The North Face Recon Backpack is a well organized and designed day pack that will serve you great on hikes, campus, or as your E.D.C. bag.
Following is my breakdown of the Recon:
The main compartment is padded and capable of holding a hydration bladder along with a fair amount of room for a day hike. If you utilize the Recon for school or work it is capable of holding a 15 inch laptop where the hydration bladder would normally be positioned. Inside the main compartment is a mesh zippered area that will hold a wallet and other small items such as snacks, small pair of binoculars, fire starting equipment, first aid supplies, pens, pencils, calculator, etc.
The second compartment has a lot of organizational spaces for pens, business cards, 3x5 notebook, wallet and has a key holder. The compartment is a decent size and well organized.
On the outside of the pack is a small water resistant zippered pocket that can hold small items that you may need to get to in a hurry such as a wallet, headlamp, flashlight, gloves, hat, etc. Below this pocket is a large front mesh pocket that can be secured and used for items you will need fast or to place any wet items so they do not have to go into the pack.
On the side of the pack are mesh pockets that are made to hold water bottles. They will securely hold 16.9 fluid oz (500ml) water bottles. You can fit 32 oz. Nalgene bottles but they are more difficult to secure even when utilizing the cinch cord.
The back panel is padded and ventilated but you will still sweat. If using this pack for hiking I would avoid a cotton shirt and go with something like Under Armor to wick away any moisture. The shoulder straps have some padding called FlexVent(tm) shoulder straps and tend to be a little firmer than I like but not enough to be a deal breaker. The shoulder straps each have a D ring and one of the straps has a little expandable pouch that will hold items such a cell phone, multi-tool, flashlight, or a snack. The bag comes with a hip belt that can be stowed away if you desire and chest strap that aid in stability and comfort. All of the buckles are durable. The zippers are well made and very durable. All zippered areas have coverage flaps to minimize rain entering into the bag. The bag comes with side compression straps and straps on the bottom of the bag to attach items such as a jacket, sleeping bag, etc.
Overall, this is a very nice low profile bag. If you use it as a small E.D.C bag you will not stick out at all. There is no "military look" to this bag. It is functional, durable and very well made. I highly recommend the North Face Recon.
At first glance this pack looks like your typical day pack. Whether you're going on a hike, or a day at the Zoo with your family, this pack serves multiple purposes. The medium size and excellent ergonomics throughout the pack are fantastic. This bag probably wouldn't make a great school bag due to its limited capacity in the large compartment, however if you keep only a few books and binders it would be great. The mostly 400d nylon is a great fabric for the majority of this bag. The bottom of the pack however also boasts an 800d nylon bottom making it very water resistant. YKK zippers throughout the pack give any user security in packing this bag to the limits, and not worrying about busting through the zipper.
There are two mesh water bottle holders on each side of the pack. Although you might be able to squeeze a 32oz. Nalgene in them they wouldn't be very secure. They have adjustable cinch straps that are elastic and you either love them or hate them. I personally feel that having the elasticity makes for a more secure water bottle. The pack has a nice exterior pouch for almost anything you want. It is a convenient pouch for a jacket that you do not want to carry or maybe a wet item that needs to dry. With the majority of the pouch being mesh, it allows for plenty of air flow and the ability to see what is inside. The buckle is also placed below the small front zipper pocket for easier access to your gear. The small zipper pocket on the front is a nice easy way to keep things easily accessed. I keep a pair of head phones, some OTC medications, and a LD20 in the zippered pocket with plenty of room to spare.
The two shoulder straps are excellent in distributing weight rather than "bunching up" and causing the majority of the weight to be applied to a small area on the shoulders. The chest strap has a few key features in that it is not only adjustable width wise but also in height. The quick release buckle is easily accessed and also features an emergency whistle. If you are not a big guy like myself, there might be an extra length of the strap that hangs down from the chest strap. I easily fixed this issue with a little bit of Velcro designed for organizing electrical wires. The hide-able waist strap is very comfortable on your hips. They have a nice lightly padded section of fabric that keeps the straps from pressing into your hips. The waist straps are very nice for when you have a heavy load, keeping the weight mostly onto your hips rather than your shoulders.
A plastic insert behind the padding on the back of the pack makes for a very comfortable day of hiking. The plastic insert allows that pack to maintain its shape consistently no matter what the contents. This especially comes in handy when you don't have flat items in the pack that might press awkwardly into your back. The padding on the back is generously thick and designed for optimal air flow down your back for those hot and humid days. There are also two cinch straps on either side of the pack angled down about 25 degrees with quick release closures.
