Customer Reviews The North Face Borealis

I wound up returning this item for 2 reasons. 1- the bag did not have enough volume for all of the this college textbooks I need to fit. I am taking a class with several incredibly heavy books. It should be fine for a normal day bag, good for a K-12 student, but not if you have to carry more that a couple medium size books. 2- the padding in the straps was barely there. 12+ ago i had a backpack from this company that was incredible. It had a silicone grid style padding and the straps were all very supportive and it lasted a long time, until it was stolen from my car. The quality appears to not be the same. I will say that this bag was super cute and the hydration pocket was perfect for my laptop. The backing had a decently ergonomic structure, and the waist and chest straps were nice. It's an ok bag, but not if you need to carry excessive weight or have any shoulder pain issues because the shoulder straps are so poorly padded. I wish I would have gone to a store in person to look at it more closely before I purchased it.

I had a Borealis Backpack years ago, and I absolutely loved it! Eventually it was time to get a new backpack, and I saw this one. I liked it at first, then I noticed I felt pain on my left side whenever I use this backpack. The more I use it, the less I enjoy this version. I can't fit my laptop case inside the laptop pocket is another issue that bothers me. I like to use my case as a holder for my laptop.

This was bought to replace my old 2013 Borealis that I loved to its full death (insides peeling, handles breaking). I've used this for two workdays and I hate it. It's like NorthFace didn't consider any functionality of the product. I brought it to work with my normal: tampons, deodorant, ibuprofen, computer + charger, phone, badges, and a change of clothes for my workout. The extra pockets are such a bad design that I struggled to fit anything into the main compartment and ended up shoving everything in once I changed for my workout. I couldn't find anything in either of the smaller pockets because there wasn't room for my hand to fit. I'm so disappointed, because it was a gift, but delivered late, so it's too late now to even return. I just want the old design back.

It's beautiful, but way too small of a compartment to actually put items in like books for my daughter school.

The backpack was two toned with beige and a light green. Backpack was not exactly like the picture online. Returning the item.

too small for high school student without a locker. oddly big up top and small down bottom

Nice appearance, but quality was lacking. The shoulder anchor strap on the very first use. Compartments are a bit small if you need to carry much more than a laptop and a few folders. If carrying mulitple notebooks, or books etc, it is very tight and awkward.

Planned to use this as my daughter's high school book bag but it's simply too small. Doesn't stretch or have any give like my older Borealis. She can barely fit her essentials in there and no room for anything extra.

It's smaller compared to the regular Borealis backpack. So i'd say if you are not an adult this bad could work otherwise it feels a bit tight.

I loved this backpack. It can hold everything inside. But both of my outside mesh pockets have huge holes in them. I only carry my 32 oz water bottle. For the cost it should have better pockets.

Not very durable but I like the design

I should have returned this when I had the chance. I was too caught up in the hype of a brand name backpack. It is so bulky It falls over every time I place it down. It is so heavy all on its own. I absolutely hate it. It frustrates me so much. It can barely fit everything inside it because the front pockets invade the bigger one. I got it, because I have back problems and my other backpacks have exacerbated those issues, and this backpack is supposed to be good for support. This backpack feels like a straitjacket.

Super cute backpack. I use for working as a nurse as it has many functional pockets. Doesn't stand on its own which is quite annoying and tends to cause spills

My daughter got this backpack at the beginning of the school year (2020) and it is already falling apart!

The support piece in the back is way too stiff and uncomfortable. My daughter is a college student. She gave it a chance thinking it would loosen up with use and it never did. She inquired about returning and wasn't able to. Loved the look of the bag but gave up and purchased a Jansport for the second semester. . Sorry

It seems like a perfect bag. It's large. Stylish. Good design. But using it further, it doesn't stand on its own which is awkward. It has a weird shape. It doesn't have as much space as it seems. When the middle compartment becomes full, it takes up space in the main compartment and you can't put much in it. I can fit maybe one textbook in there. Not good for fitting a bunch of stuff. And it has been bad for traveling. It looses shape and becomes very stiff the more stuff you try to put in (even if it's not a lot). In a way, I guess it's good for a small amount of stuff but not anything longer than a day or a night.

the mesh pockets have HUGE holes, and it doesn't stand on its on which is pretty inconvenient.

I love the design, but not only does it not stand on it's own, but it's hard to pack because it will slide out from under itself. You have to pack it flat.

After less than 20 uses the strap is breaking. The material has split. TNF will not issue a refund because the bag was bought >60 days ago. The warranty repair takes 3-6 weeks. Need a backpack for school so will need to buy a replacement. Poor quality and service from TNF.

Its so pretty and i really wanted to love it but... the straps are way uncomfortable, and hurt my shoulders. The padding on the back sucks because it bends if i try to prop the backpack up against something so its not on the floor, because it doesnt stand on its own! The smaller pockets are weird and also keep it from standing on its own or even being proped against something. I own an old northface backpack and just thought its fine to get a new one but I honestly regret this purchase.

Backpack doesn't stand alone. The straps are uncomfortable. I do like the color and space. I wish North Face would bring the heckler backpack back.

I have the old version of borealis that I purchased about 3-4 years ago and the design is much better because there's more room. I don't like how this new version is. The separate pocket for laptop is useless and takes too much space.

This backpack was purchased less than 5 months ago. It already has rips in both cup holders, the borealis embroided word is coming undone. There is not a lot of room and in order to make the backpack not fold in, I have to stuff books in there, which adds a lot of weight, it also doesn't stand up alone. These same problems have occurred with about 5 of my other friends. I do not recommend this backpack, it was a waste of money.

I love the look of the backpack but it has terrible quality and is not very attractive when you put items in the backpack.

I had the Borealis backpack from 2014, and it lasted five years, until finally wearing out. I loved that backpack, and decided to replace it with the recent, updated version, but the design has been altered. The front pocket makes the backpack very top-heavy, causing it to fall over when it's sitting on the ground, or opening the larger pocket completely when trying to take out supplies. The design is not practical, and is frustrating when I'm in a hurry, or just trying to get a couple things out of the backpack. I'm extremely disappointed, as I was excited for this backpack to last another 5+ years. I do love the colors, though. I use it for classes, but it seems like it would be great for adventures as well.