1. Introduction
After four years of using a trusty, now out-of-production Columbia backpack I decided it was finally time to upgrade. Both water bottle pockets were broken, I had torn off a zipper pull, and the never-ending Seattle rain had significantly darkened the green color of the fabric. There were also some holes in the bottom panel, and the padding on the strap was conspicuous by its absence. Most importantly, the capacity of the backpack was not quite large enough to store my school materials and whatever I needed while doing my (infrequent) travelling.
To be honest, I had despised the North Face backpacks for a while. The abundance of media pockets and wild colors indicated that the target market were young urban residents, while the rugged construction and North Face badge seemed to be for the purpose of inflating the backpacks' retail price. It worked on both fronts. Masses of teenage boys and girls bought backpacks made of ballistic nylon simply to wear around the hallways, and North Face got anywhere from $65 to $250 (!) each time a kid bought one.
But I was attracted to them because I didn't want another broken water bottle pocket, because they seemed to have backpacks in a variety of sizes, and most importantly, there were a lot of stores here in Seattle that sold them. That meant I could try them on for size and handle them in person before making a purchasing decision. This set them apart from other backpacks from Thule and Mountain Hardwear that I had considered - it was hard to find those backpacks in stock locally. It also helped that North Face packs had good quality padding and solid build. (Yes, I did just criticize the unnecessary ballistics nylon above, but I do take my backpack on the plane or in the rain, so it mattered to me more than it did to those high schoolers.)
Eventually I settled on the $99 Recon backpack, which had a good capacity of 31 liters.
To be honest, I had despised the North Face backpacks for a while. The abundance of media pockets and wild colors indicated that the target market were young urban residents, while the rugged construction and North Face badge seemed to be for the purpose of inflating the backpacks' retail price. It worked on both fronts. Masses of teenage boys and girls bought backpacks made of ballistic nylon simply to wear around the hallways, and North Face got anywhere from $65 to $250 (!) each time a kid bought one.
But I was attracted to them because I didn't want another broken water bottle pocket, because they seemed to have backpacks in a variety of sizes, and most importantly, there were a lot of stores here in Seattle that sold them. That meant I could try them on for size and handle them in person before making a purchasing decision. This set them apart from other backpacks from Thule and Mountain Hardwear that I had considered - it was hard to find those backpacks in stock locally. It also helped that North Face packs had good quality padding and solid build. (Yes, I did just criticize the unnecessary ballistics nylon above, but I do take my backpack on the plane or in the rain, so it mattered to me more than it did to those high schoolers.)
Eventually I settled on the $99 Recon backpack, which had a good capacity of 31 liters.
2. Appearance and Design
The Recon backpack is, in general, well designed. It certainly looks the part. There's something you feel when you think a backpack looks just right, and for me the Recon is pretty satisfying to look at. The combination of oversized sunglasses pocket (which will hold a compact camera and pouch of Kleenex as well) and mesh front pocket (for easy access to books and snacks) is visually balanced, and all the materials are good quality and smooth.
I especially like the construction of the bottom panel, which is thicker and made of more durable material than my old Columbia backpack. That means water isn't as likely to soak through if I accidentally set my backpack down in a damp or wet area. (This scenario is very plausible in the rainy fall/winter/spring of Seattle.)
I especially like the construction of the bottom panel, which is thicker and made of more durable material than my old Columbia backpack. That means water isn't as likely to soak through if I accidentally set my backpack down in a damp or wet area. (This scenario is very plausible in the rainy fall/winter/spring of Seattle.)
There's a design issue with that bottom panel, however. It's in a trapezoid shape, so it gets a little narrower as you move further away from the back of the pack. Look to the picture on the right to see what I mean. This is less than optimal for carrying multiple notebooks or folders, which have a constant width. While it's not a prominent decrease in width, it still is something. Of course, were North Face to keep the dimensions constant instead of shrinking them (as they did here and in the depth of the backpack too), they could probably increase the Recon's capacity to 32 or 33 liters. This would be great, except their bigger (and $30 more expensive) Surge backpack already occupies the 32/33L category. |
This means that were the Recon's dimensions to stay the same throughout, the increased capacity would put it at odds with one of the North Face's other backpacks, and lead to decreased sales for one or both. This is poor practice to me; after all, "if you don't cannibalize yourself, someone else will come along and do it for you." Thanks, Steve Jobs.
