BackPacks (sml, lrg) vs Tote Bags, Which Is Better? About This Page:

[disneylandfan28]

Aloha everyone!
My DH and I are having a hard time deciding if a Small Backpack, a Med/Large Backpack, or a Tote Bag will be better carrying items in the parks or on the rides.
Do they let you ride with the bags on, do they let you put it some where, or do they take it from you?

[chezp]

I admit - we carry a medium / large backpack (at least it's medium to us! ) and we're able to take it on most rides, but then we don't do the coasters, so I don't know about those.

[Main Street Magic]

just understand that whatever you take, you might have to store on some of the attractions. In Space Mountain you would have to put the bag at your feet (and there isn't too much room down there). In Mission Space there is a compartment in front of you and in Star Tours there is a netting in front of you for storage. I have taken an average size back pack in several times and had no problems.

[*Pixie*Dust*]

I prefer a tote bag. It is large enough to hold our water bottles, cameras, snacks and even most park purchases. I took it on all the rides, from RocknRoller Coaster to Kali River Rapids. You'll just have see what works best for you and how much you actually want to tote around the parks all day.

[Swazie]

I have a mesh cloth bag that was originally used as the swim bag. Since 9/11 I have been toting it around the park with all of our things (water, sweatshirts, lotion, phone, camera, Pal Mickey, etc.). The security people love it! Everytime we would approach a check point the security gaurd would shout, "Mesh Bag, Mesh Bag, we all love the Mesh bags!" I would get through security much faster than anyone else. No zippers, no false bottoms or pockets.

I had a clear plastic bag folded up inside to cover it up in case of rain . . but never needed it. This worked well for us.

[Philly]

The back pack worked well for us. Its a medium sized bag with lost of pockets.

[OffKilter_Lynn]

My choice is a messenger bag - comfortable wearing it across the chest, good amount of storage and I can put my pins on the outer flap! I place it on the floor and put my foot thru the strap when riding the coasters.

One other thing that security loves is clear storage bags! I use the zippered toiletry bags to store things like tissues, asprin, film, etc. It helps having everything grouped together. Looking for things is much easier as nothing falls down to the bottom of the bag.

[graygables]

This last trip my DDs carried some clear backpacks that have bright nylon straps, bottoms, and tops, but are easy to see through. Everytime we went through security, the guards always made a big deal about the "brilliant princesses" and them being their favorite mouse (but don't tell the boss!) It was really funny, but I was glad we made their jobs easier. The nice things about these bags is that they are also waterproof, so we didn't have any problems on any of the rides.

My 15yo DD loops her bag strap around her ankle when she gets in a ride so that it can't go anywhere (if they don't have storage).

I think size would really depend on how much you want to lug around.

[Philly]

What a great idea. That what I will get for our next trip.

[mousestruck]

My husband and I each carried a small backpack so we could evenly distribute and store all of our stuff... including diapers, snacks, cameras, waterbottles etc. I have to admit that I actually bought myself a new one right before we left -- a cute black one that I've continued to use as an everyday bag since we've returned last October! It's a nice alternative to a diaper bag and fits plenty of exra junk. (Let's face it...it just reminds me of Disneyworld and makes me smile!)

Have an awesome trip!

[DouglasE]

My advice is the smaller you can get away with, the better. Easier to deal with a smaller bag on the rides and you get through security quicker as well. Try to make your list of things you want to carry into the park and then find the bag(s) that will fit all that stuff.

For those of you travelling with children, consider treating them like a pack mule team (just joking!) But seriously, each child could have a waist pack to help spread out the burden of carrying all that "stuff".

For PassPorters, we tend to LOVE our PassPorter guides. But is it really necessary to carry the entire book to the park? Those with the Deluxe version can open their loose leaf binder and take the pages relevant to that day plus the pocket for the day. For example, you could just take the color maps/touring plans of the parks you were planning on visiting and the pocket of the day. For spiral bound people couldn't you photocopy those pages ahead of time and just carry those pages. Isn't that a lot lighter of a load just in doing that?

Where to get a bag? Two favorite sites of mine are www.ebags.com or www.half.com.

[Cheeser]

I got the Mickey Mouse Club sling bag to take this year. It has a comfortable strap and a place I can put my two way radio! I used to always take a waistpack but I'm going with the sling bag this year! They also have clear backpacks at Walmart which would be great for security checkpoints!

[DISNEYGOOF]

DH carries a large backpack and I carry a fanny pack,
also a fabric sling(looks like a small backpack with
strings for your shoulders)I use the sling for my video
and regular cameras. We've never had trouble with any
of these on the rides but you do have to have them searched
when you go into the parks.

[Jennifer2003]

Watch THIS transformation!

My husband wore cargo pants so we could put my medicines in his pockets, our room keys, etc...he didn't want me weighed down with a purse, felt I should enjoy myself more. ( he doens't understand the security of a purse...i feel naked without one)
by the end of day 1 i had a fanny pack and by the end of day two he had a matching backpack because he didn't want to carry or wear his sweatshirt!

HAHA
Our backpack can be purchased in the park. it's big eough for two adult sweatshirts, 2 All Star Resort mugs and a pal mickey in the big pocket. The smaller pockets were good for my medicines and napkins.

Next trip we will bring these items back...

HAVE FUN!

[Philly]

I had cargo shorts on one day, and I felt like my shorts were falling down