Been using the recon for a week now My back gets really hot when I ride a bike or walk in hot weather, feels like there is a furnace on my back, not as breathable as I thought, but it was a hot day and I could tolerate it, so it’s not a deal breaker All the pockets in my opinion are excellent, the zippers, the feel, inside and outside are very good quality. The weight of the bag is good and so is the colour selection. Size is good, a bit more on the larger side but tolerable, wears like a smaller bag, shoulder straps are excellent and the sternum strap is also very easy to use. I would rate 8/10. It’s missing a better ventilated back, and middle compartment could have had better organisation.
I have the 2021 Surge and the new Osprey Nebula and the Surge is just horrible in terms of storage and zippers. Once you start putting a laptop and notebook in the laptop sleeve, you lose main compartment volume. The Nebula does not suffer from this at all and I feel is the superior bag. The Surge also does not have compression straps which is a bummer as the old one did. I just bought the Recon from DSG last night and it’ll be here in a week or so, so I’ll see how that compares to the Nebula. Great vid and thanks for the review and information! Keep up the good work!
Thank you for watching and for sharing your experience with the bags! I’m definitely curious to check out the nebula based on your comments and I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts on the recon after you’ve had a chance to use it!
First of all, I really enjoyed your comparison videos. Nice work! The Recon's better harness system comes at a cost of a much heavier bag overall and for me, that's too much of a compromise. Having to carry the bag the whole day walking around town or travelling in different cities, the weight has more affect on me than slightly less comfortable harness. But that's just me.
How is the Recon's durability? Are the articulated shoulder straps durable? Will these new articulated straps detach from the backpack or the shoulder straps? I am looking for a backpack that will last for some years and the Recon's construction looks attractive to me. The only concern is its durability and load resistance. Any feedback will be very welcome, thanks in advance.
ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cLTXsH978WM.html Recon laptop compartment didn't provide enough suspended space, only about an inch, to protect your laptop. So I inserted a $1.50 pool noodle from Dollar Store, and that will give you enough protection from drop. Cut it in half if you have a tall laptop. Works great.
I wanna buy a backpack for both college, daily use and travelling. Wanna carry my laptop and pens. I can't choose between Refugio and North Face backpacks. Cause refugio has better laptop safety but lacks pen compartment. And vice versa for North Face. What do you think?
I use the Patagonia medium 6L cube to carry all the cables, chargers, pens, etc. -- so I don't need those organization compartments inside a backpack. While traveling, one part of the cube is occupied by cables, power bricks, etc, and the other by toiletries. I just open the main zipper and lay both halves flat while passing thru security. Very convenient. If you need a bag with pen compartments, etc., see if you find the now discontinued Patagonia Paxat -- it also has zippered side pockets which I like.
Thank you for watching! Both are solid bags but I would maybe lean towards the black hole as I feels like it can hold a bit more (although I do think the recon is a little more comfortable)
If price is not an issue, then a backpack with waist strap is much more convenient like the Craigsmith 45L or Altavia 36L. I use Thule Versant 60 as my carry-on and one bag for travel.
Thank you for watching and that’s a fair point! There is a little bit of a gap but it always still feels like my laptop is in danger when I drop it in or place my down a little harder 😅
Thank you for watching! I feel like they were pretty similar for these versions, but the newer Refugio feels a little wider since they removed the admin pocket
Thank you for watching and definitely a tough choice! I prefer the harness a bit on the recon, but the apogee is still really comfortable and i prefer it’s laptop protection and organizational layout
Tropos is a little bit bigger. A more comparable bag would be Osprey Quasar, although I agree I'd go for an Osprey bag over this 2 brands any day. TNF dropped the quality quite a lot and Patagonia doesn't offer any features that justify its price.
Thank you for watching! Both could work well for school, but I might lean a bit towards the north face as the harness system provides a little more support and might be helpful for carrying books and binders and other heavier items
