THE NORTH FACE Jester Backpack Review: Campus Pick (8/10)
“Super cute and spacious but the cloth loop part of the zipper detached…on the first day!” That one line captures the tension around the THE NORTH FACE Jester Laptop Backpack, Midnight Petrol: many buyers call it comfortable and stylish for school and commuting, but a smaller group runs into size expectations and occasional hardware frustration. Verdict: a campus-first backpack with real fans and a few sharp edges — 8/10.
Quick Verdict
THE NORTH FACE Jester Laptop Backpack, Midnight Petrol: Conditional.
It reads like a “daily driver” pack for students and commuters who want comfort, organization, and a laptop sleeve without a bulky hiking harness. But digging deeper into user feedback, a recurring pattern emerged: people love the look and build, then get surprised by how “small” it feels in practice—especially once full—and how limited the side bottle pockets can be.
| What matters | What people liked | What people didn’t | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comfort for daily carry | “Padding makes it really comfy” | “Chest strap…rides high” | Zappos (Women’s Jester reviews) |
| Capacity vs expectations | “Fits a lot of stuff” | “Considerably smaller…pictures made it look bigger” | Zappos, Amazon review |
| Organization | “Spot for everything…convenient compartments” | “Main compartment…undifferentiated…stuff gets kind of lost” | Zappos, Looria excerpts |
| Water bottle carry | Works for small bottles | “Very, very small” side pockets; hard to fit bottles when full | Best-backpacks review, Zappos |
| Durability | “Materials…super solid”; “lasted for 3 years” | “Broke on my first trip”; zipper pull loop detached | Zappos, Looria, Zappos (Women’s) |
| Cleaning & fabric | “Material holds up super well” | Returned because “wasn’t machine washable”; colors “got gray/brown really fast” | Zappos (Women’s) |
Claims vs Reality
The official product copy frames the THE NORTH FACE Jester Laptop Backpack, Midnight Petrol as “roomy,” commuter-friendly, and laptop-ready, with water-repellent protection and an all-day comfort suspension. Digging deeper into user reports, “roomy” often depends on what you’re carrying—and what you expected from photos.
One buyer on Amazon pushed back on the perceived size, writing that “the picures and descriptions / reviews made it seem a whole lot bigger… and its not.” That theme repeats on Zappos and Looria-style aggregations, where people describe it as “cute but too small for a commuter backpack” and “pictures made it look bigger / more roomy so kind of disappointed.” For high schoolers hauling multiple textbooks or commuters trying to avoid juggling lunch + jacket + purse, that gap matters.
The comfort claim fares better, but not universally. A Zappos reviewer (Jester Backpack page) said it “helps me keep my back straight… carries a lot without making it feel like a lot,” and another called it “perfect…for work since i take 4 buses per day.” Yet others mention fit details: a Zappos women’s reviewer complained the “chest strap should be a little lower as it rides high,” and an Looria excerpt describes a chest-strap attachment breaking when used to secure the pack to luggage.
Water management is where marketing and reality diverge most sharply. While the bag is described as having “two external water bottle pockets,” multiple user stories focus on how tight they feel once the bag is packed. In a long-form review (best-backpacks), the reviewer said the “two mesh side pockets are very, very small” and warned that anything larger than a “.5 liter” bottle could fall out. A Zappos women’s reviewer echoed the daily-use version: “difficult to fit my water in the mesh pockets after the backpack is full.”
Cross-Platform Consensus
Universally Praised
Comfort comes up like a drumbeat across school and commute scenarios, especially for people carrying laptops and notebooks daily. On Zappos (Jester Backpack reviews), one college freshman wrote, “it helps me keep my back straight, and carries a lot without making it feel like a lot,” framing the Jester as relief for “desently heaving” books. Another commuter described a very specific use case—public transit with multiple transfers—saying the backpack “makes it so much easier and confortable on my body,” and highlighted rain as part of the decision: “it rains so much and i use it everyday.”
