and a textbook. WRONG! Don't recommend if you are looking for a large backpack.

The backpack looked much bigger online. It is extremely small nd is no way fit for high school. My daughter is going into 8th grade and there is no way it could be used (just too small). it is very hard and uncomfortable but built very well. i would not recommend this backpack for school, but it could be used to hold a very little amount and for the price, would recommend a BIGGER backpack.

As it says old school. I bought the pack to replace a Borealis that I bought somewhere around 1999. Not the same pack. I didn't think that the laptop sleeve would be a hinderance, but for me it is. I was looking for a little daypack that I could dump stuff into. TNF has been great but I need to find something else.

I thought the bookbag was very cute and I loved how many pockets it had. However, the straps were very uncomy and it didnt seem like it would give my back a lot of supprort.

The bag on looked very big when I got it home it was way to small for me

I wish I could give this review a 0/5. Previously I had a North Face Borealis backpack for 7 years. The padding wore down but after 7 years it was justifiable to buy a new one. Last year I bought a new one an 3 months in I had to sent it in because the strap had broke off. After I sent it in I thought it was fixed or so I thought. So now a year after not only is the strap ripping that I sent in to get fixed but the stitching of the backpack is coming undone and the backpack is starting to tear apart. I did not pay this much money to have my backpack fall apart so many times. I tried to talk to customer service about replacing the backpack and they made it clear that I had to send it in and they would decide if it should be replaced or simply fixed. Clearly it should not be just fixed if this is the second time in two years. Also about myself I am a college student that uses this backpack for school and work. Most days I go straight from class to work. That being said as a college student working a low paying job I bought this backpack to last not to send in every few months.

I should have listened to the other bad reviews. I had high hopes for this though because there were also so many good reviews. THIS BACKPACK IS EXTREMELY STIFF! It is NOT comfortable at all! The back and the shoulder straps are sooo hard. I'm so disappointed. I also wish the backpack would stand up by itself if not leaned against a wall. For an expensive item, you would expect better. They really need to redo this design. I was really looking forward to this backpack, I'm so sad! I'm sure there are better options out there with other brands. I'm going to return this and find something else.

I bought this book bag to replace my first Northface book bag that I had for years and loved. I was really excited for this purchase when I finally got it in the mail. It had a lot of room and was extremely comfortable. But, within a week of using it at school, I began to notice that the water bottle pockets were ripping. I could not believe it because my original book bag never had wear and tear so quickly. Now, I have two large holes on both water bottle pockets. Also, the inside lining is ripping off. I don't know why the quality of the book bag has decreased so significantly, but I will be looking at different brands in the future.

I use this backpack for school. I love the laptop sleeve, which is the reason I bought it. But the backpacks's straps are breaking. I don't even carry a lot in it besides my laptop.

this backpack had really no room other then the exact pockets. it hurt my shoulders really badly and i only had it for one day. fit my laptop fine and has lots of pockets but just stiff as a board. i tried to return after one day of knowing it's not going to work and both face refuses to accept it because i used it. never shopping through north face again

I would not recommend this backpack if you need to carry a lot of things. It Can fit barely anything before it starts to weigh a ton. There is a large hard flat piece on the back not allowing the bag to get smaller, it always stays the same shape ( not practical on airplanes where space is limited). I used this backpack to travel and I could not comfortably fit a laptop and tablet inside, along with other travel necessities. I wish I could return this product- sadly it was a gift and I used it immediately after receiving it for a trip. Huge waste of money that I'll never get back. I'll be looking for another backpack.

I ordered this backpack in TNF WHITE/CALYPSO CORAL and was disappointed when it arrived. The backpack itself was very well designed but the white of the front was extremely see-through.