What's in your purple bin?

[jneal3285]

We have been contemplating renting one of those purple bins we saw piled up the last time we were at OKW.

My wife and I are trying to think of enough items to make it worth it to us. What's something unique/ really useful you put in yours?

I think a photo album with pictures of past trips would be neat, or some of that really cool retro kitchenware from marketplace co-op.

Any other cool ideas? TIA!

 

[Kidanifan08]

We love our OL! We have lots of practical stuff in ours. Nite lites, suction cup hooks for the bathroom, batteries, band aids, Brita pitcher and filters, good coffee, gold coffee filter, disposable rain ponchos, power strip, acrylic stemless wine glasses, wine opener, wine aerator, portable bar set, laundry pods, dryer sheets, big shampoos, curling iron, grooming kit, sharp knives, cutting board, foot powder, zip lock bags, tin foil, duct tape, beach ball, collapsible cooler, chip clips, anti-acid tablets, Afrin, goggles, 1% HC cream, higher, moleskin, personal fan/spray, sunscreen, Talc, multi-function tool and mixing essentials (Absolut, Tanqueray, Woodford Reserve).

It is a luxury that I could not imagine not having at this point. It makes our 8-10 day stays so much more enjoyable. The customer service is fantastic!!

 

[Best Aunt]

Lots of stuff, but the items I use the most are scissors, an electric toothbrush, and a tap light for the night stand.

 

[Jennasis]

Well, our bin is navy blue LOL. Since we drive, we picked up our own "owner's locker" from Walmart. It's a large bin like an OL but it has wheels. We put all kinds of stuff in there:

Brita pitcher
full size shampoo/conditioner/toothpast
rain ponchos
beach size towels
detergent pods
Assorted full size meds (aspirin/advil/bonine/cold meds etc)
sun block
Microwaveable egg poacher
salt/pepper
our dog's vaccine record (for BFPC)
Flushable baby wipes
clorox wipes

 

[SarahInMN]

We have two OL's (expanded last year from one). We love OL; the customer service is fantastic and I can't imagine spending 10 days at WDW without our lockers. We took a separate trip last year to Universal and our lockers joined us there. It was awesome.

Most helpful:
liquor (vodka, gin, dark rum, regular rum - all 1.5 L)
Keurig coffee travel size with pods
Special coffee mugs
Special engraved wine glasses
Reliable wine opener
extra laundry stuff and dishwasher pods
light up reusable "ice cubes" for cocktails
extra travel size toiletries (which we pilfer from other hotels and take to FL with us)

Moderately helpful:
pool stuff - beach bag, swim trunks for DH, hat, various plastic souvenir glasses to take to the pool
extra magic bands + bling
left over non perishables - crackers, tuna salad snacks, soda, water, tonic, red bull, beef jerky, coffee creamer
cribbage board
clothes we only wear at WDW - DVC polos, DVC jackets, DVC fleeces
tools - electronic screwdrivers, spare cords
toiletries - hydrocortisone cream, gold bond, band aids, spare toothbrushes

 

[disneyeveryyear]

Having 2 children, one boy and one girl, we have a blow up mattress in there, with sheets and the compressor. Kitchen supplies are also a big part of our 2 lockers. Paring knife, chef's knife, cutting board, napkins, plastic cups, disposable travel cups for the morning coffee. etc.

 

[Anal Annie]

You will be surprised how quickly you can fill a bin. I have to sit on ours while DH fastens it shut. I have a list of about 120 different items we have in ours. We only use studios so I keep a stash of extra paper plates & utensils, microwavable bowls (like Gladware), a sharp knife, scissors, wine glass, can coozies, "blue ice", ice trays, Captain Morgan, Brita filtered water bottles, coffee filters, zip lock bags (var sizes), packing tape, utility knife, rubber bands, safety pins, needle & thread, band aids, Neosporin, personal toiletries, shower shave mirror for DH (he shaves his head), shave cream & gel for both of us, shower scrunchie, various OTC meds, moleskin, batteries, flashlight, candles, rain ponchos, mini umbrellas, slippers, flip flops, sunscreens (I keep track of the dates & only store ones with a couple of yr exp dates), collapsible cooler for the pools & water parks, backpacks for the parks, pool & beach bags (we have 2 - a smaller one for quick trips to the pool & larger one we take to the water parks), spray fan bottles ETC.

