Switching to a fanny pack/waist bag

[brettcw23]

I have an awesome backpack BUT....we go in the summer and my back is soaked by 9am usually. I don't carry a lot so I was thinking about switching to a waist bag and throwing it across my body. We're a family of 4 and my wife\daughters (HS and college aged) carry their own stuff. I am 99% certain I can comfortably fit everything in a waist bag. For me it's mostly meds, sunscreen, moleskin, phone charger. Any other serial backpack users make the switch to waist bags for the Parks?

 

[fla4fun]

I have an awesome backpack BUT....we go in the summer and my back is soaked by 9am usually. I don't carry a lot so I was thinking about switching to a waist bag and throwing it across my body. We're a family of 4 and my wife\daughters (HS and college aged) carry their own stuff. I am 99% certain I can comfortably fit everything in a waist bag. For me it's mostly meds, sunscreen, moleskin, phone charger. Any other serial backpack users make the switch to waist bags for the Parks?

My philosophy is to carry as little to the parks as possible on any given day. So I usually take two or three options of various sizes and choose accordingly. One day, I may only need my phone, wallet, and a few hand wipes. Another day I might need to add an umbrella and/or a poncho. Another day I might want to carry my DSLR with an extra lens or battery. I have bag options for these scenarios so I don’t carry the largest bag all the time.

So in going from a backpack to a waist bag, I would start by thinking about what you really use out of the items you carry to the parks. If you have been carrying a lot of items as a “just in case” that you haven’t used, then downsizing should be easy. If you have items that you use sometimes, but not always, consider taking both the backpack and waist bag on your trip, and then choosing each day which one you really need.

You can also consider things like getting free water at QS instead of carrying water, or using the lockers in the parks for things you might or might not need, so you can carry less on you during the day.

 

[sheilafri]

I use a cross-body travel bag. I already have two, one small, one medium. I usually use the medium as it has fold out pouches for drink bottles which I like to take into the parks.

I’ve never liked the idea of a backpack as seems too susceptible to pickpockets. I don’t really worry about that at Disney parks but it’s nice to have a double-duty item so I can use the bag on other travels.

 

[brettcw23]

My philosophy is to carry as little to the parks as possible on any given day. So I usually take two or three options of various sizes and choose accordingly. One day, I may only need my phone, wallet, and a few hand wipes. Another day I might need to add an umbrella and/or a poncho. Another day I might want to carry my DSLR with an extra lens or battery. I have bag options for these scenarios so I don’t carry the largest bag all the time.

So in going from a backpack to a waist bag, I would start by thinking about what you really use out of the items you carry to the parks. If you have been carrying a lot of items as a “just in case” that you haven’t used, then downsizing should be easy. If you have items that you use sometimes, but not always, consider taking both the backpack and waist bag on your trip, and then choosing each day which one you really need.

You can also consider things like getting free water at QS instead of carrying water, or using the lockers in the parks for things you might or might not need, so you can carry less on you during the day.

My philosophy is to carry as little to the parks as possible on any given day.

I strongly agree with this!
Yeah, I'm leaning towards buying a waist bag and will then have the 2 options. My bag is GREAT for travel but for what I take to the Parks, it's only needed to carry ponchos. But similar to your strategy, if we plan on taking ponchos, I can then take my backpack instead of the waist bag, If I'm being honest, a lot of the time my backpack goes with me and never gets opened in the Parks.

 

[brettcw23]

I use a cross-body travel bag. I already have two, one small, one medium. I usually use the medium as it has fold out pouches for drink bottles which I like to take into the parks.

I’ve never liked the idea of a backpack as seems too susceptible to pickpockets. I don’t really worry about that at Disney parks but it’s nice to have a double-duty item so I can use the bag on other travels.

My backpack is excellent for travel but in July it's so darn hot at WDW that I want to go smaller for the Parks. The more I hear from others the more sense it makes to downsize for the parks. My wife is in the same boat. She's looking to shed her Vera Bradley Disney backpack while in the Parks.

 

[tinkerjo]

Following!! I would love to ditch a bag altogether!! Unfortunately, it seems I am the one that Carries one for the group. Nothing too heavy, it’s a Vera Bradley backpack. But it’s mostly emergency ponchos, a small med kit (basically tylenol, Dramamine and bandaids) and a handful of prepackaged snacks/juice boxes that are gone by 10AM.

 

[brettcw23]

Following!! I would love to ditch a bag altogether!! Unfortunately, it seems I am the one that Carries one for the group. Nothing too heavy, it’s a Vera Bradley backpack. But it’s mostly emergency ponchos, a small med kit (basically tylenol, Dramamine and bandaids) and a handful of prepackaged snacks/juice boxes that are gone by 10AM.

Now that our girls are "adults" we don't need to carry a ton. So half the time my backpack is empty except a few items and making me sweat profusely (thanks to FL summer heat) I use my current Osprey backpack as a catch all for weekend trips (soccer/basketball trips for my daughter) and it is tremendous, but feels like overkill for the Parks. Banda aids, moleskins, some meds, a pen...al will fit easily in a waist bag. And my wife makes fun of me but for get diet soda bottle at the airport and use that bottle all week for my water bottle that I refill. Or I grab a bottled water and use that. But those would fit in a waist bag also.

