new backpack help

[shadowranger]

not sure where exactly this goes so bear with me.when i go to disneyland next time i'm taking a new pack and need help figuring out what will make it through.it's just me and not taking much but i'll be leaving with a good haul.i can't seem to post the link but i found them all on amazon.so here goes:

High Sierra Access Laptop Backpack
The North Face Surge Backpack
FENGDONG 40L Waterproof Lightweight Hiking,Camping,Travel Backpack
REEBOW GEAR Military Tactical Backpack Large Army 3 Day Assault Pack Molle Bag
PANS Backpack for Men Large Military Backpack Tactical Waterproof Backpack
5.11 Tactical RUSH72 Military Backpack, Molle Bag Rucksack Pack

those are it.i like packs that are roomy and have the chest and hip strap/belts.if those don't work what are some good alternatives??

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Will this be your carry on bag as well because the REEBOW GEAR Military Tactical Backpack Large Army 3 Day is the size of a carry on bag. with the biggest demention being 20 inches. Not sure I want to carry around the equivalent to a carry on bag on my back. Since the capacity is 40 liter. When full it would hold the equivalent of 20, 2 liters bottles of pop.

 

[shadowranger]

i'm not flying. i live near disneyland so i'll be driving.so why my post got movie to a disneyworld forum i don't know.nor do i know how to move it

 

[sweetpeama]

From experience I can say that NorthFace is a good brand. I have gotten several years our of the ones I have gotten in that brand. By several I mean at least 8-10 and I use them and am hard on them constantly. Another good brand is JanSport. A few tips for purchasing a decent soft day time backpack.
1. If making your purchase during back to school shopping time DO NOT PURCHASE IN THE SCHOOL SUPPLY SECTION Take the time to go back to sporting goods and get one in the camping aisle. They are the same brand and while you are going to pay a bit more they will be of better quality.
2. Check the following on the backpack either in the store or if you order online as soon as it arrives and if it doesn't meet standards return it.
A. Seam allowance (the space between where the stitching is and the edge of the material should be at least 1/8 of an inch. Any smaller and the chances that there is a section that was missed is increased.
B. Even stitching that has no loose spots. Check inside the zippers and the straps especially for this (tip on zippers fold the material over so you can check the stitching.
C. Double Stitching on high stress areas. This is the straps and the zippers. This is an area that I have found a tendency of companies to skip with the back to school backpacks. I got tired of during 1 school term having to replace a backpack or adapt how I was using it due to either a zipper going out or having a strap come unattached. I ended up getting one in the sporting goods section of the store and I still have and use it from time to time (the bottom is getting worn out a bit and it doesn't have a seperate laptop compartment. I purchased this backpack back in the mid 1990s. I took the time to add up the cost I had spent on the lower cost one in the back to school supply department and figured that what I was spending on a replacement at least once a year I was better off spending more even if I only got the traditional Fall and Spring terms
D. Make sure it is comfortable to you and has the number and size of pockets that you need along with other features. If you are driving a smaller pocket that is narrow or a clip of some sort for your car keys can come in handy. Otherwise your digging those keys out of the bottom of a deaper pocket.
E. Frugal tips for children. At younger ages as long as it is comfortable you can get away with purchasing in the school supply section. Due to growing most kids are going to get only 2-3 years out of a backpack during the preschool to elementary school years. They are also not putting near the stress on the zippers in most cases. By middle school age it is going to depend on growth and if a higher amount of work is done at home and books are required to be brought home on a regular basis. Check with several other parents of children older than yours if you don't know to get an idea. The reason I say several if I have a niece and a nephew who both went to the same small school for middle school having 98% the same teachers (I think one left between the older one finishing and the younger one starting). Amazing niece who is an honors roll student taking honors classes had 2-3 hours of homework a night while nephew who does barely enough to pass constantly was stating no homework was assigned. Ask a parent of a child like my nephew how much and what kind of homework comes home and your going to think it's not too much at most my kid will just be bringin home the occasional paper and a library book. My kid is still on the small size I will get a kid size on as it will work for this year. If it is short handouts and the occasional book then look at the fit of the pack during this age range (generally 5th-8th grade) Does it go from the shoulders to the hips (exception mini packs). High school and college/university definently need the higher quality due to the number of books needed in many cases.

OP if you give me a few days I will take a look at the different ones you mentioned and see if any of them look like good ones from the pictures and descriptions but I did want to share my experience over the years as well with not only you but anyone reading this thread. I do have a few questions though.
Are you planning on just using the backpack or more correctly daypack (backpacks have a hard frame and should not be used in the parks. If you did a hike across the county trip and ended up at a Disney Park then leave the pack in your hotel room and use a smaller day bag of some style for in the parks) in just the parks or are you looking at going on a day hike with others. For safety it is not recommended to go by oneself especially in areas where there may not be assistance on a regular basis or phone service.

 

[shadowranger]

i'm planing on just using it as a daypack and nothing more.more specifically just to carry whatever i buy next time i'm at disneyland which i think is going to be a somewhat big haul of stuff.from what i read of the pack it seems like it would be a good fit(pun intended) for my needs

 

[sweetpeama]

Looking the different models you listed in the OP I would go with the High Sierra or the Northface brand one. Even if you were going to use it for going on a long day hike or a short 1-2 night at most the others are entirely too large to be using in the parks.

Putting them into a search bar that is not amazon and looking at them in detail on several sites along with reading reviews both positive and negative I would go with the Northface one you listed. The overall ranking across the different sites including ebags and backpacker were higher with much more positive reviews. It also looked like there was more room and more access to the areas. Bonus 2 water bottle spots opposed to one so you can easily carry a refillable bottle for water and a bottle of juice or soda and have easy access to both if you want.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Looking the different models you listed in the OP I would go with the High Sierra or the Northface brand one. Even if you were going to use it for going on a long day hike or a short 1-2 night at most the others are entirely too large to be using in the parks.

Putting them into a search bar that is not amazon and looking at them in detail on several sites along with reading reviews both positive and negative I would go with the Northface one you listed. The overall ranking across the different sites including ebags and backpacker were higher with much more positive reviews. It also looked like there was more room and more access to the areas. Bonus 2 water bottle spots opposed to one so you can easily carry a refillable bottle for water and a bottle of juice or soda and have easy access to both if you want.

Yes some that are listed are huge. I could not imagine trying to carry the equivalent of a carry on bag on to a ride. Not to mention the amount of time it will take Disney security to go through the bag at bag check.

 

[sweetpeama]

Yes some that are listed are huge. I could not imagine trying to carry the equivalent of a carry on bag on to a ride. Not to mention the amount of time it will take Disney security to go through the bag at bag check.

General rule if there is a spot to attatch a bed roll, sleeping bag, or a tent it is too big for in the parks. If you are backpacking from Alaska or WA to CA and then are catching a train or the Appalachian Mountains and catching a train make sure you have a smaller mini pack folded and tucked away for the parks and leave the larger pack in your hotel room.

I had friend in college who spent a good part of 2 different summers doing both those packpacking trips only it was from MT across to WA and then down to CA

 

[GirlDreamer]

I don't know how good they are, but I've seen videos showing backpacks from Nordace and they seem to hold a lot of things in a small amount of space. Could be worth checking out.

 

[BobbyDukes]

https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/86674?page=stowaway-day-pack

I have an LLbean Stowaway and have used it now on 9 trips to WDW. In fact its the backpacks only job is Disney, it has a small collection of pins on it that are never removed.