There's more. The water bottle pockets are mesh and not solid, so I'm afraid they'll tear like they did on my last backpack. The front stash pocket looks big, but not all of it is stretchy, so it won't actually fit my whole rain shell or sweatpants. I don't really know what the North Face product people were smoking, but they thought the stash pocket could hold 'a helmet [or a] soccer ball'. If it can't hold a rain shell, it's not going to fit a soccer ball.
Additionally, there is an internal stiffener on the back to hold up the padding and help the back keep shape. Unfortunately, it's also curved inwards slightly, so when you're wearing it, the stiffener keeps some of the padding panels from resting on your back. The stiffener also keeps the shape so well that the rain flap over the zipper is very tight. This makes the main compartment zippers hard to open. (In fairness, once you get past the initial strong tug, the zippers run smoothly.)
Most worryingly, there are some fit and finish issues that I wouldn't really accept for a $100 backpack such as this one. Look at the close-ups of the two straps below. Clearly, the stitching on the two is not equal. The strap on the left is narrower than the strap on the right. This is evidenced by the fact that the area of green ripstop nylon is around 1/16in narrower (look at the ruler for scale), while the amount of visible mesh wrapped around from the back is also smaller.
There's more. The water bottle pockets are mesh and not solid, so I'm afraid they'll tear like they did on my last backpack. The front stash pocket looks big, but not all of it is stretchy, so it won't actually fit my whole rain shell or sweatpants. I don't really know what the North Face product people were smoking, but they thought the stash pocket could hold 'a helmet [or a] soccer ball'. If it can't hold a rain shell, it's not going to fit a soccer ball.
Additionally, there is an internal stiffener on the back to hold up the padding and help the back keep shape. Unfortunately, it's also curved inwards slightly, so when you're wearing it, the stiffener keeps some of the padding panels from resting on your back. The stiffener also keeps the shape so well that the rain flap over the zipper is very tight. This makes the main compartment zippers hard to open. (In fairness, once you get past the initial strong tug, the zippers run smoothly.)
Most worryingly, there are some fit and finish issues that I wouldn't really accept for a $100 backpack such as this one. Look at the close-ups of the two straps below. Clearly, the stitching on the two is not equal. The strap on the left is narrower than the strap on the right. This is evidenced by the fact that the area of green ripstop nylon is around 1/16in narrower (look at the ruler for scale), while the amount of visible mesh wrapped around from the back is also smaller.
There are also some issues with that great-looking front stash pocket. I already discussed how it's not very practical. The most it can realistically hold is a pair or sweatpants and a book. I currently use it to stash a two-pack of Epi-Pens in their box. Aside from the impracticality, it's also not very well made.
First, there's a strap running down the middle, with three attachment points for keychains or fake carabiners. This strap is attached to a nylon panel that is part of the stash pocket. The nylon that North Face uses isn't stretchy, which I've already griped about in the practicality paragraph. But the keychain strap isn't attached very well at all. Look at the picture below left. You can see that the strap is not really sewn to the middle of the nylon, rather it is sewn a little bit on the right side.
The reflective bike light mount is also not assembled correctly, as it's angled to the left a little. See the picture below right. You can also see that the right fork of that nylon panel is noticeably thicker than the left fork.
Another minor quibble is that the ends of the adjustable straps are really, really long. When I've adjusted the strap to optimal fit, there is over a foot of strap left. This could get snagged on vines or caught in car doors. There's a lot more adjustment possible, thanks to the long strap, but most of it isn't really optimal for your back. That level of adjustment leads to the need for an excessively long strap. This is why the header image (at the very top) shows so much extra strap hanging around.
