North Face has long had a reputation for creating innovative outdoor gear. Recently, they’ve expanded into other categories, such as backpacks. The Recon Backpack is designed specifically for those who love hiking, camping and climbing.
This North Face Recon Backpack might be the ultimate choice for anyone interested in a very versatile backpack. On top of that, it has amazing features that will make it one of the best choices for specific niches.
Is the North Face Recon Backpack worthy? How does it compare to its main competitors? To learn more, continue reading our detailed review of this product and what to expect.
Our Verdict on the North Face Recon Backpack
The North Face Recon backpack is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a versatile hiking/camping bag that can handle all your needs. It’s durable, comfortable, and easy to use.
However, it has no special features or extras that make it stand out over other similar bags. If you want something with more bells and whistles, consider one of the other options on the market.
This backpack it’s known for carrying things in an organized way, protecting your laptop, and having breathable materials so that you won’t sweat when wearing it.
It’s very versatile and can be used on a day trip for camping, where you can carry many things given its large capacity.
We believe this is a great choice if you want something lightweight and stylish on your outdoor adventures.
Competitors of the North Face Recon Backpack
| Product | Overall Score | Bottom Line | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
North Face Recon | 8.3 | 
Top Choice | Check out on Amazon |
| Competing Options | |||
JanSport SuperBreak One | N/A | Lightweight School Bookbag | Check out on Amazon |
SHRRADOO Anti Theft Laptop | N/A | Travel Backpack | Check out on Amazon |
MATEIN Extra Large | N/A | TSA Friendly, College Bookbag with Laptop Compartment | Check out on Amazon |
 VGOAL | N/A | Laptop Backpack | Check out on Amazon |
Amazon Basics | N/A | Computer Backpack | Check out on Amazon |
Detailed Analysis of the North Face Recon Backpack
The North Face Recon backpack is an excellent choice for people who like to travel light but still want to have some extra storage space when needed.
It’s also great for hikers and climbers because it can be used with their day pack or rucksack. You don’t need to carry two separate packs for hiking and climbing. You can just use one bag.
Let’s see everything this backpack offers, its main features, and what makes it special.
1. North Face Recon Backpack
Overall score: 83
Advantages
- Adaptable shoulder straps, making it flexible and mountable to any body type.
- Built with high-quality materials, which offers longevity and reliability.
- Versatile and can be used on different occasions.
- Offers one of the best waterproofing features from backpacks available on the market.
- Great storage capabilities and organization.
Disadvantages
- Older style that some people may not prefer.
- Doesn’t offer the best protection for a 15-inch laptop.
- Backpack fails to stand up on its own.
Features Summary
This backpack is made with high-quality materials and offers many advantages. Some of them are:
- Great water resistance
- A good amount of storage space
- Good organization
- Flexible design
- Durability
- Breathable Materials
- Versatility
2. The North Face Recon Backpack’s Key Features
Let’s look at each of its key features in detail.
a. Size
The North Face Recon is a large-sized backpack. Its size is perfect for most users.
The length is 7″, width is 13″, and its height is only around 19.25″, which makes it fairly standard as far as these kinds of backpacks go.
This is a backpack that most people use as their go-to option to carry their laptops. However, it has some limitations; the sizes of the laptops that this backpack can fit are 18.9″ by 11″.
If you have an 18.9″ by 15″ laptop, you get a special compartment that is highly protective, according to North Face.
More protection would’ve been ideal, and we’ve listed this as a disadvantage because it won’t offer the best protection for a 15-inch laptop.
Its size allows you to have plenty of organizational compartments. In addition to organizing books, you can also organize your laptop and where its accessories go, such as the charger, mouse, etc.
The backpack is quite impressive in size since it has a 30-liter capacity, especially if your main purpose is to hold books and your laptop.
This backpack can be great for taking on a light camping day trip.
b. Organization
One thing that makes this backpack so unique is how organized it is. It comes with lots of pockets and compartments that allow you to keep all of your items safe and secure.
You can easily find anything inside the backpack without digging through every compartment.
