Customer Reviews The North Face Recon

So, I started my spring semester with this bag, and I will say the pockets are such a plus. I've always gotten simple bookbags, but this one has been my favorite.

I bought this pack for a business trip where luggage space and weight matter (when doesn't it!). Overall it is a good pack so far. My trip is in 10 days so I'll have a better report at that time, although I'm using the pack for everyday carry to work now. Pros: Lots of space to put things with quiet zipper pulls, adjustable straps, compartment with a soft lining for things like glasses, a separate laptop compartment, and an organizing area. The water bottle pockets are also a generous size with straps that can be adjusted. The materials are nice, the color and logo are subtle (navy with a white logo) and straps feel comfortable. Cons: The laptop compartment is really long allowing the laptop (a Macbook) to drop to the bottom. There isn't much/any padding at the bottom so I'l be adding something to keep my laptop from banging against the ground when I put the pack down. The organizing space is nice but the zippers to access it only go half way down so it feels restricted. More use will tell if this is bothersome, or just different from my previous bag (an ebag pro slim). Like most bags, once you fill one compartment, space in another compartment gets infringed on. I hope a designer will figure this thing out. I don't want to lose space in the main compartment just because I filled the organizer section. This pack sits low on my lower back; in hindsight I should have purchased the women's model for a better fit, but I wanted the storage space. I'll try adjusting straps (and there are many to try!) to help it sit higher off my hips. It might also be because my laptop sinks to the bottom of the pack which makes the weight feel low.

I loved the bag it's is comfortable and well designed. Not really sure how to incorporate into the existing design but I carry a mouse and charges for my laptop all the time and there is not a great place for them.

A very nice design bag with the great colors, the only thing I wish is that all the zip had the same tips of the end of it

Really like the laptop compartment but wish the front zip space could be combined like the old recon I own.

I use this as a school bag. The inside fabrics of the bag feel a bit cheap. We will see how long it lasts overall.

Very uncomfortable on a petite woman. The straps don't sit well, and wearing this for long periods of time or with much weight in it is terrible. Another problem is the carry strap on top. It is situated too far from the back of the pack, which makes it useless for hanging on anything. Since I bought this pack specifically for international travel, not being able to hang it on a hook in bathroom stalls, etc is incredibly inconvenient. I do appreciate the sizes and locations of the pockets, though, hence the overall 4 star review. I would never buy this pack again, and wish I had never bought it, but it may work fine for people who have a larger frame, don't wear it for hours a day walking all over cities, and don't plan to hang it on anything.

It's a great backpack. One of the pockets gets in the way of being able to use the other one 100%, but besides that it's really well designed, really comfortable, and still has tons of space so I never feel like I need more

I love my new backpack! This is a replacement for my surge from about 8 years ago. The only reason it's not 5 stars is because I wish it had one more lather pocket.

Not instuative, but love it otherwise for hauling a laptop

Not the biggest fan of the new straps, but they're ok. Good bag, except the laptop compartment does not have a sleeve for iPad. Overall, satisfied.

I downsized and am happy. I feel the big pocket is hindered a bit by the smaller front pocket otherwise would be a 5 star.

This bag manages to keep a low profile while still having a lot of space. Excellent build quality and comfortable to use with the strap system employes The only reason I would not give it 5 stars is because while there are a lot of pockets, very few of them are "deep" pockets and the material on the straps don't feel as durable and could rip

Great backpack for school a little on the small side.

Overall it's a great product but I'd say it's kind of heavy compared to other backpacks. I don't think it's a great everyday backpack for this reason. But if it's for long trips, this is the only one you need!

I really like how comfortable it is but I would like more padding for the laptop compartment

Great backpack for everyday use. Sturdy and durable. Good pockets and organizers for high school use. Wish it had a laptop pouch but overall very happy with the performance so far.

I use this for school. It is very comfortable and helpful

It is a well made backpack for my son who is a high school student, he just wished that it was a lille bigger. thst is the reason for the 4 stsr rating instead of 5. His last back pack had about 3 more liters of space.

Great backpack. Has all the types of pockets I need for various supplies. Only thing I would change is that there are too many straps that hang down while wearing the backpack that are not obvious in the promotional pictures. The straps are also pretty long when they hang. I cut them all off to make it look more streamlined like the picture. But all in all I'm happy with it and would buy another North Face backpack someday.

It's a good backpack but in the big pouch in front of the laptop pouch it is almost impossible to get things down past the top if you have books and things in the big pouch and even just a couple things in the little pouch.

This is nice quality- but smaller than what I expected.

Versatile. Use it for work and travel. Sleek but holds a solid amount of gear.

I use this backpack daily for school & ove everything about this backpack except for where the shoulder straps connect to the actual backpack. I'm on my 3rd Recon backpack now because the shoulder strap ripped away from the backpack on my 1st 2 Recons. NorthFace has always been good with their warranty though.

Good sturdy backpack! The backing of the laptop sleeve does wonders for keeping my electronics safe, and it doubles as keeping good back support for when I carry my bag. I will say that the pocket in front of the laptop sleeve could be a bit bigger. I have a lot of books to carry as a college student, so a little more room would be nice. The smaller pockets work fine and I can fit a lot of things in the front. And the mesh pocket in the front is a super quick and easy thing to use whenever I need to quickly store something temporarily without having to use a zipper. The water bottle holders are a good size, and I can carry bottles in them without having to worry about them falling out.