 

[David Gardner]

I usually use a messenger bag, so I'm somewhere in between the two.

 

[Best Aunt]

Maybe this is obvious, but in the travel/trial size sections of Walmart and Target, you can buy empty small bottles. I have always bought them to take a small amount of shampoo with me when I travel. The bottles are small enough to fit in the ziploc bag of your carry-on when flying.

It finally dawned on me that I can take an empty little bottle with me on the trip, and each morning fill it with enough sunscreen for that day. I used to take a regular size bottle of sunscreen to the parks and leave it in a locker, but it wasn't always convenient to go back to the lockers.

I don't take moleskin in my park bag. I know where I always get blisters, so I put it on my feet in the appropriate places before I leave for the park each morning.

 

[brettcw23]

I'm trying to become more of a minimalist. This time it'll be sunscreen, deodorant, extra pair of socks, Ziplock bags, phone charger, glucose meter and meds. My backpack is convenient for many things but in the FL heat and humidity, not so much!

 

[razlime]

It finally dawned on me that I can take an empty little bottle with me on the trip, and each morning fill it with enough sunscreen for that day. I used to take a regular size bottle of sunscreen to the parks and leave it in a locker, but it wasn't always convenient to go back to the lockers.

It seems like this isn't a concern for you, but just for others excited about this idea - make sure you use all the sunscreen you decant within a couple weeks! Disposing of the container after that timeframe might be a good idea too.

Sunscreen brands say not to decant at all due to light & air exposure, but chemical breakdown of plastic is a major concern as well. The sunscreen will stop being as effective after a while, and the container it's in will begin to degrade.

I still decant, but I work hard to finish the tubes ASAP. My tip: don't do the travel bottles if you're just packing face sunscreen, get a bunch of "Refillable Clear Empty Lip Gloss Balm Containers Soft Empty Tubes" from Amazon - they're teeny but enough room for a couple days' worth of face sunscreen. I use the same lip gloss tubes for hand balm/cream in my belt bag, which is much less likely to break down plastic.

 

[lynnfitz]

As far as sunscreen in the parks-I know WalMart has them, I'm guessing other stores will to-it's a small container of sunscreen that has a silver ring on it that you can attach to your belt loop, or crossbody bag, fanny pack etc. It's probably about 4 inches tall and has a silver clasp on it to hook it on. Perfect for a day trip!

 

[Best Aunt]

Sunscreen brands say not to decant at all due to light & air exposure, but chemical breakdown of plastic is a major concern as well. The sunscreen will stop being as effective after a while, and the container it's in will begin to degrade.

I'm confused. The sunscreen comes in a plastic bottle. Is it a type of plastic which is different from the plastic in the empty travel size bottles?

 

[razlime]

I'm confused. The sunscreen comes in a plastic bottle. Is it a type of plastic which is different from the plastic in the empty travel size bottles?

Yes. They specifically test tolerances for sunscreen in those bottles, but not every plastic. This is a recommendation from dermatologists.

 

[bruceluigi]

Great idea. I like to travel with a simple hiking backpack, but it doesn't look good in photos

 

[Shellyred8]

I normally travel with my disney loungefly backpack. On one of our last trips I tried using my new fanny pack. It did not go well for me. I tried wearing it as a cross-body like you see so many people doing. I didn't like having the bag hanging in front of me all day. I also didn't like the strap cutting across my neck. I switched it to wearing it around my waist and I didn't care for that either. So, I'm just going to stick with my little loungefly backback. It just wears better for me, even if my back gets sweaty from it.

Good luck!

 

[SoloJim]

I carry a drawstring bag, specifically a Nike Brasilia Gym Sack. It weighs practically nothing, has a large drawstring compartment with two sections and a separate zippered outer pocket. If you haven't seen them, the drawstrings double as shoulder straps. It's so lightweight I forget I'm wearing it unless I have a lot in it.

 

[SoloStitchGirl]

I'm planning on downsizing my park bag from a small backpack to a Corkcicle sling, which will make ride-boarding faster and easier

 

[blue oranda]

I would do a trial run to see if you like it. I usually do a crossbody bag. I tested out the Disney fanny pack that is the solid blue with the Mickey on it that you can get at shopdisney right now. I actually could not fit everything that I needed inside. I had a mini wallet, hand sanitizer, my phone and that was it. No room for external battery pack or camera

 

[ahhhshmatthew]

I made the switch a few years ago. Ultimately, for me, I decided: a) I was likely carrying things in my backpack I didn't need and b) it was worth the change to be carrying less, not deal with the heat, etc.

I have a couple of cross body/fanny pack type things now, and I usually comfortably hold: cell phone, sunglasses (as needed), wallet, room key, and 1-2 other thin items as needed (mobile magnetic charger, etc.) I'll never go back!