The North Face  Recon Pack - 2017

This is the pack you will use every day. At 31L, you have enough space to carry lunch, communication equipment, first aid, 15" laptop, and anything else you can stuff inside it's large compartment. The first smaller panel has a variety of pouches, pockets and nets that keep everything organized from tablets to multi tools. The outside net is perfect for stashing quick access items and large enough to keep them secure. The one thing I would love to see on these packs are deployable rain covers across the whole line. I would definitely recommend this pack and others from TNF.

After looking at several models, none of which suited my needs, I bought the North Face Recon as a replacement for my 30-year-old REI pack which is starting to disintegrate. It's hard to find a pack with an outside slot for magazines for maps or magazines, so this is perfect for me. It also has padded sections for both laptops and iPads, 3 separate sections for organizing contents, and it fits really well. It is spacious but fits under a seat or in an overhead bin. This pack is just right for both hiking and travel: durable, light enough, just the right size and well-made.

This pack has been through it all with me. I got one as a gift before going off to college 10 years ago, and I’m STILL using it today. If the newer models are still similar to my old one, you can’t go wrong. It’s done it all; carry my books to class, work as a weekend bag for road trips, accompanied countless day hikes, heck I lived out if this thing for a two week trip to Ireland (I’m light packer). It’s simple, sturdy, and dependable. All the features you need, and nothing you don’t. You can compress it down to just carry a laptop and a book to a coffee shop, or stuff it full for a day hike up to to Camp Muir on Mount Rainier. After 10 years of abuse the mesh pockets are a little frayed, but not one thing is broken. I won’t get technical with all the features, but I can say I’ve put this thing through the ringer for a decade of adventures, and it’s still my go to day pack!

This pack is extremely comfortable. The bottle holders fit a 40oz hydroflask with no problem. The ventilation on my back is great and the padding makes this super comfy. The organization panel is awesome but the key clip is awkwardly placed in a pocket. The compression straps keep it snug to your back and the front stretchy cargo piece is great for loose items. My only beef with this pack is the zippers on the main cargo area. They get stuck on the material very easily. Other than that it's great and I love the option to use a hydration bladder for longer hikes.

Bought this daypack online through REI based on other people’s reviews of it was I wrong to do that! Returned two days after it was delivered to my address. Zippers are very stiff and had to fight with them all the time. The flap that cover the top zipper extra long and stiff. The entire pack was not balanced it was designed to be heavy against your back so when you took it off it always fell over on its front. No reflection on it that should be Incase you get caught out at night. This pack is not worth it.

I've had this backpack (the old version of it) since about 2009. It's held up amazingly, and through everything - it was my backpack in high school for years, then was my backpack all through college, then on my commute to and from work in a major city, and has traveled with me all over the world. It's come as my personal item on well over 100 flights, from Ryanair steerage to Emirates first class and everything in between, and has been reliable every single time. It's not completely waterproof, but I've been caught outside in many heavy rains/snows/etc. and I've been worried a few times since I carried a laptop, notebooks, etc., but have never had a problem. Mine is the all-black version and barely shows any wear and tear despite being 8ish years old. I'm only just starting to consider a new backpack because this one is starting to smell funky, which is to be expected after years of hauling lunches, sports equipment, hiking gear, and everything in between.

I had an older version of this pack & gave it to my son. Bought a different brand of pack & was never as pleased, so I bought myself another Recon. Love this pack. Plenty of room with many accesssory pockets. The newer version is more comfortable than my older version. Highly ecommend!

Solid pack, I also own the 35L sized one but was really attracted to this tree/stamp design. Nice laptop pocket and organization slots. Wish the side pouches were bigger to accommodate growing water bottle sizes and also would have liked the mesh pouch to be a little bigger.

This is a great pack. I was looking for something easy for a 1-2 overnighter. With the computer and tablet storage along with the many other pockets and expandable storage. This pack is perfect for my carry on. Wears very nicely, the straps are very comfortable.

Easily the best TNF daypack. I've had multiple iterations of this model and each one has been outstanding. Loads of space, versatile, tough (although I've put each of them through the trenches & sadly they don't last forever :( )