The North Face Recon Pack

Comments about The North Face Recon Pack:

I use it for everything..travel, backpacking, day trips, etc. Its a very versatile bag and can take a tremendous beating. It looks good and professional.

Two things I dont like about it..
1. The interiors are black so its hard to find things when you are looking for them
2. Somehow when it loads up it gets very heavy..my Tumi convertible laptop bag can take 90% of the same load and yet feel 50% lighter. Not sure why this is the case. The straps are uber comfy and again look solid enough to take good loads.

Comments about The North Face Recon Pack:

good bag lots of pockets. updated version with clip under front pocket is clutch. and mesh pocket in front is perfect for jackets or any other throw in items. great quality in all aspects of bag overall for what its intended to be its perfect.

Comments about The North Face Recon Pack:

I've had my Recon Pack for a couple of years now. I've been to many places and on many adventures with it. I use it for pretty much everything. I mainly use it daily for my computer to work. The padded compartment is great for a laptop. I also use this whenever I go on any sort of short trip (day hike, biking, car camping, overnight trips, short vacations). I'm amazed by how much stuff I can actually fit in here when I need to and the padded laptop compartment also doubles as a good place to put a camelback.

Durability wise, I haven't had any issues at all. I tend to be pretty rough on my gear and this has held up to everything I've put it through. I don't really have any cons. The only thing I'd say is that it has a waist belt that is pretty useless. The straps for the waist belt just got in the way for me, so I took them off.

Comments about The North Face Recon Pack:

I use this product every day, and I love it. I put a collapsable camelback in the computer section on bike rides. it is perfect!

Comments about The North Face Recon Pack:

Used this for the first time on a business trip. Worked very well, lots of room, comfortable to wear.

Comments about The North Face Recon Pack:

I had the older version of the Recon (purchased in 2005) and I loved it. It was a fantastic day-pack that I used daily in college and also for short trips and day hikes.

My old backpack started to wear out so I sent it to TNF to get repaired. Lo and behold it sends me a NEW 2011 backpack as a replacement. At first I was stoked to receive a brand new backpack in place of my six year old backpack. However, I soon realized TNF removed the straps at the bottom. Although I did not use these straps frequently, they came in very handy during some weekend trips or picnics. They were extremely convenient to strap sleeping back or blanket.

I'm not sure if I should keep this new and improved backpack or search for an older version to get those straps back. Without the straps it's still a great backpack but a lot less versatile in my opinion.

Comments about The North Face Recon Pack:

I bought the Recon mainly for the exterior pockets. The stash pocket and the small zippered pocket above the stash pocket are very handy. The water bottle pockets are functional, but a simple elastic around the pocket would work better than the toggle cord.

A narrow strip of padding protects the bottom of your laptop. Many laptop packs have too much padding inside to be used as a hiking pack, but that's not the case with the Recon.

The shoulder straps are quite good---the padding is dense but not bulky.

Now for some problems.

1. The bottom of the pack hits my back in the wrong place. It seems to curve in against your rear end. It's the only daypack I've ever had that does that.

2. I'm expecting this pack to be hot in the summer because of the padding on the back and the lack of any real air channels or mesh in the back.

3. The waistbelt is too narrow and it's unpadded. It's not going to carry any of the weight of the pack. I've purchased some wide webbing and expect to replace the waistbelt for hiking. I would expect a better waistbelt at this price.

4. There are too many interior pockets. I know that sounds weird, but there are so many pockets I can't find things in there.

5. OK, this is really aggravating: The Recon isn't flat on the bottom, and it won't stand up on it's own when you're loading it or when you set it down.

6. The colors are a bit weird.

I looked for the "perfect pack" for two years and finally got the Recon. I'm basically happy with it, but there is definitely room for improvement.

Comments about The North Face Recon Pack:

I use it as a backpack and I really like it. It's easy on my shoulders, and fits everything I need for school.

Comments about The North Face Recon Pack:

I've used this pack for about 3 years. It has had 2 years of strenuous use for school. It protects my 15.6" laptop perfectly. I have used it to commute to school by bike, bus or car. I have used it for airline travel carry on and on many car trips. I have used it many times for day hikes also. It has so many storage places that I often misplace items within the pack. I use my pack daily for all sorts of duty. I like having two outside mesh pockets for water bottles, occasional knicknacks and the center mesh pocket holds my bike helmet or my lunch. The biggest problem that I have had with the bag, is that it's fabric is a bit thin between the center compartment organizer and the main compartment. This thin material separation finally fatigued enough to rip right through at the top edge by the two compartment zippers. I now have a 4" long rip between those inner panels of the pack. I think that it is time to replace it with a new Recon because it has finally worn out after 3 years.

Comments about The North Face Recon Pack:

I use this pack for school. I walk about 1/2 mile to get to class and this pack is very comfortable even when full of books.