Tell me how you carry your stuff in the parks

[ozvisiter]

hi- i am a little confused and seek the advice of some experienced DL visitors.

I will be traveling with 3 DD's aged 7, 8 and 10 so I will need to carry a few bits and pieces, autograph book and of course my camera/s...

So what do I use Fanny packs? messenger bags? backpack?help!!!
I do expect each of the girls to carry something small (fanny pack?) and I will carry the extras.. in what???

Any advice, pictures, links to sites would be so helpful. We Aussies know so little about doing the DL thing!!!

 

[yunique4u]

Whenever we go, we bring a backpack. We usually have to pack our sweaters, and water bottles and maybe a light snack, if it can get past the bag checkers.

Sometimes my boyfriend and I will switch off. When I went with my dad and my younger siblings, I opted to carry things in my backpack so my dad wouldn't have to.

There are also lockers. You'll have to take your possesions with you on most rides.

One advice I have- If you go on splash mountain, don't put backpack or things on the floor of the log. It may get wet. Put it on the seat. I put it in front of my seat.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I always carry all of my personal stuff in a belly pack. Then my DH carries a backpack for autograph books, handwipes, sunscreen, bottled water, extra stuff, etc. It works well for us. We also get a locker to put jackets and changes of clothes, if necessary, for later in the evening when it gets cooler.

 

[DL4my2kids]

In it goes the camera, water bottles, snacks etc. All the rides we have very been on have plenty of room for the backpack at your feet.

 

[usschmidt]

Last year I bought a diaper bag! We were still using a stroller so I got the kind w/stroller loops. I liked it b/c it didn't scream "I'm a diaper bag", it had lots of pockets, and a vinyl lining for the inevitable spills. Also, the loop attachments somehow balance the weight of the bag better and I never had the stroller tip over...don't ask me why lol.Here's mine. Not too bad for $22. Here's a similar bag attached to the stroller.

When we'd go on rides I'd leave the bag on the stroller and just put my wallet in my pocket or fanny pack. Dh carried the camera and anything else he wanted. We may use the stroller for our junk again this year, I don't know. I hope that helps you a little!

 

[PinkBudgie]

We used a backpack. In years past, we would switch between us carrying it, however this time DH and the boys all took turns carrying it because now they are teens. In it we put:

A water bottle for each of us.
A small snack from home.
Sunscreen
Hand Sanitizer
Extra Plastic Baggies- handy for phones/camera on wet rides, or left overs from lunch.

I had my small purse on a long strap across my shoulders with the camera, my phone, credit cards, DLR tickets and FPs for the family.

 

[Queenbillabong]

I use a messenger bag to carry the stuff I will need in the park. It's a lot easier to access than a backpack - don't have to stop and take it off to get something out On rides I just swing it forward a bit and it's good to go.

 

[PRINCESSplazola]

the last time we went, i used a diaper bag b/c my son still needed one...this year we will be using a backpack. i got mine at the disney store....they are SUPER cute and right now they are on sale for $12!! we bought a cars one for my son (hubby will wear it) and a princess one for me!

 

[Sherry E]

I am one of those who is guilty of bringing big, honkin' purses/messenger bags with me when I find one I like, and overstuffing them, although reading the other posts here, it sounds like I am bringing all the same stuff everyone else is. For some reason, it always SEEMS like I have more things. I cant carry a small purse - there is just no way - and I don't use a backack because I like to be able to reach into my purse at a moment's notice and grab something if I need to, rather than take off the backpack, remove the item and strap the backpack back on. Last December, I brought several disposable digital cameras which were quite bulky, as well as a small 35 mm camera and accompanying film, AND a disposable video camera. All of this required a big bag to put it in, with a long shoulder strap. I also had to carry other essentials in the bag, too - the hand sanitizer, the wipes, the sunscreen, Motrin and other medicine, the small hand lotion, the the tissue, the cosmetic items, the wallet (can't forget that!), the cell phone, protein bars, the extra plastic Ziploc bags, the glasses and sunglasses cases, the hairbrush, etc. All necessary stuff. But it weighs me down. Still, it is better to have it all in one bag rather than having two or three different things slung over my shoulders, going every which way.

The one thing my big Disney bag did not have (it was styled in the Mouse of 1000 Faces motif that was popular in the '90s) was a proper way to secure it. It did not have a big zipper to close the whole thing up. It had a very weak strap that snapped it closed, so it was never safe from flying open at a moment's notice.