Love our OL. I knew before we got it how handy it would be but DH wasn't convinced. The trip that we got it on I shipped all this stuff down ahead of time via UPS (weighed 45 lbs) and we flew in carryons and DH loved it the minute we got to the airport and he realized he wasn't a pack mule schlepping thru the airport!! I now hate taking trips to places w/o it.

 

[jneal3285]

We love our OL! We have lots of practical stuff in ours. Nite lites, suction cup hooks for the bathroom, batteries, band aids, Brita pitcher and filters, good coffee, gold coffee filter, disposable rain ponchos, power strip, acrylic stemless wine glasses, wine opener, wine aerator, portable bar set, laundry pods, dryer sheets, big shampoos, curling iron, grooming kit, sharp knives, cutting board, foot powder, zip lock bags, tin foil, duct tape, beach ball, collapsible cooler, chip clips, anti-acid tablets, Afrin, goggles, 1% HC cream, higher, moleskin, personal fan/spray, sunscreen, Talc, multi-function tool and mixing essentials (Absolut, Tanqueray, Woodford Reserve).

Wow it fits a lot of stuff! Never thought about the Brita filter- that's a huge money saver! And a multi-tool- I have said so many times how helpful my Gerber would be! Great idea! Thx!

Lots of stuff, but the items I use the most are scissors, an electric toothbrush, and a tap light for the night stand.

Scissors! How many times have I needed scissors to get those Animator dolls out of the package! Genius!

beach size towels

Love it! How much room that would save in the luggage is unreal!

We have two OL's (expanded last year from one).
Most helpful:
liquor (vodka, gin, dark rum, regular rum - all 1.5 L)
Keurig coffee travel size with pods

clothes we only wear at WDW - DVC polos, DVC jackets, DVC fleeces

Nice- my wife NEEDS her coffee and having a Keurig would be a life saver! Warm clothes for when it's cold I could have used that!

Having 2 children, one boy and one girl, we have a blow up mattress in there, with sheets and the compressor.

WOW! An inflatable mattress- so smart! When our girls get older that will be perfect! Just changed my entire perspective about fitting everyone in a studio!

You will be surprised how quickly you can fill a bin. I have to sit on ours while DH fastens it shut. I have a list of about 120 different items we have in ours. We only use studios so I keep a stash of extra paper plates & utensils, microwavable bowls (like Gladware), a sharp knife, scissors, wine glass, can coozies, "blue ice", ice trays, Captain Morgan, Brita filtered water bottles, coffee filters, zip lock bags (var sizes), packing tape, utility knife, rubber bands, safety pins, needle & thread, band aids, Neosporin, personal toiletries, shower shave mirror for DH (he shaves his head), shave cream & gel for both of us, shower scrunchie, various OTC meds, moleskin, batteries, flashlight, candles, rain ponchos, mini umbrellas, slippers, flip flops, sunscreens (I keep track of the dates & only store ones with a couple of yr exp dates), collapsible cooler for the pools & water parks, backpacks for the parks, pool & beach bags (we have 2 - a smaller one for quick trips to the pool & larger one we take to the water parks), spray fan bottles ETC.

Love it! Esp . the umbrellas and blue ice idea! Very handy! Plus love the shipping idea for the first pack through!




WOW you guys nailed it! So many awesome, creative, genius ideas! Thank you!

 

[misse320]

I'm curious as to how frequently everyone visits? Is an OL worth it if we take one 7 day trip every 12-18 months? We are considering adding on points to take more frequent, shorter trips. Maybe worth it then?

 

[SarahInMN]

I'm curious as to how frequently everyone visits? Is an OL worth it if we take one 7 day trip every 12-18 months? We are considering adding on points to take more frequent, shorter trips. Maybe worth it then?

We go roughly every 12 or so months - our usual stay is 7-10 days (except when we went to Universal - that was 4 nights). Sometimes twice in twelve months but usually at least every 18 months (except when we moved from MN to OR - I think we went 23 months between trips). My thinking is that if we own DVC, then we are committed to going frequently enough that a OL is worth it. If we didn't own DVC/didn't go as frequently, then it wouldn't be worth it,

Having the creature comforts of "our stuff" is so nice!

 

[Micca]

Love our ol, makes it easy to travel light. While i too have eyed that cool retro disney dishware, be aware that much of it is not dishwasher safe. I was ready to buy some until i found that out.

