Do a lot of people wear backpacks?

[vetstadium]

I've been reading you can bring them in with your own snacks/drinks. Do a lot of people bring them?

 

[jack hannah bananah]

Yes!
I actually bring a backpack as a diaper bag and a cooler for food and drinks. I leave them both in the stroller when we go on rides.

 

[rosiejo]

I have a small backpack with my camera gear in the bottom and DH carries a backpack that is actually a cooler and in it we stash a packed lunch and the sun block. They're small enough to stow easily on the rides and mean we can carry the things we need.

 

[AdamsPrincess]

Same with us, we use a backpack as our diaper bag and carry the stuff in there. Much easier to carry around.

 

[disnut8]

You can bring backpacks in without using them for food and drink. And you can use other bags to carry your food and drink.

But yes, there are a lot of people with backpacks in the parks. I personally do not use one for a variety of reasons (it would kill my back, I couldn't reach my stuff right away, etc.) but if that is what you are comfortable with, you certainly will not be in the minority.

 

[mickeystoontown]

We've been taking a small backpack to WDW for years now. I get a new one every two years or three years. My husband takes medication four times a day so I make sure the pack has a small zippered section that holds nothing more than his meds. There needs to be another zippered section that holds nothing but the autograph book and pen.

I make sure there is a small "netted" section on the side for holding a bottle of water or cola.

The middle section needs to be large enough for our ponchos, small snacks, etc.

I like the kind that has two "middle" section. This way, I can put the camera in another and not worry about it getting any snack, gooey stuff, etc. on it.

Make sure that your backpack is small enough that it can fit on most rides. I try to get one that is a youth type size. You know, not the one for the little kids and not the one for backpackers/campers. Just a middle size pack.

I wouldn't go to WDW without a really good backpack.

 

[solfan68]

We don't do food so much. But ponchos, autograph book, and camera all have a home in a small backpack.

 

[bgraham34]

I only bring a backpack when i travel in Dec or January. Otherwise I am sweating too much to carry it. I use a sports bag and carry it. Its nylon and light.

 

[KJ Luvs Pluto]

I love to have a small backpack along. I have to drink a lot of water throughout the day and having a bottle along makes this easy. It's also nice to bring along snacks to cut down on the cost of food and for things like sunscreen, heachache medicine, inhaler for DH, Sanitizing hand wipes, etc.etc. Mine to is small so it doesn't hurt my back.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Yes, lots of folks bring them. Lots of folks carry WAY too much stuff around all day too, but that doesn't stop them from doing it.


Keep in mind, any bag you bring, you'll have to keep track of ALL DAY. You have to stow it on every ride, and remember to pick it up at the end of the ride.

MINIMIZE!

If you have a stroller, with a basket, then you can store non-valuables in it, and it makes more sense to bring a few things. (Also, small kids tend to need things like diapers and wipes.)

If you are just adults, I'd skip the backpack.

Pockets are a much better asset - at least ones that have good zippers. Cargo shorts for guys work well.

A compact camera is a better asset than a bulky one.

Water is one of the few thigns I'd consider carrying. The second thing I'd consider is a jacket if the weatherr is cool or rainy. Solid, heavy rain may require a the plastic poncho, but in light rain, a hood will suffice. A Jacket or sweater or sweatshirt in a neutral color with a hood is a good thing.

 

[MudEJeep]

BackPack Queen here, too! Good advice to keep as light as possible. Have twin girls and I seem to carry everyone's stuff. Extra added bonus is Hubby will carry it, too. He wouldnt be caught dead carrying my purse, but no problem with backpack

 

[srwarden1928]

Yes lots of people bring backpacks to the park. No I would never subject myself to lugging one around the parks. They do sell snacks and drinks in the parks. Yes they are higher than you can get elsewhere, but insignificant compared to the total cost of the Disney vacation. If $$ is that tight, you can get water & ice in the parks free. I put on my sunscreen before I go to the park each morning. I have $$, CC, room key, car keys, park ticket, touring plan, cell phone, plastic baggie for water rides. I wear glasses that darken in the sun (and stay on for ALL the rides). If I needed medication during the day, I would carry that too. Everything fits in my pockets. I have everything I need. If I want anything else I can buy it in the parks.

