A great Backpack for touring with two toddler potty trained boys at the end of Sept

[hthrbells]

Hello all,
I was trying to figure out a good back pack to take into the parks with our two boys. I will want to pack a few distractions along with a change of clothes for each of them, a few drinks, and the necessities. We had used a north face last year and it was a pain to get in and out of. Any thoughts? I see a ton on hear for little bags but we need something slightly larger without being to cumbersome. Thanks!!

 

[buffettgirl]

I tend to like bookbag backpacks. The ones like you had - that have a top load, I find totally inconvenient, where as a bookpack usually has a full zipper and often 2 pockets so you can find stuff. We also find that DH can stand in line and I can be behind him getting things out for the kids without ever havign to remove it.

but, the caveat is that you want something that's comfortable to wear - so go with a good bookpack with good shoulders - like from LLBean.

 

[hthrbells]

Thanks, I saw a cool Dekine that we might try it has a cooler pocket too!!!

 

[3girls4me05]

I have used my dd's ll bean backpack in the past and love it. She has this one like this
http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/st...entCategory=504467&feat=504467-tn&cat4=504466

They also have a jr one that is smaller. What I love is that it is pretty unstructured so it is not bulky when 1/2 empty. Easy to squish down at your feet on rides.
HTH

 

[Kelli Bell Lee]

Which North Face backpack did you use last year? I am looking for a backpack to use this year too and had found a couple of North Face bags on eBags that I really liked. Now I'm not so sure! We are going next month and needed a backpack mainly for lunches, snacks, and waters. Any suggestions?

 

[hthrbells]

I looked into Dakine and I think we are going that route. They even have an insulated cooler pocket We were not crazy about our north face for the parks but we do like it otherwise. Check Zappos I like the Dakine Duel and I am 90% sure we are going to get that one. Hope this helps

 

[Kelli Bell Lee]

Thanks! I'll have to check those out. Our trip is coming up in February, so I need to find something pretty soon!!!

 

[tzolkin]

We used hydration backpacks during our trip. We filled it with ice and water in the morning before we left the room and refilled with free ice water if necessary. It was very convenient with the little ones because they could have a sip of water whenever they were thirsty (in lines!) without getting anything out of the bag. Ours had some room in the larger section for clothing and had a few smaller sections that we kept all our food/snacks/camera. The backpacks were comfortable and sat higher on the back than a regular bag, so they could even be left on while riding.

 

[erddig]

The best backpack for traveling (school too) is one from Landsend, it has a "top"load, organizer pockets, places to clip things, waterbottle pockets. I have one, and each of my 3 kids have one for the plane, but we only take one into the parks. We usually travel in Feb so for summer monthes it may be hot, but we usually hook it onto a stroller then.

Here is a link;

http://www.landsend.com/pp/CorduraZ...sku_0=::TVY&CM_MERCH=SRCH_00001&origin=search

 

[Cinderella Mom]

I found a backpack by Crocs in a local shoe store here in my home town. It has three separate compartments for carrying extra clothing, wipes,ect. It has a small compartment on the front. Perfect place for carrying autograph books. It even has holders for your pen for autographing. This drove me nuts on our last vacation with my other backpack. Everytime we stopped to get an autograph, I'd have to dig to find my pen. I won't have to do this on this trip with my Crocs backpack. Oh, it also has a mesh holder on the side for a water bottle and a cell phone holder. I can't wait to try this out.

 

[3boymthr]

My favorite backpack is my Vera Bradley. Very lightweight - and washable. I can put three 20 oz bottle of water in it plus a wallet, camera and some extras. They have a larger one that will hold more - probably you'd want this one for the clothing. I'm not sure how much you want to carry, but if you are looking for one that is lightweight these bags are definitely lightweight and only have the two shoulder straps.

If you are looking for one with more oomph (support)- try checking out the packs on sierra trading post. They have some great backpacks on there, and they give the weight of the pack and the prices are really good for name brand items. We got a Mountainsmith expedition sized backpack for my DS for 50% off suggested retail - which was their regular price.

 

[tinkermom23]

We will have 2 toddlers with that are potty trained too, and our plans are to have a small bag that will carry important things like camera, phone, and room for one water bottle. We'll keep this with us all the time, standing in line and such.
Then, I will use our small diaper bag with a change of clothes and a few snack, extra water... This little diaper bag we will leave in the stroller. I wouldn't want it to get stolen, but if it does, I wouldn't be too upset.
Now, this is the plan, and I honestly haven't tried it yet, but it's a thought.
Your toddlers will still need a stroller, so maybe you wouldn't nee to carry a bigger backpack if you didn't want to.??