Customer Reviews The North Face Borealis

Like everything about the backpack but after 6 months of use, the straps are coming unstitched. For something supposedly for daily use, it's disappointing.

Overall good product. However, received bag with security tag still in it which is inconvenient.

Bought for my daughter for school, a little slim and very stiff. Hoping it relaxing with time.

I like it but I like the classic version better.

Really have enjoyed this backpack and bring it everywhere, but it's not as high quality as previous generations. The plastic back support is bending after less than a year of normal use now making it uncountable to wear. The backpack also cannot sit upright unless leaned against something which is frustrating sometimes. Great color and features but poor overall design and quality.

It's a pretty good bag. But that's about it. My biggest complaint is the hard plastic sheet that runs against my body when I'm wearing the bag. It's almost like it came upside down and digs into my low back when I'm wearing it. If I tighten the shoulder straps to get it off my low back, I can't get my arms out to take the bag off. There's also not a ton of pockets for me big one and one little one. That's about it. And the shock cord around the outside is useful for a packable raincoat, but other than it it's just annoying. The water bottle pockets on the outside are awesome though. I can fit a whole nalgene in there no problem.

Overall the backpack is good, but the back plate can't get bent and stay in that position, so the pack pack stays bent without a big object in it.

The straps are hard to adjust and quickly return to the wrong size after being adjusted. The weird shape hurts my back. It has plenty of room for my stuff though and is durable.

I loved my old Borealis backpack from 2012. When it was finally time to replace it, I knew I wanted another one. Sadly, the new model is too tall and wide. I'm sure they changed the size because most people wanted it to be bigger. But I enjoyed how much it held while also being compact. My old one was easy to fit under a chair at work or an airplane seat. I miss the old size.

The bag is quality built looks nice but to small, I don't get why the bag is wide on the bottom then as you reach the top its less space.Once you fill up the main pocket the outer compartment has no space for anything and if you got stuff in there it's hard to pull out....It's pretty much useless. Other then that everything looks nice and well built but I returned it its a shame.

This is a great backpack for carrying your laptop. I've traveled with this backpack weekly for over 3 years, and i'm at a point where I think the small issues are starting to outweigh its benefits. the backpack is roomy, with comfortable straps and backing, i love all the pockets. However, i've never needed the exterior bungee and it simply gets caught up in things. i'm not even sure who would use that bungee while carrying a laptop. Additionally, the backpack itself its too heavy to make it ideal for dayhiking and too small for multi-day hiking. The waist and chest straps are so long and are constantly being stepped on or getting caught in something or another. Again, not sure why there are so many of those straps.

The physical product had completely different color. So be aware of it before you purchase.

Bought this backpack for coaching. I love the look of the backpack but the design isn't great. It doesn't sit up when you put it down, it tips over. It is annoying to work out of the bag when it doesn't sit upright. I have a Patagonia backpack that stays where you put it and doesn't tip. For about the same price I would probably choose a different bag.

I use the back pack to commute to and from work 3-5 days a week. The bag is comfortable on my back. I love the color. However, the front pockets are at the top of the bag versus the bottom, so the bag is top-heavy and the center of gravity causes it to fall over all the time. The laptop sleeve is re-enforced to protect my laptop, but the wiring or framing pokes me in my thighs during my commute.

Very good quality, looks very durable, and very good looking backpack. The reason it did not work for me is that with a laptop in, the way it is designed it will have a very high center of gravity, I cannot have the backpack stand on the floor, I need to lay it down or else it will fall by itself.

This backpack looks very durable and well made. Unfortunately for me, it has a major design flaw: the laptop pocket in the back does not go all the way down, so once I put the laptop in, the backpack's center of gravity will be quite high (compared to a laptop bag). The consequence of that is that it does not stand when I put it on the floor, I have to lay it down. This is a major no-no for me. Secondary complaint: too few pockets.

Netting on the water bottle pockets is VERY flimsy and did not last the year. Disappointed and surprised given the cost.

Travel

Not very functional for traveling. Good for hiking and outdoors, but not so much for laptops.

When I first got this backpack I was so excited since I had been asking for a North Face Backpack that had more room. It was very roomy, but after a span of 2-3 months I had realized that one of my straps had ripped. I was very upset since I thought the backpack would've lasted me through high school. The strap just keeps ripping. I do admit I am very sad because I love this back pack.

The awkward design of the bag limits accessibility . It narrows at the bottom making it very difficult to pack and retrieve items especially clothing. If you enjoy removing everything and repacking every time you want something then by all means otherwise this pack is annoying and not worth the money. It acts more like a stuff sack than a back pack. You cannot open the pack 180

Bought this for recreational use only, pool, lake, ballgames, etc. This pack will NOT stand up on its own. Very annoying to retrieve or place items in the pack w/o it falling/tipping over. The support in the back is longer than the pack therefore falls over.

I was so excited to receive this backpack, I've always omwanted one and finally took the plunge. I got the black and white design and I love how it looks, it's very nice. But, after opening my package and inspecting the backpack I found some loose threads hanging off the top part where the black and white fabric meets. I'm disappointed because this backpack was pretty expensive and I was expecting the excellent quality that north face stands by. I see this backpack coming apart at the seams pretty quickly which is extremely disappointing at this price point. I believe this is a manufacturing error and it shows that they don't inspect their products well. I can't return because I need it for school and already had to wait so long for it to come in the mail.

The backpack has a cute design however there is barely any space for notebooks and supplies and it's heavy before even putting supplies in it making the backpack extremely heavy when supplies are contained. Also the backpack needs to lean on something to even stand up without falling over- which I thought wouldn't be that big of a deal at first but it got very annoying after just a few weeks.

I purchased this backpack for my fifth grade daughter. After five months of use the connection point between the backpack strap and backpack at the top is 80% ripped. My daughters backpack is in her locker most of day and she uses it to transport her books to and from home/school. She never swings it around Or treats it inappropriately and after five months the strap is almost completely broken. When I called at North face to inquire what they could do, I was told at first to pay my own postage for the shipment back to them at which point they would send it to be investigated and that they might fix it thereafter but this process would take eight weeks if they deem it a construction issue. I told rep that this was unacceptable because I did not feel as if I should pay the postage on damaged goods which she ultimately decided to fund but more importantly, that my daughter would be without her school backpack for eight weeks. The representative could not have cared less and gave me standard issue comments. Very disappointed in quality of foods and customer service.