 

[cheryl.UK]

We are thinking of getting one this year. Coming for 3-4 weeks from the UK means that we end up bringing all sorts of things over to the US and then dragging a whole lot of stuff back, taking up loads of room in our carry on. We worked out we take and bring back about 3/4 case full of 'Stuff'.

So here is what we will be leaving this year.

A US electric kettle (for tea - we are British after all)
Teabags
UK Detergent (Changing brands often gives me allergies)
Ponchos
Flip Flops
A swiss army knife
Some plastic plates /microwave bowls
Plastic bowls big enough for adult cereals
Real cutlery
UK/US adaptors
Sun cream
Aloe Gel
UK Pain killers (over the counter seem stronger over here)
Bug spray
Proper sized mugs
Hats
US Road Atlas
A few T shirts and Shorts, underwear (We usually take some in hand luggage in case our hold luggage is lost)
Spray Fan
Waterproof annual pass holder
Umbrella
First Aid Kit
Duck tape
Water bottles
Wine glasses
Unopened Soda

Hopefully it will all fit

 

[cheryl.UK]

Ok, I have to ask, what's Blue Ice? Cos when I google it, all I'm finding is the stuff that falls out of planes and I'm sure that's not what you're saving

 

[Tunseeker1]

Blue ice are referable ice packs.
I have a ton of stuff in the OL. I have a spreadsheet with everything in it.

Laundry stuff, Canned food/soup, can opener, captain morgan, shower stuff, over the door shoe organizer,drink mixes, OTC meds.

LOTS of stuff.

 

[quandrea]

We keep enough clothes for our family of five, crocs, cozy blanket, toiletries, first aid items, goggles, sunglasses, spare eyeglasses for me, laundry soap, dishwasher soap, books. Probably lots more.

 

[disneyeveryyear]

After reading this the other day I remembered that I needed to update my inventories after our December, 2014 trip. There was some expired/old food/meds that I disposed of. Our next trip (April) is in a studio so I need to determine if we will have both delivered. I also need to see if there is anything I need to bring down since I threw so much away.

I also have a couple pair of the WDW gloves and hats after a couple of cold December/January trips.

I keep a Disney Vera Bradley wristlet in there because it is perfect to hold my phone, tickets, license and credit card. I refuse to carry a purse through the parks.

We have some pin/ticket lanyards for our kids.

Playing cards/small games for rainy nights/afternoons at the pool. My DH isn't much of a pool guy, but he is willing to go if we sit at a table and play rummy/yahtzee/uno/tenzi, etc. The kids would come and go as they were in and out of the pool. During the trips when they took friends, we would have up to six of us sitting there playing games at a table by the pool. Sometimes it is nice to just be sitting outside.

I have a small laptop at home that is never used. I have thought about putting it in there too, but so far we have made do with our iPads.

 

[Anal Annie]

Ok, I have to ask, what's Blue Ice? Cos when I google it, all I'm finding is the stuff that falls out of planes and I'm sure that's not what you're saving

It is an ice substitute that you can freeze & use in a cooler instead of ice. They don't melt as fast and keep things cold longer. Since they don't melt like ice they also don't make as much mess. We keep a collapsible cooler in our locker that we bring to the pools & water parks so we use them for that. http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12553551

 

[jocin3]

We love our OL. A few special things that I keep in it : large coffee mugs, 2 regular bowls (hate using paper when we are in a studio) full size shampoo and conditioner, deodorants, razors, sewing kit, duct tape, coffee filters, ponchos, umbrella, beach bag (for the pool), hats, foil, ziplock bags and so much more. Not sure how we did it before getting our OL (actually sure I remember how, we had to take an additional suitcase for all the extras)!!

 

[lovin'fl]

Just signed up. We will get our empty bin on our Aug trip, which we are driving to. I have a list going and most of what I have has been mentioned in this thread. Some other things not mentioned, that I will put in there, are sweat shirts, our little Disney water safe lanyard things and the tiny Xmas tree with decor that we bought for our Xmas 2013 trip at WDW. I am feeling guilty about signing up because when I mentioned it to DH he was not thrilled and said it's a waste of money. But too late . Looking forward to see what else you all put in there. How much space is left after a twin sized aerobed is in there? Anyone have any pics of their bin with stuff in it?

 

[that's nice]

Great lists everybody!

I am seriously considering getting an OL in August. Can someone tell me how the yearly delivery works? Meaning, if we start in August (15) and take another trip in January (16), do we have to pay the extra delivery fee or is that considered our 1 use before August '16?