Best Backpack for the parks?

[dani226]

Hello Everyone,

This is my first post, though I've been gathering info from Intercot for awhile now. Although my husband and I have been to Disney, it's been quite a while (1994), and we'll be taking our first trip with our 3-year-old in May 2010. I was hoping someone could give me some backpack recommendations for the parks. We'll be hitting Sesame Place and Sea World in the next couple of months too, so I wanted to get something now that would also work for Disney. I want something fairly lightweight, but roomy enough for travelling with a toddler/pre-schooler. Any (specific) suggestions?

Thanks!

[jonahbear2006]

We have a JJ Cole Logic Bag and we LOVE it for disney world. It has a perfect place for everything and the bottle holder fits a bottle of water perfectly. It is easy for security and slides under the strollers wonderfully without getting stuck cause of it's width. It is comfortable to wear on rides and transportation, as well. They run about $35 and are worth every dime of it.

[dani226]

I just found it on Amazon - I really like it. It's different and defintely doesn't look too bulky. Do you think in addition to wallet, keys, a couple diapers and wipes, that you would be able to fit a change of clothes for a toddler in there too?

[rwdavis2]

We use the Ridge Runner (an older version) from LL Bean:
http://cdni.llbean.com/is/image/wim/...id=330&hei=295

Holds drinks, coats, cameras. A lot of space for the size. Go to their website to get more info other than the photo.
BD

[jwildflower1981]

First let me you. !!!!

I always use my old Jansoprt from highschool. Maybe since its about 10 years old I should invest in a new one....It's always worked for us. Snacks, water, a few personal things, camera, maps tickets and wallets, all fit nicely in there.

[dani226]

Thanks for the ideas everyone! I really like that JJ Cole bag and may get that for everyday use I'm thinking I may need something slightly bigger, too. Something to also fit our camera and maybe bathing suits for the water parks. We have an LL Bean near us and I know lots of places carry Jansport. Thanks again!

[jonahbear2006]

yes there is room for a change of clothes. there is a snap that extends if you need more room in that main compartment. We had room for a diaper, wipes, hidden mickey book, sunscreen,and a change of clothes in there.

[jonahbear2006]

Oh, and btw, those two lower pockets are a lot deeper than they look. There is a lot of room in them as well. I think you will love it for everyday use, even when you no longer need a diaper bag.

[AlexinWonderland]

I had a Swiss Army backpack last trip and I found it's sides to be too solid and couldn't collapse easily for rides with smaller storage areas.

Next time I would buy one of the cheap drawstring bags that are sold in the Parks because they are easily collapsed and worked well when I was younger.

[buzznwoodysmom]

We've tried different bags on our different trips and this past trip I had what I thought was the best backpack we've used so far. I used my son's backpack from school. It was a backpack purchased at The Children's Place and it had enough room for everything. We never had it completely full so it was very easy to collapse for storing on rides or in the stroller. We didn't take it on the rides all that much. I carried a very small shoulder purse that had my wallet and camera in it. This worked for us.

[Mrs Grumpy]

For our upcoming trip I just purchased a Vera Bradley backpack. It is very light weight (I guess that could be because there is nothing in it right now though)

[DisneyCouple07]

On our last trip I used and Under Armor sack pack (drawstring main compartment with a small zippered pocket in the front). It worked pretty well and I was able to carry ponchos, drinks, etc for three of us with room to spare. I was also able to keep my camera in there for safe keeping on certain attractions. The zippered pocket was perfect for holding maps.

Have a great trip.

[dani226]

Thanks everyone for all the replies
I'm going this weekend to look at a couple of things. I found everything on-line, but it's so hard to get an idea of just how big everything is from a picture. Thanks again! I'm sure I'll be posting a lot more questions as our trip gets closer.

[kakn7294]

I prefer a lightweight, waterproof drawstring backpack if I have to carry one (we usually don't take a backpack) but I don't have small children anymore. When my kids were little, I had an awesome backpack from Gerber that zipped all the way around to open flat. You could see everything in it without digging around in it for that one item that you need that always ends up in the bottom of the bag. Security loved it too because they didn't have to dig through it either.

[LarryBoy]

We are switching to something smaller and lighter this year. Has anybody used one of those one strap backpacks, I think it's called a slig bag or pack. We just bought a smallish one from Nike.

[AllyMonkey]

The last few trips I used a drawstring bag. There was a cell phone pocket on one side and a small pocket on the front for a wallet so I always knew where my park pass/ key was. But the main compartment (in the bag I had, they are all a little different) had no extra pockets or dividers. I didn't carry much, but still had a hard time stowing it in the little pouched on Everest and Rock n Roller Coaster. I also disliked having to swing it off my shoulder and around to the front every time I needed something (but that may just be me).
One day on my last trip I used the sling bag that my mother had and it was much more comfortable to carry. So for this upcoming trip I bought a slingbag made by Baggallini. It has two cell phone pockets (or a small camera would fit), multiple compartments in the front and a place for a water bottle. They actually have the same bag made in three different "fabrics." The one I chose is made out recycled plastic bottles so it's "eco-friendly"-- now if only I could say the same for the buses we'll be riding during our trip.

[LarryBoy]

The one I chose is made out recycled plastic bottles so it's "eco-friendly"-- now if only I could say the same for the buses we'll be riding during our trip.

I know I'm going off topic, but don't the WDW busses burn clean natural gas?

[AllyMonkey]

I know I'm going off topic, but don't the WDW busses burn clean natural gas?

Oooh, they do? Well, if so I have been very misinformed. Thanks for the info.