Of course, an issue with almost every backpack - including this one - is that it doesn't have enough reflective bits. On the Recon, night-time visibility is reduced to the bike light mount I discussed above, as well as two small bands across the front of the shoulder straps. There's a little on the water bottle pockets' keychain straps, but it doesn't amount to anything.
In summary, the North Face Recon looks good and feels nice to the touch. Material selection is pretty good and the fabrics feel pretty durable, with the possible exception of the water bottle pockets - we'll have to see on that one. But the internal stiffener doesn't do a good job of keeping the back panel close to your back, and there are a sizeable number of build quality complaints. Reflectivity is also at a minimum, so it's not very visible at night.
Of course, an issue with almost every backpack - including this one - is that it doesn't have enough reflective bits. On the Recon, night-time visibility is reduced to the bike light mount I discussed above, as well as two small bands across the front of the shoulder straps. There's a little on the water bottle pockets' keychain straps, but it doesn't amount to anything.
In summary, the North Face Recon looks good and feels nice to the touch. Material selection is pretty good and the fabrics feel pretty durable, with the possible exception of the water bottle pockets - we'll have to see on that one. But the internal stiffener doesn't do a good job of keeping the back panel close to your back, and there are a sizeable number of build quality complaints. Reflectivity is also at a minimum, so it's not very visible at night.
3. The Recon in Daily Use
Quick note:
The important thing to note about the North Face backpacks is that you have to wear them correctly. They're recommended by the American Chiropractic Association because if you wear them correctly, they could help relieve stress on your spine and back while carrying heavy loads. Think college engineering textbooks and the like. I would venture to say that 90% of students buying these backpacks don't know how to get the ACA recommended advantages of these backpacks.
On all the mainstream North Face daypacks, there are a sternum strap and a waist buckle. The sternum strap goes across your chest and it's cool because it has an emergency whistle on it, but the important one is the waist buckle. That's because it sits on top of your hip bone (if the straps are adjusted correctly!). This distributes the weight onto your hip, reducing the strain on your shoulders and back. Of course many students don't realize this, and leave the straps and buckles hanging loose so they can snag it on a car door.
Using the sternum strap and waist buckle is especially important because the foam on the Recon's shoulder strap is rather firm. At the point where the strap meets your shoulder, there is a wire mesh window through which you can see a spine-shaped piece of foam. That's the firm piece that is part of North Face's FlexVent system. The hole allows breathability, but if you squish the foam you can also see through the mesh to see how firm it is. It's about equal to squishing five stacked takeout boxes - it's possible, and it's easy too, but you're not squishing very deep because there's not much give.
This firmness means that if you don't attach the sternum strap and waist buckle, the weight of heavy objects in your backpack will be transmitted through that foam into your shoulder. After only a few minutes it is very noticeable. By bucking the waist buckle, some of the backpack's weight is shifted onto your hip, making it easier to keep your back from bending over from the weight. That's the kind of support that gets these North Face backpacks a recommendation from the ACA. It's the kind of support that I see many people ignoring.
</rant>
So with that out of the way, how does the North Face Recon ride? It's great... if you use the sternum straps and waist buckle, as you should. As I explained, doing so really helps reduce the strain on your shoulders and back. This is especially important because the North Face uses pretty firm padding (that's the takeout-box firmness I was talking about above) on the shoulder straps, so any heavy objects inside will really make themselves felt.
The important thing to note about the North Face backpacks is that you have to wear them correctly. They're recommended by the American Chiropractic Association because if you wear them correctly, they could help relieve stress on your spine and back while carrying heavy loads. Think college engineering textbooks and the like. I would venture to say that 90% of students buying these backpacks don't know how to get the ACA recommended advantages of these backpacks.
On all the mainstream North Face daypacks, there are a sternum strap and a waist buckle. The sternum strap goes across your chest and it's cool because it has an emergency whistle on it, but the important one is the waist buckle. That's because it sits on top of your hip bone (if the straps are adjusted correctly!). This distributes the weight onto your hip, reducing the strain on your shoulders and back. Of course many students don't realize this, and leave the straps and buckles hanging loose so they can snag it on a car door.
