Customer Reviews The North Face Borealis

I decided on this bag for class. Off the rack, the bag looked great, appeared roomy and practical for what I needed it for. Right before school started, I packed my bag with all of my items - just three notebooks and one binder, which filled the entire main compartment. No more room for additional books or extras, which is what I found disappointing, considering the bag looks very large at first glance. You'd think it would fit much more! And I guess I am the only one who thinks the fit is strange and uncomfortable; I'm surprised with all of the rave reviews. Even with adjustments, the bag had an odd too-high-fit on my back, and despite all of the cushioning (the cushioning was nice, actually), the fit still felt rigid and stiff. The way the backing is structured reminded me of the top of a plastic storage bin covered with cushioned fabric - didn't seem like it would break in over time. I did appreciate all of the extra little pockets to store miscellaneous items, but overall I disliked the bag overall and unfortunately ended up returning it. I went with a Patagonia Paxat instead, which felt amazing the moment I put it on.

This is a good looking backpack, but i've got a couple concerns... Firstly, the straps are hard as heck.. I am praying that its just an issue that is not going to stay around, Im hoping that i can break into the straps to make it more adaptable to my shoulders. Secondly, the back board is extremely hard.. it was a bit bent when it came to me which i have no big issue about, but when i tried to bend it back. It was very hard material so it was difficult. I thought that this "backboard" on the bag would be not such thick material up to the point where its so solid where you can even stand the bag up without having to lean it on something. This "backboard" is for ur back to be against as well as a inner pocket where most likely a laptop sleeve would be place.... mine did NOT come with a laptop sleeve, it was straight up this hard foam material. Thirdly, this bad is quite heavy as it is, without nothing in it. It is heavy duty, but if ur looking to purchase this for someone whose in middle school or quite small like i am. I wouldn't recommend. The design of this bag is stunning and is what originally drew me into this buy, but I hope that North Face does consider changing the material of the straps as well as the "backboard" of the bag. For now, I'm going to hope that im able to break into my bag and somehow get it to mold someone into a comfy position for me.

I ordered the grey stone/mint blue backpack and if you look at the picture it would appear to be purple and blue. It came in the mail and is clearly grey and blue unless under bright, fluorescent lights. Misleading but seems like a nice back pack.

I was really excited for my backpack to arrive. Once I got it, I started putting stuff into it and I realized that the backpack doesn't actually hold as much stuff. The way the backpack is built, you end up packing up, rather than having enough room for it to expand. The backpack doesn't expand and it is very deep so I find myself digging all the way down to find my things.

It wore out after the first year. The strap broke off, the pockets ripped. I thought these were supposed to last. My friends jansport lasted longer.

I bought the one that had the pinkish purple bands. I can't say that it looked like you he picture and I am unsatisfied with the color it actually was.

The online picture of the color for the zncgyhr/surf green looks completely different in person than online. This was very misleading and needs to be fixed!

I like the design of the backpack!

The color and everything is perfect on the bag the reason I'm only giving it 3 stars is because there isn't a laptop sleeve and I pretty much payed for that specific part sadly that's the only issue overall it seems very nice

I love the physical features of the book bag and the amount of pockets and zippers it has. However, the color of the book bag I received, was not at all like the color in the photo. I bought a turquoise and cream colored bag, and ended up getting one that was more grey and dark green. Also in the photo it showed the handle on the bag was going to be a different color than what I received.

I use this product for college, but it is definitely too small to fit all my books and computer. It is kind of frustrating to fit it all in everyday.

This is an ok bookbag. I expected a little more from North Face. My primary use is for college/grad school. Some pros I've found is that it has many pockets, quality is there, durable, and expandable using the buckles. However, I'm not sure I would purchase this again personally. I wish I better understood the importance of the bookbag weight prior to adding stuff inside the backpack. This bag is sturdy but is a little heavier than others. In addition, when I first got this bag, the flexvent part needs to be broken in. It definitely becomes softer over time, becoming better with age. It hurt my back for a few months to start. I originally bought this backpack to have better ergonomics.

I liked the style of the navy blue and what appeared to be red string thing. Turns out it's actually pink. Wasn't happy about this but it's got great coverage for my Mac. The straps sort of feel like they put in cardboard.

the only thing that was wrong with my order was that I was under the impression that the straps and the zippers were going to be the same teal as the straps in the front of the backpack and they were not. other than that it is a great backpack!

Loves the looks of this product but it was too smal to fit my school binders.

I love the print, however there was a flaw in the internal material of the largest compartment. I did not catch it right away. By the time I had caught it I told myself it was a little thing in the big scheme of things & to let it go. I'm having a hard time letting it go. I think it's gotten a little bigger & I'm frustrated because the backpack was / is pricy & should not have come with a defect. North Face is known for quality but this is not quality. I should have shipped it back, but this was the 3rd backpack I purchased from them & I really just wanted to start using it. (The first was from an outlet, cute, but not my 1st choice so I returned it. The 2nd was from their online store, but when I got it, it clearly did not match the online picture. So, needless to say I called them to let them know the picture was deceiving & returned the bag.) If this one didn't have the defect, I would have given it an extra star. The reason I took off one more star is because the outside pocket (not the mini one, but the next one) does not extend the length of the backpack. I googled reviews on YouTube & while I thought that was a bummer, one reviewer really liked it because he said you didn't have to stick your hand all the way down to search for things. I do not like it because it makes my bag top heavy & it never wants to stay upright. They should have left it deeper or added a pocket beneath it to distribute the weight. I typically love North Face products, but trying to get the right backpack from them has been challenging. I haven't even had it a month. I did cut the tags so I can't return it. I am waiting to see how the warranty / repair department will handle my case. I mailed in my claim without the bag because I'm not paying shipping for a defect on their end. I'm really hoping this ends well & I hope in the future they keep their backpacks so the pockets & weight can be distributed evenly.

We were very disappointed that the bag was so small and that you do not offer a bag large enough. My daughter was not able to fit much more than half of what she needed in it. We returned it.

If you need a backpack for heavy books (think college/grad school in particular), don't buy this! The backpack is stiff but has poor support and I've had severe back pain after carrying only two heavy textbooks in it. It is also very top-heavy, meaning it falls over backwards as soon as I put it down, jostling everything inside. The front pockets are poorly located relative to the rest of the bag, obstructing the space in the main compartment. It's just not a well-designed bag and I wish I could return it.

For school, middle school! Expensive hopefully worth it

Like the color but decided on the blue/red Recon which my daughter loves.

For a high school student with big binders this product is not the best. I used it on my first day and could on fit three binders, 2 inch binders will definitely not fit in this bag along with other binders. My school doesn't not use their lockers so I had to leave a binder at home. Very stylish though.

This backpack used to have a pocket that fully extended to the bottom of the bag now it stopped halfway leaving the bag to be very top-heavy if you put anything in the first parking

I bought this for my daughter who is in high school. She picked this back pack out and really likes the design and colors. It is a lot smaller than her last back pack, which is not good. It also does not set up by itself and has to be "propped up."

Very unhappy with the new design. The main pocket doesn't unzip far enough for a standard sized notebook, which makes it unusable for a student.

I liked the overall look of this backpack. Very sleek, but colorful too. I was very disappointed with the new design, however. The front pocket is half the size of what it used to be. It stops midway and bulges into the main compartment. I didn't even get to use this backpack. I started to put my things in it and realized I couldn't access things in the main compartment because it was blocked by the front compartment bulging into the space. I unfortunately ended up returning because of this. I was definitely expecting more thoughtful design..