To me lugging all the stuff some people say they want/need in the parks is too much trouble. I will not subject myself to that. To each his own.

 

[thepwa]

Yep, sure do. I don't bring food, though.

Not that anyone asked, but I have found a backpack much easier to carry around at Disney than at Universal. Universal makes me put my backpack in a locker for all of the good rides. Disney does not seem to care if I carry a backpack on the big rides.

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

DH carries one with all of our junk inside! Not food and drink (drink would weigh it down bad & that could damage your cameras if the drink were to spill or condensate.) Our favorite backpack is the one that came with our laptop. It has sooooooooooo many different sections and zip up compartments! It held everything!

 

[DVC Mary]

Our Camelbak Backpack was our best investment ever for our Disney trips & any other outdoor excursions.

http://www.camelbak.com/index.cfm

We fill it w/ as much ice & as we can cram & very little water. We ask for a free cup of ice to add occassionally or refill when we take a break back at the hotel. As it melts we have cool water for 1/2 - 2/3 of the day for our family of 4. We pick up other drinks occassionally. DH needs his Diet Coke fix.

No one fights over who has to wear it b/c it keeps your back a little cool. We put our snacks right behind it (not a lot) b/c it keeps them cool.

Other items we pack in it:

Ponchos
Sunscreen
Camera & in its small bag.
Glasses
Small fan


Head the advice of others. Don't overpack.

 

[ReneeKnepp]

I couldnt live without my backpack at Disney.

 

[Stargazer]

Yes - DH and I both have a small sling backpack.

Mine has the camera/videocamera, autograph cards & Sharpies, ADR info, & park tip cards.

His has the travel 1st aid kit, hand sanitizer, ponchos, and a few snacks. Both of ours has a place for a bottled water and small fans that clip onto the side.

 

[asmarykay]

We used to bring a backpack as a diaper bag and then store other things as well since is had so much room. We would leave it in the stroller when we went on rides.

Now (kids are now 15 and 12) I just carry a bag that I got at Wal-Mart years ago. It has a shoulder strap and is not too big. it has 2 separate compartments plus zippered sections on the front.

Parkpasses and cell phone in the front zippered sections.

Park plan, ponchos, and autograph book in one section.

Sunscreen, tylenol, tums, hand sanitizer, band-aids (No - not Old Band-Aid!!!!!), and wipes (they are handy when an ice cream melts on you, or there aren't any tables that have been wiped down at CS) in the other section.

With this in place we are ready to conquer the World!

 

[Jalva22]

We do. Chips and water basically. Sunscreen. A few other odds and ends.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Parkpasses and cell phone in the front zippered sections.

Park plan, ponchos, and autograph book in one section.

Sunscreen, tylenol, tums, hand sanitizer, band-aids (No - not Old Band-Aid!!!!!), and wipes (they are handy when an ice cream melts on you, or there aren't any tables that have been wiped down at CS) in the other section.

With all due respect...I'm not trying to pick on asmarykay, but a good pair of cargo shorts would hold most of this.

Why cargo shorts are better:

1. You can put the phone on vibrate and feel it ring. On many attractions, you won't hear the ring, or may disturb others.

2. If you put all FP's and passes in a lanyard, they will be easier to access.

3. You can bypass the bag search process at the entrance! the time savings coul d add up or may be negligable depending. Nevertheless, being able skip even one line at WDW feels psychologically great!

4. You don't have to stow or worry about misplacing your pockets. It is easy to get dstracted when you come off a ride! If you buy things at WDW, you can have them shipped back to your room for free!

I picked your post because others talked about bringing sharpies. I could see how someone wouldn't want to put a sharpie in their pocket.

On many trips,DH wa even able to stow two water bottles in his pocket.

Having said all this, there ar times when having a backpack might be justified, but if you can eliminate it, there is value in not having one.