Customer Reviews The North Face Recon

I used recon backpacks for school, commuting by bike, day trips, pretty much everything. I've owned recon models since perhaps 2008. I was forced to buy the new 2022 model when my old recon backpack (2016ish) was stolen. The materials seem high quality and there seems to be more water proofing but that's where the benefits end. There have been some strange design choices that make it hard to recommend. The newer model is definitely narrower. When you load up two water bottles the main pocket volume is reduced immensely due to the design of the water bottle sleeves. They seem cut into the internal space of the bag rather than protrude. Also the water bottle sleeves are no longer elastic, they're solid rubber, so if your water bottle is even a little too big, then too bad, they won't fit. This combined with the main pocket being so small, I barely fit my usual daily things in it. The side straps for cinching down the thickness of the back are permanently fixed rather than buckles now. This could be a problem if you really want to expand the bag and load it to the max. But ultimately the bag doesn't expand as much as the older models so perhaps this isn't an issue. The secondary pocket with smaller pouches and pen/pencil slots is now only half the depth of the bag, it doesn't go all the way down, it stops half way. So you really only get one full main pocket and half a pocket for storage. There is now a dedicated zipper pocket for laptops which is sort of nice but it's so big you sacrifice a huge amount of volume for it. It could easily accommodate a 17in laptop, my 13in laptop is basically lost in a giant cavern and I can't really use that space for anything else. It's kind of wasted space. It's robust and protective, but way too much volume is wasted. The straps seem narrower on the new model, and denser/firmer. The straps attach to the body with a short piece of nylon strap which is different, I'm not certain how that would impact longevity. It seems to increase mobility and flexibility of the strap though. If you've never owned the previous Recon backpacks you may not notice anything amiss. It's a high quality backpack overall. Coming from owning several previous models, this new one feels like a downgrade: smaller, narrow main pocket. 1/2 size secondary pocket. Laptop pocket is ridiculously large. Water bottle holders are not elastic and eat up internal volume. Cinch straps are permanently fixed rather than buckles. Bag doesn't expand at all, much smaller volume.

This product is horrible the straps began separating and ripping within the first week of use. Normally a great product, but quality went out the door. Don't waste your money.

I purchased this from MEC Canada (2019), previous Recon version. The features are good, but there are 2 critical design flaws: A) straps are lousy, mostly worn and torn after couple years because of this thin breathable fabric, which doesnt help much. B) the seam where the fabric meets the cushion back panel, all the pack weight is focused on that strip of fabric providing rigidity. But because all the load stress is concentrated there, every time place the pack down on rough surfaces or have any weight, it continuous wears this tighten fabric. My previous pack (also North Face, 2006) lasted way longer and aged better than this. I echo other comments: quality of NF packs have declined. Considering the cost, this recon pack should 1/3 of the price.

Had the old recon for a decade. That understandably wore its course. Thought I would give the new one a shot because I liked the old one so much. This pack is a meaningful step down. Product team took the most important feature that gets the most use and absolutely destroyed it. The straps used to be much more comfortable with this awesome I think honeycomb style insulation that was durable, breathable and extremely comfortable on your shoulders. New straps are this thin rubbery padding that are clearly not nearly as durable and much less comfy, and they are attached to the pack via a thin strip of fabric, whereas old straps were sewn directly into the bag. Water bottle holsters are deeper but now so tight against the bag it limits space within if you have a lot of stuff. Outside mesh pocket is imperfect elastic in that it doesn't snap back to retain old shape when stretched a bit. Oh and the zippers have this flimsy string attached to them as opposed to a sturdy metal fly, like why lol. The whole thing reeks of cost cutting measures and they came at the expense of quality.

I bought this as a freshman entering high school hoping it would fit all my books and folders. It cannot fit anything. All I have in it at the moment are a couple small notebooks, 4 empty folders, and a small 1" binder. There's barely any room for a pencil case or lunch box. Do not waste your money hoping it fits your supplies. There's a "laptop compartment" that if it wasn't there, it would be so much more spacious.

It's a very good looking bag, but the top compartment, once filled, gets in the way of the main compartment. It also does not stand up well at all. There's no structure to this bag at all and it falls over. Wish I could return it...

quality is not great width is not as expected

At the image the colour looks amazing, but the black part is in reslity blue and it doesn't look as good

Backpack is well built except for the extremely weak and fragile water bottle holders. After only 6 months of use, my water bottle holders on both sides are wearing through. Needs a design.

It's a good looking backpack. I have 3 main issues that make it less than ideal. 1. The pocket they show an iPad is is very misleading. It does not fit the smaller iPad Pro or iPad Air making it pretty much useless for anything bigger than a small book. 2. The pocket above the stretch pocket is weirdly opened from the middle making it impossible to put something in it that is anything bigger than 2/3 the volume of the pocket. 3. Lastly, the layout of the bag makes it so that if you aren't bringing many big item, the central pocket gets crowded by front pockets and make anything at the bottom very inaccessible.

