What do you bring into the parks?

[kkbrig]

I have two dueling sides of me- the side that likes to be prepared for all needs and the side that wants to carry the lightest bag possible!

This trip will be me with my 4 kids, who are all big- DS20, DS19, DD15, DD13. If I carry a backpack, I can get them to all rotate with me so no one does it all day. But if we could get by with a small purse for each of me and my two daughters, plus my boys' pockets, that would be even nicer. I should also mention that I love bags and it's exciting for me to shop around a bit for one! But before I do, I am trying to decide what size, and that means I need to know what I will carry.

Minimally:
My iPhone (and all the kids will have theirs- I will not be carrying those)
A small portable charger and cord
sunglasses
reading glasses
travel size sunscreen
AP card
lip balm
snack size ziplock with bandaids, moleskin, small pill pack

Extra things to maybe bring (I've always brought in the past but maybe we won't this time?):
ponchos
small fans
refillable water bottle with filter
Large ziplock bag with ice and a few sport towels

What am I forgetting? What do you guys bring?

 

[Pipkin]

I wear a clear plastic surf safe around my neck with my drivers license, room key and a credit card. I put my lipstick in my pocket. I care my cell phone and if raining a poncho that is folded up and put in a small Disney merchandise bag that any store will give you and loop it over my wrist. Less is more.

 

[TwinkleKS]

Money (or extra cc in case there are issues with magic bands), phone, sunglasses. That's pretty much it anymore. I've had to hold teenagers backpacks and crap while they rode rides ... I've gone with three toddlers and had to carry diaper bags and push strollers. I've taken professional cameras with me ... even back in the day where I had to take film too. Now I'm at the stage where I don't care. I'm not a pack horse. At the most I will take a small cross body that my phone, sunglasses, and a small wallet will fit into. If I take anything bigger people will hand me their crap and ask me to carry it. If I schlep a poncho around it won't rain anyway ... so I'll just buy one if I need one. If I get hot, I'll find air conditioning. If I'm thirsty I'll waste the $5 and buy a water. I'm just over carrying crap what can I say.

But to each his own. There is nothing wrong with taking stuff in ... I've just found I enjoy it more not to.

 

[kkbrig]

Well, I am feeling the exact same way- tired of carrying crap. I guess I could even go down to cc, phone, sunglasses and reading glasses (or I won't be able to read my menus!) !!! Liberating!

 

[wilkeliza]

I bring my cell phone, wallet, sunglasses and two mophies on a heavy ride day. If it is a scenic day possible our fujifilm X-T10 as well. My fiance has about the same so my small crossbody backpack can handle everything but the camera.

 

[unrequited23]

Personally, I would leave the sport towels and fan out of the bag. We did love our misting fan but that was mainly because it served as a novel distraction for the kids. I might consider a smaller water bottle too. The large ones get heavy when they are full. A 14 oz contigo fit well in my Vera Bradley hipster. In that bag I was able to carry my phone, wallet, sunglasses, lip balm (with spf), two pairs of kids sunglasses, one kids 14 oz cup, travel sunscreen and stick sunscreen, a few bandaids, feminine supplies, a toddler baseball cap and some lollipops & fruit snacks. My children had the knack of getting extremely hungry, thirsty and whiney 15 minutes in to a 30 minute long line.

 

[kkbrig]

You fit a lot in that Hipster!

I think the biggest thing I am debating is the water bottle. I know we will drink much more if we carry one. But they really get so heavy over the course of a day. I'm just getting old and tired of carrying stuff I guess!!

I think what I will do is find a bag that I like that is a minimalist bag and will only hold my glasses and phone and a travel sunscreen. But I will bring along in my suitcase a backpack that we could use. Then try a few days with only the minimalist items and see how it goes. If we find we really miss the other things, we can bring the back pack the next day, with everyone agreeing to help carry it!

Now, to find the perfect bag! I know there's another thread going on this, so I will go and study some of those suggestions!!

 

[Shanti]

I keep it minimal to make touring more pleasant. I've found it's more fun to be at the parks all day when not lugging a lot of stuff. I have a comfy, Mickey-themed canvas shoulder bag in which I keep my wallet, my phone (which doubles as my camera), a small tube of ibuprofin, a hairbrush, lightweight ponchos (in summer), extra contact lenses, and my mini UV umbrella (when I'm not using it as a parasol). I never pack water- it's just too heavy & I like to keep the bag light.

 

[TwinkleKS]

You could also go for those fold up flat water bottles. Some of them can kind of roll up pocket size.

 

[loves to dive]

I stopped carrying a bag years ago. I try to wear something that has at least two pockets. In one pocket is my phone. In the other is a small cloth wallet with my ID, cash, AP, CC. Around my neck is my reading glasses. On my head is a cap and my sunglasses. MB either on my arm or the new one is on a carabiner hooked to a belt loop. If I think it is going to maybe rain, I might carry an umbrella that has a clip so it can be clipped to a belt loop. If I think it's going to storm all day, I have a clear full length rain coat similar to the ones the CMs wear that I wear in and if it's not raining, it can be folded down and put into a plastic bag that will clip on a belt loop. If I'm wearing a sundress with no pockets or womens pants that have pockets too small to hold my cell phone, I have a running belt that will hold the phone and wallet.https://www.amazon.com/Eazymate-Fas...Nf&pd_rd_wg=90GRZ&refRID=XDD1QW76FDQKNT2V4VSH I carry the phone through security and wear the belt under my dress until I get in the park. Then I go to the bathroom and pull it on top of my dress and stick the phone in it, it has a hook I can hook either the umbrella or the rain pocket to. If I wear the belt over my dress some security make me go through bag check, which is a pain since it slips on and shimmying it off in public isn't fun. I get free water at the QS places and if I need aspirin or bandaids, I just go to first aid.

 

[Donna M]

Skip the backpack, the kids are old enough to carry their own stuff, and you will end up with some of it if you have, "all that extra room for just this one thing, please mom." I used to be able to get in without any bag, but now that I need reading glasses, I bring a mall crossover bag that is just big enough for: glasses, lip balm, phone, very small sunscreen, small poncho, and money/ID.

I drink whenever I see a water fountain, and get water at restaurants.