Using the sternum strap and waist buckle is especially important because the foam on the Recon's shoulder strap is rather firm. At the point where the strap meets your shoulder, there is a wire mesh window through which you can see a spine-shaped piece of foam. That's the firm piece that is part of North Face's FlexVent system. The hole allows breathability, but if you squish the foam you can also see through the mesh to see how firm it is. It's about equal to squishing five stacked takeout boxes - it's possible, and it's easy too, but you're not squishing very deep because there's not much give.
This firmness means that if you don't attach the sternum strap and waist buckle, the weight of heavy objects in your backpack will be transmitted through that foam into your shoulder. After only a few minutes it is very noticeable. By bucking the waist buckle, some of the backpack's weight is shifted onto your hip, making it easier to keep your back from bending over from the weight. That's the kind of support that gets these North Face backpacks a recommendation from the ACA. It's the kind of support that I see many people ignoring.
</rant>
So with that out of the way, how does the North Face Recon ride? It's great... if you use the sternum straps and waist buckle, as you should. As I explained, doing so really helps reduce the strain on your shoulders and back. This is especially important because the North Face uses pretty firm padding (that's the takeout-box firmness I was talking about above) on the shoulder straps, so any heavy objects inside will really make themselves felt.
Here's the Recon fully loaded, and as you can see, it tends to sit lower when it's got heavy things inside, and the bottom panel sags a rather large amount. (Surprise, surprise, gravity is still in effect.) That blue thing on the strap adjuster is a tape loop I made to tidy the long dangling strap, while the blue thing hanging off the mesh front pocket is a cheap bike reflector. To get an idea of how big the Recon is, that water bottle holds 24 ounces, and I'm 5 feet 8 inches or 173cm.
A list of what I carried inside my backpack for this photo:
So the Recon does carry a sizeable amount of stuff. The main compartment is easily accessible and opens wide to fit all those notebooks, novels, and the laptop. It doesn't have any organizational compartments in it, except for a laptop sleeve. That's because all the organization is in the front pocket. But relying on the front pocket to keep things organized is a bit of a problem.
The pockets in the front organization section aren't really pockets; instead, they're more like slots. Everything is thin and has no give - what I mean is, there's no extra material to allow for thick objects. The picture below shows what I mean - all the pockets are sewn together without any space for them to expand when they're filled.
A list of what I carried inside my backpack for this photo:
- Apple MacBook Pro laptop, 13.3"
- 5 notebooks, 70 or 100 pages each
- Accordion file with various papers
- Two small hardcover books
- Pens, pencils, eraser, ruler, wallet
- Small first aid kit and Chap-Stick
- Canon S110 point-and-shoot camera
- Pack of Kleenex tissues
So the Recon does carry a sizeable amount of stuff. The main compartment is easily accessible and opens wide to fit all those notebooks, novels, and the laptop. It doesn't have any organizational compartments in it, except for a laptop sleeve. That's because all the organization is in the front pocket. But relying on the front pocket to keep things organized is a bit of a problem.
The pockets in the front organization section aren't really pockets; instead, they're more like slots. Everything is thin and has no give - what I mean is, there's no extra material to allow for thick objects. The picture below shows what I mean - all the pockets are sewn together without any space for them to expand when they're filled.
Notice how the fleece phone pocket (with my wonderful red flip phone in it) is already deformed from the stress of having a thick old phone shoved inside it. Now look at the bottom right pocket - that's an Altoids tin, repurposed as a first aid kit, and a stick of lip balm. That's a mesh pocket, but unlike the water bottle pockets and the front stash pocket, it's plain old webbing, not stretch mesh. That means it doesn't actually stretch to expand reasonably sized items. What did the North Face product designers have in mind when they made that pocket? A pack of cards? No, that's too thick. Maybe two individual cards, at most.
