Customer Reviews The North Face Women's Recon

I just received this product and although online I loved it, I am not pleased with the plastic sleeve at the back. This should have been part of the description. It makes the bag a little stiff. I wish it was a removable option. Not sure if I will keep it or not. Everything else described is perfect.

I has a RECON backpack for over 8 years. So when I came to Northface to buy another backpack I did exactly know what I want, another RECON backpack. Compare to my previous RECON packpack: shoulder padding is stiff (I guess it might get better after using the backpack more) The waist belt is narrow and not comfortable at all around your waist (I am wondering why they changed the design) I found the new shape design more supportive for my back (however I kinda think the previous RECON could get more load) The padding has definitely improved They have removed the little buckle inside the backpack that would support the laptop inside laptop sleeve (I really liked that little buckle, it would make me think my laptop is safe) Overall I expected more from the new design and if you ask me, I honestly prefer the previous design. I love Northface quality so I am not going to return this back, I wish I was more satisfied with the designe though :( I really hope somebody reads the reviews and take them into account for their future designs.

This bag is more casual looking than I expected.

It's just a little to heavy for my liking.

This backpack is great for carrying heavy loads. This is probably the most comfortable I've ever been carrying a laptop, charger, a huge textbook, notebooks, pens and highlighters, and other personal items. The straps are comfortable and the backpack feels like a tank in that it is so protective of the the laptop and of your shoulderblades. However, the inside is just badly designed. I can only fit one textbook in this backpack (which is good - it encourages me to carry less), but that just means that I have to hold the other one in my hands. And the second pocket is just ridiculous. It has designated space for a ipad mini tablet and a phone. What percentage of people who own this packpack also own an ipad mini? Certainly well under half. Who carries a phone deep inside a backpack? No. People carry wallets and pens and highlighters and chapstick and lotion and chargers and things like that. And the pockets are designed such that all of that stuff just kind of has to get thrown in. Very frustrating and very hard to get things you need quickly.

I bought this backpack for my highschooler and ended up having to return it because too much space was allocated to the laptop sleeve which limited the main compartment space for books & binders.

I am satisfied with this backpack. It is a little uncomfortable though because it is very stiff. There is a lot of room to keep items like gum, headphones, a planner, etc. the main part could have more storage because my computer takes up a lot of the space.

I loved the color of the backpack online but when I got it the color didn't look anything like it did on here.

Great backpack. Just not the same color as described at all. Returned and exchanging for a different color.

I had always admired the recon backpack, so I decided to purchase it since I will be starting college this fall. When I went online, I noticed that a new design was replaced with the old backpacks. Not gonna lie, I was a little saddened, because I loved the design of the old backpack. But, I still went ahead and purchased this one. The backpack is designed great, it fits alot of things very easily. But there's a huge downsider- the straps are VERY uncomfortable. The new backpacks have this weird attachment that connects the back of the backpack to the straps, you can see it in the photos. But, that area creates horrible pain when I wear the backpack. Even pain after I took it off! The backpack also doesn't stand on it's on! The back support is longer than the bottom of the "sack" so it makes the backpack lean forward. There is no flat surface on the bottom. A real disappointment, it is not comfortable at all. Not satisfied 100% with this design, and it's sad because I really was expecting something wonderful! I will be purchasing an old "out of season" recon on a different website and when it comes in, compare it to this recon to see which backpack I like better. The old backpacks have a smooth strand, which I am hoping will work better for me. Really wish I could say I love it, but I don't. Don't think the packs should have been changed so much.

Awesome backpack. Tons of room! Love the laptop sleeve. Not near as bright as the picture shown. Very disappointed in that aspect.

Overall a good backpack. The material used is durable though I'm not sure how it would do in rainy weather. Lots of pockets of different sizes for your storage needs. Sturdy back for shoulder and back support. The only reason it did not get an extra star was because the laptop compartment was too small for my laptop. Unless you have a smaller than average portable PC you'll find your laptop asking for more space. Otherwise, I'd choose this pack as my everyday carry.