So I suggest that whatever type of bag you bring, make sure it ZIPS closed. You need to make sure small items are secure inside and won't go flopping out all over the place, and you need to make sure you can get into the bag easily and quickly if you need to pull a camera or a ticket out in a split second. As for purchases like souvenirs, IF you are staying at one of the Disney hotels, you can have your items sent back to the hotel for you for free, so you don't have to schlep them around the park. If you are not staying at one of the three Disney hotels, you can get a very expensive locker on Main Street for the whole day and stash some things in there, but you would have to keep going back to the locker to leave things in it as you bought items, and if you are nowhere near the locker in the park, that can be a pain, and you end up carrying your items for much of the time anyway!

 

[RuthieT]

I carried a little backpack bag that was enough for autograph book,pen, a light coat for myself and DD and my wallet, then my camera around my neck. My DD had a get backpack as well just her size that she carried extra clothes and a snack. But most of the time she was in the stroller so we just stuck that underneath.

 

[heatherleigh]

We usually bring a backpack style diaper bag. It's basically a backpack. We keep everything in it, and are able to bring it on all the rides. My husband always keeps his wallet on him, which has cash in it too. The backpack can fit everything, even the camcorder and extra clothes for the kids.

 

[NWPrincess]

I bring this Everest Bag which goes over my shoulder when I go to the parks. It can carry a lot! What I like most about it is (1) it has a detachable strap when I need to take it off (2) It has a separate cell phone case on the strap and (3) it has two zippered sections--one big and one small.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

my messanger pirates bag, and this year im also buying a fanni pack

 

[lvstitch]

I still use a fanny pack . Everyone makes fun of me but it's the best thing I have found to carry everything and not get in the way. I also have a lanyard to carry my water bottle.

PS: I have no kids so I usually don't have that much stuff to carry.

 

[HoneyBee06]

I used to carry a backpack. But after a long day, it really hurts my back. And if it's warm out, I get really hot and uncomfortable. So in the recent years, I switched to a fanny pack. I have a Disneyland one that is a good size to fit the things I need.

When we went to Disneyworld in January, we brought a backpack with jackets and stuff like that and put it in a locker. Then we just carried things like our camera, kleenex, wallet, etc. in the fanny pack.

Fanny packs aren't the cutest looking things in the world, but they are really comfortable and you have your hands free. I don't even have to take it off when I get on rides.

 

[FourM's]

I bring one of those small backpacks with a cinch string closing top. It is lightweight and fit the basics. Usually have wallet, camera and other immediate neccesities in it. We get a locker too, for sweatshirts and other larger items. Then we don't have to carry them around all day.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

We carry a backpack with the camera, my wallet, chapstick, etc. In the past we've had to carry diapers and wipes too. This trip both my girls are potty trained (one of them newly so) so we'll probably carry an extra change of clothes. My girls are still small, so we have the stroller. While walking around the backpack goes in the stroller and we just pull it out for rides.

 

[avalon451]

Unofficial Guide suggested fanny packs for everybody instead of one, big bulky backpack that you'd have to take on and off for rides. It worked well for us. Our kids were 5, 10 and 12. They each picked snacks to carry with them for those stuck-in-line munchie attacks. Plus mini-hand sanitizer, sunscreen, sunglasses, etc. We attached small Nalgene water bottles to the packs with carabiner clips. So the load was spread out evenly and Mom or Dad didn't end up carrying one big bag. We could jump on rides and just pull the fanny pack around to the front. We had a rental stroller for the 5-y.o, though, and often they unclipped their fanny packs and tossed them in the storage compartment while we strolled around.

Unofficial guide also suggested carrying a slim wallet and keeping it in your pocket, separate from your pack or bag, because they can get lost or fall out. So I bought a thin little wallet (unlike my normal one the size of a small sub sandwich) in which I carried my i.d., one credit card, parkhopper, and my hotel keycard (and any FPs I'd collected!) I kept it deep in my front pocket, where it felt very secure.

 

[abby]

I have a large fanny pack that carries water bottles and has lots of room. I have tried a back back but don't find it comfortable.
I also now have my dd 8 carry her own fanny pack. it works great, she loves to carry the park maps, and some snacks.

 

[PinkBudgie]

Oh, forgot to say with the backpack on rides I put it on the floor and then put my leg through the strap. That way it wouldn't fall out of the ride and I also couldn't get up and leave and forget it.

And the boys had a little cell phone holder that attatched to the belt. It had a little extra zipper where they kept the tickets when they went off by themselves. The phones were kept inside a plastic baggie inside the holder to protect it from wet rides.