Having only two pen loops is a bit of a problem, but at least they stretch to accomodate two pens each. The tablet slot (I don't really use it, since I don't use my tablet often) seems to be very prone to bending. In the above photo you can see it flexing outwards due to the books and other things in the main compartment. I'm not sure I would trust my tablet to go in there without being bent. I mean, just look at an iPhone 6 Plus, that's not even as big as a tablet, and yet... It's also hard to get to things in the bottom of this pocket. What you don't see in this photo is the abyss below the organizational slots (again, they're not deep enough to be called pockets). If I were to unzip those two outside zippers more, you would be able to see a graphing calculator and two Clif Bars buried down there, somewhere. It's even harder to get to those because these organizational slots bulge outwards when you put things in them, and they bulge outwards more when things in the main compartment press them out. So it's a little like cave exploration when you have to blindly stick your hand in and feel around in the abyss for your things. Luckily for me, graphing calculators feel a little different from Clif Bars, so I can usually find whichever of those I need. |
4. COnclusions
So what are my overall thoughts on the Recon? Well, as I mentioned above, the Recon looks and feels nice. But as you use it - wear it, bring it in and out, pack it - you realize that there are some telling design issues. Issues such as the flat, non-expandable front organizational pockets, the near-absence of reflectivity, and the relative impracticality of the mesh stash pocket make you question whether the North Face really put thought into what they were making. While the padding is plush and breathable, the shoulder straps are too firm (and their adjustment straps too long), the water bottle pockets are somewhat oddly designed, and there are build quality issues to boot.
For people taking this to work, it's rather heavy and large (and not very work-appropriate in its design). For people taking it to school, many of the features are simply overkill (water resistance, buckles and straps everywhere). So this leaves a question - who is the target market for this backpack? Considering who it doesn't seem to be targeted at, one might think of this as a niche product (and indeed, many of the other North Face daypacks too). It's too heavy and tech-focused (laptop, tablet, and phone sleeves!) to be a technical pack for outdoorsy people, yet its rugged construction and weatherproofing make it usable for that role. On the other hand, it's too rugged and outdoorsy for most office workers or students to appreciate, yet it's large enough and focuses enough on gadget storage to make it usable for them.
I think that makes the North Face Recon a bit of a fashion statement. And, as I covered in the Introduction, that purpose has been fulfilled, based on how many North Face packs populate the hallways and streets of schools, college campuses, and the like. Although the Recon is a good backpack, the way it's designed shows a priority of form over function. To that end, I rate it 3 out of a possible 5 stars. It's good, but there's still lots of room for improvement - specifically in its design flaws and build quality.
Before you complain, "Why don't you just return your Recon for a better-made copy? or refund it and buy another pack?" I should mention that I use this backpack every day, and it would thus not be feasible or logistically possible for me to return or exchange it.
Overall rating: 7/10
For people taking this to work, it's rather heavy and large (and not very work-appropriate in its design). For people taking it to school, many of the features are simply overkill (water resistance, buckles and straps everywhere). So this leaves a question - who is the target market for this backpack? Considering who it doesn't seem to be targeted at, one might think of this as a niche product (and indeed, many of the other North Face daypacks too). It's too heavy and tech-focused (laptop, tablet, and phone sleeves!) to be a technical pack for outdoorsy people, yet its rugged construction and weatherproofing make it usable for that role. On the other hand, it's too rugged and outdoorsy for most office workers or students to appreciate, yet it's large enough and focuses enough on gadget storage to make it usable for them.
I think that makes the North Face Recon a bit of a fashion statement. And, as I covered in the Introduction, that purpose has been fulfilled, based on how many North Face packs populate the hallways and streets of schools, college campuses, and the like. Although the Recon is a good backpack, the way it's designed shows a priority of form over function. To that end, I rate it 3 out of a possible 5 stars. It's good, but there's still lots of room for improvement - specifically in its design flaws and build quality.
Before you complain, "Why don't you just return your Recon for a better-made copy? or refund it and buy another pack?" I should mention that I use this backpack every day, and it would thus not be feasible or logistically possible for me to return or exchange it.
Overall rating: 7/10