I bought this backpack for our Disneyland trip where I carried it all day for 7 days straight. I have 4 kids that I had to carry food, water and entertainment for along with me. This backpack is HEAVY even when empty. It has a lot of space to store a lot of stuff but because it starts out as heavy as it does I didn't put as much in it as I would have liked. Also, the shoulder straps rubbed a spot on the top of my shoulders so much I had to put some body glide under my tee shirt in that spot. It was better on the colder days as I had more layers of jackets under the straps to pad my shoulders. Overall this bag was a disappointment. I don't think I will be taking it on another trip.

The bag is comfy but not as comfy as the vault bag for women. The extra compartments are great w great ways to organize, however when testing it out the middle and front zippers kept catching the material trim and it was not smooth at all to zip, I could forsee my frustration with it getting stuck constantly when it happened each time I zipped and unzipped while testing from home. The bags nice and big but I chose the Northface vault for women, it was more comfy on my back, easier to use and a nice size for school bag or hiking use. You can try it but I recommend trying the vault or comparing with something at the same time to get a real feel for how it should fit and feel. I purchased 3 total and picked the vault for women of the 3. Quickly noticed all the differences. Easy decision.

Great bag, but the padding in the laptop sleeve is very thick and stiff as a board. If it was just trimmed a half in all around I could work with it, but since there is no way to do that, it is uncomfortable to wear. I am only 5 feet tall so the stiffness of this bag makes it appear bigger than it is on me.

I purchased this backpack for my daughter for school. She loved it. However, the stretchy mess on the front fell apart quickly. I contacted The North Face, and they called it "everyday wear and tear," and it is not covered. Unfortunate! I think that it is a poor design since the rest of the backpack looks and performs like new.

I've switched from the old version of the recon backpack to this one but I prefer the old one over this for a couple reasons. Pro: 1. Love the padding material on the back of the new backpack as the old one had a material that would wear out my clothes due to how abrasive it was. 2. Love the new back zipper pocket for laptops as I can easily access my laptop even though my bag is full. Con: 1.The height of the backpack is much taller or longer than the previous one and it's hard to place it on my lap since it slides right off as it's longer than my thigh. If the backpack was shorter 2 inches then it would be perfect. 2. The bottom of the women's recon backpack is like an egg shape so it's hard to keep it upright since it's curved. It would be nice if the curve was flatter and the bottom less stiff since it hurts when I place the bag on my lap. 3. The front zipper pocket (not the hidden one) used to go all the way to the bottom of the backpack but this new version only goes halfway which is annoying since it limits what I can put there. 4. Lastly, the capacity of the backpack decreased so significantly.. I used to be able to stuff 8 textbooks no problem but now it fits 4 max.

Not big enough for a junior high student. Cannot fit two three-ring binders with spirals. Pretty narrow toward the bottom. The shipping was a disaster also; arrived 4 days late.

This is not very big for school in my opinion, the mesh ripped when I just put a small BOOK in it, now the whole mesh part is ruined. I promise I was not throwing my backpack around, I tried the be careful and I only had it for one year of school. I don't recommend now I have to find a new backpack

I use this backpack for school and trips. The front visible pocket now has loose threads, rips, and tears in it. The damage on the front happened fast and I expect it to get worse. I don't like wearing it now because people walking behind me can see that it's damaged. I'm a very good customer of the North Face and would not expect the quality of the front pocket to be so low.

Used for work to carry relatively light items (tablet, journal, pens, wallet). Seams tore easily. This version seems to be less durable than past Recon backpack I owned. I still like the design format of pocket placement for Recon.

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!

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.

Ok so I had this backpack for about four months before the straps completely ripped off. Grated, I'm a student...so I cary fairly heavy books. But this backpack is built for hiking and other very trying activities, and the fact it broke after just four months of use is disappointing. I like the style of this backpack and its pretty roomy, but the seams were just so weak. I'm gonna give this pack another try (maybe it was a manufacturing issue?). Anyways, I would just be aware of the weakness of the straps of this product, especially if you carry heavier items.

I bought this backpack for my first year of college, knowing that in the past I really liked backpacks from North Face. Before my second semester I bought a new backpack from a different company because this one was so uncomfortable to carry. It hurt my back, the straps would rub my arms and neck, and it wasn't even big enough to be carry all the notebooks I needed in a day. I will not be purchasing again due to the fact that you are spending so much money on a bag that hurts your back so badly when you've only been carrying it for 10 minutes. Very disappointed.