Style and color also drive a lot of enthusiasm, which matters for students who want an everyday backpack that doesn’t scream “technical hiking pack.” A Zappos women’s reviewer called it “such a cute backpack!” and another said they “get many compliments on it and the design.” Even when people critique size, they often still praise aesthetics; one review calls it “very stylish with plenty of pockets” despite not finding it practical.
Build quality is another recurring win—until the occasional failure story interrupts. Several Zappos reviewers lean on longevity: “the last one we bought lasted for 3 years,” and another described it as “very well made and feels like it will last a very long time.” The best-backpacks long-form reviewer used vivid durability language, calling the fabric “tough as louisiana gator jerky” and praising zippers that “slide as smoothly…as…bullet trains,” presenting the bag as a “sleek and sturdy sidekick” for city-to-trail transitions.
After those narratives, the praise tends to condense into the same themes:
- Comfortable straps/back padding for daily loads (Zappos)
- Stylish colorways that get compliments (Zappos)
- Enough space for “laptop + binders + notebooks” for lighter-packers (Zappos Women’s)
Common Complaints
The biggest complaint is not “it holds too little” so much as “it’s smaller than I expected.” That distinction shows up in multiple places: an Amazon reviewer said “descriptions…made it seem a whole lot bigger… and its not,” while a Zappos women’s reviewer wrote, “i did find it a little smaller than i was expecting.” Another added a time-based trend perception: “i feel like the volume has gone down the last few years,” suggesting returning buyers may feel the current Jester doesn’t match older mental models.
For commuters and students who pack dense, the water bottle pockets become an everyday friction point. One Zappos women’s reviewer described the lived experience: “difficult to fit my water in the mesh pockets after the backpack is full.” Another called the pockets “kinda annoying [because] they kinda cut into the bag,” which reads like a design tradeoff: sleek silhouette versus forgiving external storage. The long-form reviewer goes further, saying the pockets are “very, very small,” and warns larger bottles are likely to “fall out.”
Hardware and “first-day” failures show up in a smaller set of reviews but feel high-impact because they undermine trust quickly. A Zappos women’s reviewer reported, “the cloth loop part of the zipper detached…after pulling it a little too hard on the first day!” Another Looria excerpt reports “i love tnf backpacks, but not this one it broke on my first trip,” describing the chest strap attachment failing when securing it to rolling luggage.
A short list of complaint patterns across platforms:
- Size expectations mismatch (“made it look bigger”) (Amazon, Zappos, Looria)
- Tight side bottle pockets, worse when packed (Zappos Women’s, best-backpacks)
- Occasional strap/zipper hardware issues (Zappos Women’s, Looria)
Divisive Features
Stiffness splits buyers. On Zappos, some describe it as structured and supportive—“padding makes it really comfy,” and “helps me keep my back straight.” On Amazon, one reviewer framed that same structure negatively: “the back is very stiff - almost like its made of hardboard,” and concluded it’s “not going hiking… the back is too stiff.” For a middle-school student with lighter loads, stiffness can feel like support; for someone expecting a softer, pliable daypack, it can feel rigid.
Organization is similarly polarizing. Some love the compartments—Zappos reviewers repeatedly mention “spot for everything” and “little convenient compartments.” But an Looria excerpt calls the main compartment “otherwise undifferentiated,” warning that “stuff gets kind of lost in the space” under the smaller pocket. In other words, minimalists may enjoy the simplicity; detail-oriented organizers may want more internal segmentation.
Trust & Reliability
A reliability thread emerges around two themes: long-term durability and early failures. On the reassuring side, Zappos includes longevity stories like “lasted for 3 years,” and multiple reviewers describe it as “very well made” with “super solid” materials. The best-backpacks long-form review also stresses no “obvious weak points,” though it admits “only time will truly put its durability to the test.”
But digging deeper into the “trust” side of buying, some comments are less about the backpack and more about the purchase experience. An Looria excerpt flags “true to color…came with north face tags…(read reviews…some people received their backpack without north face tags),” showing a subtle scam/gray-market anxiety: authenticity signals like tags matter to shoppers.