There are two primary sections of the Recon. The smaller of the two is more of an admin pouch found in most back packs. This section boasts quite a few dividers including four pen pouches, two business card pouches, a pocket that would fit a pack of note cards, a large zipper pocket, and last but not least, a large open pocket with a small Velcro closure. The entirety of this section is great in holding quite a bit of my everyday gear (first-aid kits, pocket organizers, camera, hygiene bag, etc...). The large section of the pack has plenty of room for hiking gear with a lunch or maybe a couple binders and a few books. Inside the large pouch is a nice laptop sleeve with the ability to accept up to a 15" laptop that can also double as a water bladder pocket. This sleeve is also padded for extra security for your electronics. A small strap secures your laptop in place connecting to the top of the bag next to the water bladder exit flap. The only issue I have found is that when you max out the smaller front pocket, the larger section is difficult to put in or retrieve items from. Not a huge deal, however it is something to think about before you make your purchase.
Overall, a very nice everything bag. If you carry an EDC bag but don't want to look "Tactical" or maybe you are a student with a few books, this pack is definitely for you. With its excellent padding and ergonomics, loading this bad boy up to the max puts no extra strain on your shoulders or back. The excellent quality of this pack makes it easy to take this pack outdoors knowing it won't fail you when on a hike, especially when a broken strap could easily ruin your day. This pack is obviously a favorite since the basic design of this pack hasn't changed over the years and is still a top seller for The North Face. The price is definitely reasonable and this pack can be purchased on sale several times a year. I highly recommend this pack with a rating of 9 out of 10.
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I love this backpack. It will hold 2 thousand page textbooks, 2 one inch binders, and my MacBook Pro. The straps and back are designed so it's easy to carry around.
Broken down:
The side pockets are designed to hold water bottles. They're mesh. There's a bungy cord thing that lets you adjust the size to fit your bottle.
The front mesh pocket is designed to hold whatever! I usually put the book we're reading for lit and my graphing calculator in there. There's a buckle at the top which is perfect for clipping a lunch box or a lanyard to.
The top outside pocket is where I put pens and pencils, it's really convenient and easy to access. I usually put my cell phone in there also.
The first big front pocket has an organizer for pens and pencils and electronics. It has a place to clip your keys also.
The back pocket has rooms for book and a back pocket that I use for my laptop.
I love this backpack. It's cute, versatile, and easy to haul around my 5 million text books and papers. Highly recommended.
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I recently upgraded my Jansport SuperBreak backpack for this one. I needed something with more functional pockets and water bottle pockets especially. As the title says, Im a nursing student and leave my house at 7 am every morning not to return until at least 6 or 7 in the evening. This backpack is amazing. First off, its a North Face product so you know it will last forever. Second. The Pockets!! It has a computer pocket, which I use for folders so they dont bend and get crushed by the enormous texts that fit comfortably in the main compartment. Then it has what I call the pencil box pocket. With enough room to store an abundance of pens and highlighters which also contains a zippered container where I keep my lady products and deodorant. There is also a tiny pocket thats perfect for my mints, gum and class clicker.Last but not least the outside netted pocket. This was the main reason I chose this backpack over the others. My stethoscope and pocket nursing book goes in here or some times I do some rearranging and put my lunch in there.
I realize giving you the breakdown on how exactly I use this backpack is a little excessive but it gives a clear picture on how much this backpack can really hold without looking gigantic on ones back. I highly recommend this to anyone who spends more time away from home then they would like.
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When I first got this bag around 5 years ago I didn't want to spend too much money on a backpack for college, but after being recommended this bag from a friend I decided to fork over the money to get it. Looking back at it, it was one of the best investments i've made in school. This bag is still going on strong and in great condition, I love the organizer and side compartments for water/drinks (esp helpful so you can bring your own fluids for school instead of buying overpriced things on campus). Where I think I really got the most bang for my buck, is on trips no matter if it was a little weekend trip or traveling by airplane this bag is built with great quality. It was fit clothes/toiletry's/laptop and keyboard without any problems for far away trips. For school the bag is great because of the amount of compartments help you keep things separated and i could fit 4-5 LARGE (300-400 page) books inside the bag. Now on to the drawbacks.
Cons---The waist buckle broke about a year ago on a trip to chicago (still works but a piece of the buckle is broken)
My older model the front zipper is covered by the buckle, so you always need to do undo the buckle before getting to the zipper (TNF fixed this for the new models)
So in the end great bag for the price but only if you intend to keep it for a extended period of time, so you get a great return on your investment.
I ordered this pack to replace another ogio pack. The quality of the pack is not what I have an issue with. It is the design of the pack.