This backpack is much smaller than expected. It's billing as a 30L pack is misleading compared to my previous 33L pack. It looks child-sized.

Pretty disappointed with the wimpy zippers when comparing to my old NF Enterprise back pack that I bought in 1998 (and still have). Wanted to treat myself with a new one but think I'll just give the recon to my nephew and keep using my old Enterprise with the meaty metal zippers that will never wear out. Sad how everything is built so cheaply nowadays. I'm done with NF.

I think this is the nicest designed bag TNF has brought out. However it doesn't feel like a northface bag. Very stiff and cheap feeling . Not a comfortable bag

I happily used the old recon for probably 10 years amd then decided to get this to replace it. What a mistake. The design of this pack is completely dysfunctional. If you have even a pencil inside the second compartment it almost completely blocks you from putting anything into or getting anything out of the main compartment. If you have something bulky and rigid inside the main compartment you cant put water bottles into the sides, or if you have a water bottle on the side you cant fill the main compartment. Trying to fit a lunch, laptop, and laptop charger into this pack is somehow an infuriating process of squeezing, pushing and pulling. Forget putting a jacket inside. Every time I try and use it for anything more than a laptop bag it drives me insane.

I got the recon backpack in hopes to use it for my trip but the straps are hard and the padding is very thin. The movement around my arm is limited and the straps are rigid.

Bottom and water bottle pockets do not match the tan/yellow of the nylon and is an ugly brown color. Material very thin and zippers for smaller pockets are get caught in material.

I purchased this product because the last Recon Backpack I purchased was such a great bag, however once I received this item I soon realized the new Recon wasn't built has good as the one from 2011. The newer design seems smaller and the fabric they're now using felt less durable and more prone to tearing; it seems to have lost its stretchiness. The front pocket isn't as deep as the older generation and the main pouch is much smaller than before. It seems the new design has removed valuable space for organizing and easily getting to your items. It also appears they're using cheaper fabric that doesn't feel as soft or as durable. Unfortunately, until this bag is re-designed with deeper pockets and extra room inside, I won't be purchasing another Northface Recon Bookbag.

Details and reviews state this backpack is "water repellent" and it is just the opposite. This backpack draws in moisture and I do not recommend. Contents inside were ruined after walking in the rain under an umbrella.

I purchased a recon backpack on Feb. 2 to use as a daily commuter as well as some occasional hiking and biking. After 4 months of very light use, I realized the sternum strap had ripped (picture attached). TNF used to have great customer service so I reached out to get a replacement sternum strap. Customer service insisted that I send the whole backpack in for an "evaluation" to get it covered under warranty, instead of sending in the defective part only. This is my daily use backpack so it's not worth the hassle to empty everything out and get it shipped off for weeks for TNF to "evaluate". I'm not trying to start a fraudulent sternum strap side hustle here, I just want my gear to function properly. I'm very disappointed in TNF quality and customer service, and don't intend to buy their equipment in the future.

I hate this bag so much. Not worth the money. The company should seriously reconsider their design. Here's why: 1) this bag DOES NOT STAND ON ITS OWN. i tried empty, i tried with only laptop, I tried with laptop and books, i tried with laptops, books, and lunch, filled every compartment and yet will not stand by itself and will face-slam the ground. 2) the compartment of these bags are useless and don't utilize space well. The laptop compartment is so thin it just fits the laptop because god forbid you want to carry the charger too in the same compartment. The main compartment is deceivingly large; if you put anything in the other outer small compartments it takes away space from the main one and make it weirdly wide from the bottom but very narrow at the top because of their bad design. 3) because most space is occupied by the main part, i guess now you have to combine books, lunch, snacks, chargers and anything you have in that mixed bag since all other compartments would not fit. I really regret buying such an expensive bag. I should have replaced my High Sierra with another one.

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!

I bought this to replace a prior Recon which I hiked with for 15 years; this new version has less space and the waist strap pulled off on a minor hike on the 4th use.

Would no recommend this backpack due to poor design. When the top small pocket has articles in it, it leaves no room to put more bulky items in the main compartment.

I have never left a product review before, but I had to warn other customers. The strap fell off after one week. I only carried a laptop and a textbook. Not covered under the warranty. DO NOT BUY!

After about 1 week I noticed a small fraying where the strap attaches to the main body of the backpack. After 2 weeks the strap had frayed so dramatically it was barely attached. I was told normal wear is not covered under warranty. The backpack held only a laptop and two folders so to hear that was "normal wear and tear" after two weeks was VERY disappointing. I replaced (purchased) the women's recon and after a month of use have noticed part of the strap, in a different area, has new stitching coming apart.