Ok either I can't get the search function to work properly or else I imagined a thread on this topic before.

Anyway the wife and I are taking the twins back to Disneyworld this summer. Last year she wore a small backpack purse with our FAK, PSK, etc but she hurt her neck and shoulders so it's up to me this year. I would like to avoid a backpack and I don't like fanny packs. I have been looking online at a Maxpedition Jumbo Versipack but from online it's hard to tell how large it is and how much it will hold, etc. I have never actually seen one in person.

What would you all recommend for a pack for a Disneyworld type trip where I would be getting on and off rides, may get wet, and need to hold essential supplies?

http://www.countycomm.com/BAILOUTBAGGEN5.htm

http://www.countycomm.com/minebag.htm

I've used both. As long as the load isn't too heavy, they'll work. Bag anything that can not get wet.

M

Congrats on the Disney Vacation. My wife and I (and her friends from school) spent 6 nights last June and had the time of our lives. Here are my suggestions on gear to bring. Not all of it needs to be carried every day:

1) small flashlight (like a photon II) - we were surprised at how dark the parks get after the sun sets, particularly in the back half of the magic kingdom. I had the one that has the flashing strobe. At night I could hold it up and the group could find me easily.
2) sunscreen (probably an obvious item)
3) I carried my Leatherman Squirt in my pocket and it was never checked. The scissors were useful.
4) In the summer I would carry the $.99 disposable ponchos (have a few extras in the suitcase in the room). If it gets lost, its no big deal. We left ours in the room when we checked out in case the staff wanted them. Buying a Mickey Poncho in the park will probably be over $6.00 each.
5) Moleskin - somebody in the group always wears shoes that cause blisters.
6) Packets of Crystal Light/Propel that are used with .5 liter bottles. It seemed more refreshing than just water.
7) If you plan on washing clothes during your visit, bring the sample size detergent boxes (wal-mart sells them cheap. Disney charges three times as much in the laundramat.)
8) Several rolls of quarters (left in suitcases). It's sometimes hard to find change nearby.
9) Bottle of purell - who knows what your hands have touched? Purell and a napkin can clean up up if you can't find a restroom.
10) Bandanna - I would wet mine and wear it around the neck to cool off. At night I would wet it and put it in the in-room fridge so it would start off cold.
11) Hats - I wore my Tilly sunhat. The brim and construction kept me cooler than those who went hatless.
12) Earplugs. Some of the music/sound effects on some rides were too loud for my ears. Besides, who really wants to listen to the lyrics of "It's a small world..." more than once?
13) Sewing kit with extra buttons and safety pins.

Other hints:
1) Stay away from caffinated drinks and sugary sodas. Water is far better.
2) Get up early and go to the park that has the special morning hours. We would then leave after lunch, go back to the room and take a nap and shower. A fresh shirt, socks and shoes and we would leave around 4 to go back to the parks. We seemed to have extra energy. With the park-hopper pass we often would go to a different park at night.

Hope you have a great time. I'm interested in learning from your experiences when you get back.

Too bad you won't go with a fanny pack. That's exactly what I'd recommend. Anything you have to carry has to be left behind as you get on rides. A small fanny pack can stay in back or be twisted around to sit in front. No problem on rides - I've never been asked to take one off. I'm not talking about the mega-sized ones that hold two one-liter water bottles though. Just get a small one for each family member (maybe not the kids if they're real young). Drop in a small water bottle that you'll be refilling often, some Tylenol/Advil and bandaids, sunblock, sunglasses, a little snack ... and you're probably good to go. I'm not sure that PSK's and FAK's are all that necessary inside the park.

A backpack or carry bag will not be allowed to stay with you all the time. If you don't mind leaving it to be picked up after the ride, I guess that's fine. I would consider it a hassle myself. If you're dealing with very young kids however, you'll be needing to carry lots more stuff than I'm thinking about for my situation.

If you take a stroller, get a lock for it if it is a high-end one. On many rides and attractions, you will be separated from your stroller for 30 minutes at a time. Theft is certainly uncommon, but not unheard of. Also, any belongings that you will not carry with you should be locked as well. How to lock them is a different problem.

Note that a security guard WILL look through any diaper bags -- not enought to actually find anything dangerous, but just enough to make the sheep feel secure (security theater).

Believe it or not, there is a place called Disboards that covers this - BIG time

http://www.disboards.com

One HUGE tip - you can buy water bottles with carbon filters in the bottle (Britta USED to sell them, but it turns out they were violating a patent). Get one for each family member - the water at the water fountains in the park is GROSS, but cold. If you use the bottles, it's great. Now Disney charges like $3 for a drink - you will save a FORTUNE bringing water bottles

They never stopped me with a limited amount of snack food, or with my small pocket knife

Disclaimer: I work for a company owned by Disney, but have NOTHING to do with the parks, except to have gone there 2x in the last 10 years

Oh - a couple more hints. You did NOT say if you are staying "on the property" (aka at a Disney Hotel). If you are, you will find that the Monorail/buses tend to make a car useless - they just work. At that point, hire a car service from the airport to your resort. Most (all?) will stop at the local supermarket, and you can pick up a bunch of stuff, and save more $$ (Hint - your wallet is the biggest thing at risk at the resort)