It has a front pocket that holds your wallet, keys, and other small items. On top of that, another large main compartment holds everything else. It has two smaller side pockets that hold your water bottles.
These side pockets are secured with straps that can be adjusted to the bottle’s size. This way, you don’t have to worry about it ever coming loose or falling.
c. Material & Comfort
It’s made from Nylon fabric which means that it’s very durable and resistant to wear and tear. No tears or rips are reported even after long use.
It’s also waterproof and breathable, meaning it won’t let any moisture into the bag. This backpack will offer the most advanced waterproofing protection in any backpack seen in recent years.
After all, it’s designed to keep your books and laptop protected from rain and bad weather. We enjoy this backpack’s design even though some consider it a bit old.
It offers many features and benefits that many other backpacks do not. Some materials that you will find in this backpack include:
- 600D Polyester Toile
- 500D Nylon Oxford Slub
- 210D Cordura Nylon Ripstop
- Duraflex Hardware
- ITW Hardware
- YKK Zippers
If you’re looking for something that will provide a comfortable experience while using it, this is the backpack for you.
It has adjustable shoulder straps that are comfortable and soft. They come with slight padding, providing great support and comfort.
They are also padded at the bottom of the backpack, ensuring you don’t have to deal with sore shoulders or neck pain. This is especially useful when carrying a laptop or heavy books in your backpack.
Even if you’re riding your bicycle, you won’t feel uncomfortable wearing this backpack. Everything is designed to make you feel as comfortable as possible.
One of the things we hate the most when carrying backpacks is the sweat stains they leave. That’s precisely the thing that the North Face Recon backpack has eliminated.
They do this by including breathable materials all over the backpack.
The update to the FlexVent Suspension System boasts an articulated shoulder strap, rounded back panel and stitch line for comfort, and soft-touch chemise fabric.
The American Chiropractor’s Association has approved the new and improved Flex Vent technology.
d. Convenience and Other Features
This backpack includes a large main compartment that holds everything you need. It also includes an internal pocket that helps you organize your items better.
In addition, it has a front pocket that you can use to put smaller items like keys, wallets, etc., that can be accessed easily.
The side pockets are great because they allow you to store small items like earbuds and pens or keep water bottles. These pockets are easy to reach, and they’re convenient.
This backpack also has a removable/adjustable waist belt that allows you to adjust its size according to how much weight you’re carrying.
Also, at the bottom, some straps will help you carry more items if needed. This excellent feature increases the usability of this backpack even more.
No annoying zippers, so you won’t have to deal with the hassle of un-zipping them every time.
For example, on the side pockets, you can just take out the items from the mesh pocket without having to unzip them first.
Overall, this backpack is perfect for people always on the move. It’s light enough to carry everywhere but durable enough to last for years.
e. Durability and Warranty
Most campers who have tested this backpack extensively have said it’s one of the best and most durable backpacks.
Even after months of use, they reported that it could stay intact without any wear or tear happening to the fabric.
Even other reviewers on websites like Amazon and REI are on the same page, and they don’t report anything going wrong with the backpack, even after months of heavy usage.
This backpack comes with a limited warranty covering material and workmanship defects for one year from the date of purchase. The typical repair time is between six to eight weeks, so keep that in mind.
If you encounter any problems with the backpack at the moment of delivery, you can contact the manufacturer directly.
However, you must remember that if you’re doing online returns, the timeline is only 60 days.
f. Pricing
It’s not cheap per se and especially compared to other choices on the market, but it’s worth every penny you spend.
When you consider the features it offers, the brand value, the quality of the materials, and everything else, you realize that you’re getting a great deal and one of the best value-to-performance tradeoffs.
Closing Thoughts
We hope you enjoyed reading our North Face Recon Backpack review. We think that it’s one of the best backpacks available today.
This might be the right fit if you’re looking for something similar. It’s comfortable, spacious, and has a ton of useful compartments. It’s also very light and compact, which makes it perfect for traveling.
We think this is a great backpack for those who want to travel light and pack everything they need without worrying about their stuff being lost or cramped.