Customer Reviews The North Face Women's Recon

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.

I just got this backpack as an upgrade from the Jester backpack (the older model with no padding on the back) and I really love the features and size of this backpack, it's much bigger and has nicer finishes than my old one. However, I ordered the Blackberry Wine/Chambray Blue color and it's nothing like shown in the picture. The picture makes it look like the majority color is navy, but really it's more of a grayish-light blue and the purple part also has a diamond pattern on it. This color scheme really makes the light blue zippers pop out less and I was really disappointing upon receiving it as I now have to take the time to return it and buy a new color.

Loved this backpack at first, but 2 weeks in I seen the seam was ripped and one strap was longer than the other. Needless to say im returning mine.

I've used a northface backpack for about 15 years now. I've had the Jester, Recon, and Borealis. Decided to purchase a new backpack for nursing school because I loved the new colors. Upon receiving my new Recon, the colors were just as pictured online. The back padding however was super stiff and the backpack will NOT stand even when holding 20 pounds inside. (Dealbreaker) I am very disappointed in the new design of the northface backpacks. I will have to search for a new brand, sadly.

The bag is really comfortable and seems durable. However, the bag has a huge flaw. Once you put things in the main compartment, the organizing bags in the secondary compartments become useless because nothing will fit in them anymore. For something to fit in these small bags would require the main compartment to be almost empty.

I use this backpack for school and it drives me nuts that I always have to battle putting my laptop in the tight laptop compartment. I have a neoprene cover so it's hard to slide in. I had a Recon before and the laptop compartment was stretchable so I liked that better. In my backpack I can only fit max 3 textbooks, a notebook and my pen bag. Compared to the other model which more spacious. Might be best suitable for hikers with light loads not for students.

This bag was not at all as pictured. It was much darker in color. I didn't give it a chance since the color was so off. I returned and ordered a different style.

This was a gift for a family member

Love the backpack, but the color wasn't anything like displayed on website. We returned for a different NF backpack,

Sorely disappointed I did not buy last year's model of this backpack. This new model is not nearly as good looking as the previous. Will continue to search for a new favorite for school next semester.

I honestly really love the padding on this backpack, the colors are nice too! But my complaint about this backpack is the new designs... in my opinion, the old model of the recon backpack looks way better

I am 25 years old and usually wear a short beard or stubble. I have an oval shaped face, narrow nose, and shallow cheek bones. I do not have a small face, but for some reason It has always been difficult for me to find sunglasses that look nice on my face without looking too large and taking over my better features. The first time I saw a pair of these, I fell in love - But when I tried them on initially I thought they were too large! I almost bit the bullet anyways because I LOVED the subtle blue lens and when the sun hits the frames it just looks amazing. After doing some research, I found out that I had tried on the 55mm size (which is what was recommended to me) and that there was a smaller 52mm size available. For some reason most retail stores don't carry the 52mm size. I received my first pair from Zappos, and unfortunately there was a crack in the nose bridge, so I had them exchanged. Once I received my second pair, they fit perfectly - I was so excited to have a pair of sunglasses that I loved and that I thought was worth the asking price. After adjusting the sunglasses by bending the arms down, they don't slide down my nose like most sunglasses do. However; on a hot day when my nose is sweating I have to constantly push the frame back up my nose. I'm thinking of adding rubber grips to the nose pads but I'm afraid of messing of the construction/look of them. I get tons of compliments on these sunglasses from coworkers and strangers, DAILY. I was even on my lunch break when a woman approached to compliment me on these glasses and asked to have lunch with me, then she asked to have my number so we could meet up again! I'm not saying the sunglasses will get you dates, but for this woman it was what made her approach me. Side note: I ride a motorcycle and wear an open face helmet with a small pull down visor. While riding and wearing these sunglasses, they do a decent job of keeping the wind and dust out of my eyes up to about 50mph. Any higher than that and I have to pull my visor down to cover my face. Likes: Solid construction, color, thin frame, best and most attractive pair of sunglasses I have ever owned. Dislikes: slippery nose pads, sunglasses case feels cheap, not polarized.

I don't like the new recon. One suggestion I have for the backpack is PLEASE PLEASE take out the plastic board in the back of the backpack! It makes the backpack way too stiff and doesn't help the backpack stand up at all..

Poor Quality

NICE. BIG BACKPACK. NOT FLOPPY. YAY.

I would not buy this product, or any other from The North Face ever again. I purchased a Recon backpack after doing extensive research when starting university in Winter of 2014. After spending 4 hours doing online comparisons, I thought it was time to replace my Jansport backpack which I had for over a decade, & which, there was nothing wrong with it, but it did not have a Macbook pocket for a laptop. I take 3-4 courses a semester and this is all I use this backpack for. After having it for about a year, the mesh water bottle pocket wore down. I was not concerned about it really and kept using the backpack just the same. Last year, the back fabric wore down. I took it into the North Face Store in West Edmonton Mall in December of 2017 (where I purchased it) in between my semesters to have it replaced/fixed because I thought this was unusual for a lifetime warranty backpack I had had for only 3.5 years. On December 30th, the store manager replied that the warranty department could not fix it because the backpack was undergoing normal wear and tear (meaning wearing it on your back is going to destroy the fabric) I replied to the store manager with this: "Hello and good afternoon. Thank you for your response, however, I find it to be absolving your company of the onus of accountability. By simply wearing a backpack on your back, the fabric is supposed to have a complete deterioration in a mere 3 years time? How is that normal wear and tear? I would call that faulty craftsmanship and an inability to accept responsibility for a product that claims to carry a lifetime warranty, when in fact it is actually only a few years time. I do not find this acceptable. I feel like I have been duped and furthermore, that I have honestly wasted good money on a product that has no quality associated with it." I was also informed the backpack was ready to pick up, but when I spent two hours in January going to the West Edmonton Mall location to pick it up, it was not there.