There are also “breaks fast” reports that can dominate perception if you’re unlucky. The Looria excerpt about a strap breaking “on my first trip” and the Zappos women’s zipper-loop failure “the first day” are isolated stories in the dataset, but they’re the kind that make cautious buyers second-guess.
Alternatives
Only one competitor is explicitly named in the provided data: Mystery Ranch Robo Flip Pack (Looria comparison). The tradeoff reads like a personality difference. The THE NORTH FACE Jester Laptop Backpack, Midnight Petrol is repeatedly positioned as “great for around campus,” “good value,” and “simple but effective layout,” while the Mystery Ranch option is presented as a different take on carry comfort and design.
If you’re choosing between them based on user narratives rather than specs, the Jester appeals to people who want a recognizable school/commute backpack with a laptop sleeve and a lighter feel. The comparison text frames the Jester as “great for edc,” “comfortable to wear,” and “solidly built,” but also calls out quirks like reflectivity placement (“only on the upper half makes it oddly top-heavy”) and mentions “problem with packaging.”
Price & Value
Value is often described in “for what you get” terms rather than pure price. The best-backpacks review explicitly calls it a “budget pick” and praises “a budget price for a durable pack.” That aligns with Zappos reviewers who treat it as a repeat buy for school: one parent wrote the last one “lasted for 3 years,” which frames cost as amortized over daily use.
Resale listings on eBay show a wide spread: a pre-owned women’s Jester listed at $35.99 + shipping, while another listing shows a “new with tags” item at $119.05. That spread suggests condition and listing context matter a lot; it also hints that buyers who want a deal can find it used, while certain colorways or availability moments can push “new” prices high.
Buying tips embedded in user chatter revolve around expectations. Multiple reviewers recommend mentally sizing it as a lighter-pack student/commute backpack, not a “carry everything” commuter bag. As one Zappos women’s reviewer put it: “if you’re not carrying a lot of textbooks you should be fine!” Another flagged care constraints: “had to return because it wasn't machine washable,” aligning with the brand’s spot-clean guidance in official materials.
FAQ
Q: Is the Jester big enough for college textbooks and a 15-inch laptop?
A: Conditional. Several Zappos reviewers say it fits a “15 inch laptop” plus notebooks and binders, with one noting it holds “2 binders, 3-4 notebooks, computer.” But size expectations vary—an Amazon reviewer said photos “made it seem a whole lot bigger… and its not.”
Q: Are the water bottle pockets actually usable?
A: Yes for smaller bottles, frustrating for larger ones. A Zappos women’s reviewer said it’s “difficult to fit my water in the mesh pockets after the backpack is full.” A long-form reviewer warned the side pockets are “very, very small” and bigger than “.5 liter” may fall out.
Q: Is it comfortable for commuting on public transit?
A: Often yes. One Zappos reviewer who “take 4 buses per day” said it made commuting “much easier and confortable,” and another college reviewer said it “carries a lot without making it feel like a lot.” Still, one reviewer wished the chest strap sat lower.
Q: Does the back panel feel stiff?
A: Many find the structure supportive, but some dislike it. An Amazon reviewer described the back as “very stiff - almost like…hardboard,” while Zappos reviewers frame the structure positively as supportive for school loads and posture (“helps me keep my back straight”).
Q: Are there durability concerns with straps or zippers?
A: There are a few. A Zappos women’s reviewer reported the “cloth loop part of the zipper detached…on the first day,” and an Looria excerpt mentions a chest-strap attachment breaking “on my first trip.” Others report long life, including a Zappos note that a previous one “lasted for 3 years.”
Final Verdict
Buy if you’re a light-to-moderate packer—college student, commuter, or everyday carry user—who wants comfort, clean organization, and a stylish pack that “fits a 15 inch laptop” without feeling bulky. Avoid if you routinely carry oversized textbooks, large water bottles, or expect the photos to translate into a much bigger commuter backpack.
Pro tip from the community: set expectations on capacity early—one Zappos reviewer warned the Jester “is a little small,” and another urged buyers to “check that it’ll fit your needs before purchasing,” especially if you’re trying to carry lunch, layers, and a full bottle in the side mesh pockets.
