Customer Reviews The North Face Recon

This is a great product and the green and orange are nice colors. The only complaint is that when you use the front pocket it creates a bulge in the second pocket that is hard to get items around.

Good quality. Color wasn't quite the same as photo.

The main pocket gets very tight once the laptop pocket is full. It is roomy at the bottom but hard to squeeze things through the top.It is a daily struggle to try and squeeze my lunch through. But besides that, Love it!!

Great study backpack. The second pocket could use a little more room. The compartment doesn't go all the way down like the large compartment does. Also the water bottle holders on the side are great because my water bottle will never fall out but also you can't retrieve your water-bottle without taking off the backpack.

Overall a strongly built backpack, but stiff (a bit hard to pack) and the fact that it doesn't sit upright on its own (it falls over) keep this at 4 stars instead of 5.

Great backpack! Firm back support. I took it to Iceland with me. Super comfortable but I do wish that there was more space. The back support made the space fairly limited. Would also have liked to see quick access compartments for a phone or something.

My son loves the backpack although its a tad small for books/binders and his lunch, wish it expanded just a bit more. Quality is top notch, this pack will last! One recommended fix for the designers is the top outer pocket zipper is at the bottom but should really be at the top because sunglasses or other items will move downwards.

Ordered this for my oldest child to go to high school, He picked it out and is very happy with it. Also didn't know that this bag has a stranger danger whistle.

I use this backpack for school, and it is perfect! It holds my 15-inch laptop no problem! I love hoq all the different compartments allow me to organize everything. The only thing I don't like is how the middle pocket is not the full length of the backpack; I wish it was a little bigger.

Amazing backpack for carrying lots of heavy textbooks. I think the Borealis has better material though as this material feels a bit cheap and less rugged.

The only real problem I have with this backpack is that it will not stand up on its on and the middle pocket zipper is not the easiest thing to open.

Significant improvement from the older version of Recon.

Nice backpack

Good bag, but a little too small for my purposes

Has plenty of pockets that I needed. The shoulder straps are light and the pack it self is is light Zippers have been upgraded

It's a really good-looking backpack - I got a lot of compliments on it. I enjoy the dual water bottle holders and small pouches for keys, wallet, etc. I also appreciate the small mesh pocket in the front - really great for holding a light jacket. I don't enjoy how still the straps are, they don't seem to flex too much. The water bottle holders are a bit snug and the backpack's main pockets actually don't hold as much as you'd think they do - I can only manage to get my 13 inch mac in the laptop pocket and a 3 inch binder with a planner in the other pocket. Also, the material on your back isn't very breathable so backsweat in the summer happens very easily.

Back support is great, feels very well made and tough. Side cinch straps are a bonus, just wish there were more compartments inside.

Nice backpack, not quite as light as the one I used to have which this replaces, but nevertheless durable. Pockets are pretty good but not ideally sized.

Solid pack back, just the upper pocket is a little small.

Like the backpack, excellent quality. Wish it could have been custom made, to my liking.

High school senior loves this backpack with all the pockets, padded laptop insert, and overall feel. Just wish the interior had a bit more depth/width to fit all his textbooks, notebooks and laptop.

Great quality, fits everything a student would need, and the many compartments provide great organization. The straps also keep the pack slim, so when it's not completely full things don't move around. One thing is that the pack does not stand upright, but other than that it has been great.

This is an everyday pack. It is durable, solid and relatively lightweight. The soft, cloth pocket is perfect for my glasses. The zippers are a huge improvement from earlier packs - easy to grab and smooth. I love that the orange stripes can be seen if I am biking at night.

Yellow version shipped was different than picture on site. Much more yellow than black. Ok, just different than expected. TNF support is assisting with resolving. Great customer service as always. Excellent redesign of this pack either way.

I bought the Recon backpack for my teenage daughter, and overall, it's a solid, functional school bag with plenty of room. We are loyal North Face customers and love the brand's quality. However, there's a concerning design flaw with the sternum strap whistle. Unlike some of our older North Face packs where the whistle is securely sewn into the strap, this model uses a plastic glider mechanism, which allows the whistle piece to slide along the strap. Unfortunately, the whistle part came completely off not long after we got it. I'm not sure if this has happened to others, but it's concerning that a safety feature can detach so easily. The rest of the backpack is great, but this particular design choice is a definite weak point.