Customer Reviews The North Face Recon

I use this backpack for school and it's honestly great quality, the straps may be a little too narrow but overall it's a great backpack

Good for everyday

I am a college professor and I needed a new backpack for my bike commute too and from work. I was also looking for a backpack that I could take on an occasional hike and on business trips. So it had to be functional, but also professional looking. The Recon checked all of those boxes. It fits all of my needs in a comfortable, durable, rugged, and stylish manner. It fits my 17 inch laptop well. I just packed it for a 4 day business trip and it fit everything that I needed for that. I would definitely get this backpack again.

Great product would buy again but doubt I will need to.

Great backpack perfect size for everything my middle schooler needs to carry.

Used it to bring my computer, notebooks, and some personal items too and from work. Noticed a small tear in the shoulder and was advised for warranty they needed it back before they would ship a new one. Thought at the time it wouldn't affect the usage or durability. Didn't use it for a while and then when I started using it again for about two weeks the shoulder strap is ripped halfway where it connects up top. Now I only use one strap to prevent it from tearing further. It is just over a year old and I am out of warranty now. I would not recommend it. I probably only used it for about 4 months in total.

My son loves his me back!!! He got for his first year of HS

For work. Our son in law is a mechanical engineer.

Love the new pockets of this version of the Recon backpack. The materials used for this bag are phenomenal and I can already tell this bag is going to last quite a long time. I am very pleased that the pockets are no longer mesh but can still hold my 32oz water bottle. The organization in the backpack makes it 10 times better and adding back the front mesh pocket back onto the bag is why I decided on this bag. It's perfect for a book or tshirt and sometimes I even throw in a small bag that holds my pencils and markers. The ultimate bag for college and beyond!

Purchase the backpack for my son,he love the back support as he carries a lot of books.

Great for day hikes and travel carry on bag. Fits under airline seats and holds a good size laptop. I wish the side pockets for water bottles were also made of the same stretchy material as the middle pocket.

The best bag for my macbook air 15 inches. Very rugged looks and the material is first class and feels very smooth.

Little to no wind drag, at 170 mph

This backpack is so spacious, the straps are comfortable and i love the color. Can't wait to use it, for work, outings and everywhere else!

This backpack looks great and will be perfect for the multi-use applications that I have in mind (day hikes, bike commutes, and school use). The laptop sleeve fits my 17" LG Gram well. I love all of the different compartments and the overall look of the pack.

The newer Recon backpack has good storage but is not as flexible in shape as older Recon models. It is longer in the height direction but not as deep extending back from your back. Overall it appears more durable than previous models but isn't as comfortable to wear on my back. I'm happy with it but miss some of the older features like storable waist straps compared to the now removable waist straps.

Favorite since day 1. I used to have it in high school. I had a hot shot before 2 times. That was my favorite. I love this one too

Love the style Good quality Good size for both hiking or office/school

Great backpack, a good replacement for my trusty Heckler that lasted 12 years. I do wish that the straps were a little further apart and there were more options for securing the excess strap lengths

This bag is very convenient and large enough to hold all your belongings. I love all the pockets and the overall design of the bag.

I haven't bought a north face backpack in over 19 years. The last one I used was a hotshot and it finally fell apart and is discontinued. Recon was by best option. It's nicely made from recycled materials but no where near the build quality of the old north face backpacks. Feels cheap/thin. Straps are not the most comfortable and back padding isn't the softest. A little disappointed compared to my last backpack, but if it's your first you will like it.

One strap broke completely off (with little use) and the other one is about to do the same. I have purchased North Face backpacks for several years and have never had a bad experience, but the Recon is definitely an inferior product. Very disappointing!

It's a great backpack.

Love it and good quality

I've been using this bag for a year now. I wanted to get a bag for school that helped me deal with my upper and lower back pain. I picked this bag because it had space for my school supplies and weekend trips. The reason I love this bag so much is because with my chronic back pain this bag didn't aggravate it nearly as much as bags from other companies I've used. If you are struggling with back pain this may be a good bag for you as it was for me, however, I would also recommend a hiking day pack as a commuter bag. The only thing I would have liked to see is a hip strap, but if you think about how this bag is meant as a commuter and not hiking I don't think it needs it.