The hotels are more than glad to accept packages for you, and ship stuff home - you can ship a lot of your stuff down ahead of time

The stores in the parks will all ship to your hotel for pickup (makes it easier to seperate you from your $$)

Another hint - stick your wallet and CELL PHONE in ziplock bags. I went to soak my feet in the hot tube - I fell in - 1 soggy wallet, and ruined cell phone later, I learned that lesson

I've only done Disney and Epcot once, but I grew up 15 minutes from Disneyland... Brian TX is right on in his list. I'd ditch the FAK and PSK, since there are RNs at the first aid station, and the EMS in the area has no doubt been there quite often. Moleskin is a great idea. Chapstick, sunblock. It seemed to rain in Ft Lauderdale everyday at 4 exactly. It's warm enough, but muggy, so if you don't want to stay wet, then pack the ponchos. You might want to wrap anything you don't want getting wet.

Good socks. Good shoes. Sunglasses. Maybe some of the FRS radios if you get seperated, of if you want to let the kids roam free. Just don't be one of those annoying families that talks about randomness just to play, with the volume on super HI (pleasepleasepleaseplease). Water and some snacks are a good idea. Camera and extra film, or batteries if digital (consider an extra memory card). That stuff is pretty pricey.

Have fun!

Can't help with Disneyworld itself, but having been to Disneyland more times than I care to remember, the thing I used most was a flashlight. It can get DARK there once the sun goes down, and someone is always dropping something into some little nook or crany...

I was carrying a pocket FAK and found it to be useful - particularly the band-aids/moleskin/antiseptic. I thought the same thing as you did until I looked at the maps and found that the Disney first aid stations were usually located only in one place in each park. It seemed to me that having some band-aids to put on a blister or cut was better than having to track down the first aid station. Why let the blister get worse?

I completely agree with you on the serious medical issues. I understand that Disney's medical staff is well-trained and well-prepared.

Sorry you don't like fanny packs. They are much better than a murse. Look at decent Mountain Smith or REI one. Perhaps you have just used cheap ones in the past.

Also, the bus do NOT make your car unnecessary!! Often, you can get somewhere waaaay before the buses run and beat the crowd by an extra 30-60 minutes, esp the water parks.

Parkhopping will eat more time than you realize


Good shoes
Good hat

Fanny packs for you and wife with the following:
camera
sunscreen
rain poncho for everyone. Carry a 99cent one on nice days, and a "good" Walmart one on rainy days. The cheap ones can be used as seat covers on wet rides so your butt isnt wet the rest of the day.
small windbreaker-good if your wife gets cold easily. hot and sweaty or wet from parks, then inside real cold a/c for dinner, a light packable jacked takets the chill off.
very small FAK with tums,motrin, bandaids and blister stuff
SAK
small light such as Photon or Fenix AA or AAA light
gum
chapstick
purell hand sanitizer
cell phone or FRS radio so you and wife can split up and rejoin if needed.
individual crystal light to make water fountain water taste ok
park map

copy of unofficial guide but leave in room- to heavy to edc at WDW

Plan your day and start early!!! You will get more done by 10AM than you would believe. Most folks want to sleep late and show up at 10 and then the lines really start.
Avoid the park that opens 'early'-thats where all the newbies go!
WDW is not a golly gee whiz vacation. It requires planning or else you will spend most of your day wandering, riding a bus, and standing in line.
Going back to the room for a nap via the bus will eat 1.5 to 2 hours of your day and is really only feasible if you are staying at the polynesian, comtemporary or grand floridian.
Take one day and go to one of the water parks. they are great. Blizzard beach for your kids ages IMO
dont ride the bus to the water park,drive. be there before they open and you will have 1/2 hour or more before all teh bus riding guests can get there and go thru the turnstiles and get settled. do the big cool slides first!
Park hopping eats 1-2 hours as well. Dont spend too much time of your vacation on a bus.

Our typical day was at the park before opening, get in and do the big popular stuff right off the bat.
About 3 when crowds are at the biggest and it seems the hottest, hop to EPCOT and we would eat dinner at a sitdown restuarant (make reservations NOW and plan your days as best you can) See EPCOT before and after dinner or go back early and enjoy hotel pool.

If you have a stroller, you can make it theft proof by leaving a diaper with a bit of choc. pudding in it on the seat of the stroller. Tie a bright bandana on the handle to make it easy to find in a sea of indentical strollers!

Thanks to everyone for all of the great information. It will definitely help!

Neato idea! But do not take your own stroller, rent one. If it disappears, they will give you a new one at no charge...

I carried my fak and sunblock water and a .32 seacamp in a rear pocket holster. I was told, but did not see, nor did I look to hard, that guns were prohibited. Not sure I agree with gun free zones. I do have a wrong state concealed carry permit. No problems.

lol - my wife and I are well into our 40's and don't have any kids. We definitely needed that afternoon siesta/shower... Guess that you all are in better shape than we were.

Definitely agree about getting up early and hitting stuff before 10:00. The car is valuable if one has driven to Disneyworld. We flew in from DFW, took the Disney Express to the resort. It seemed to be cheaper and easier than renting a car that would sit in various parking lots.

Dooooh! Why didn't I think of this. This is genius. And I read this after my kids are past using a stroller.

You can always get a free cup of ice water from any drink location if you ask. That tastes better than the water fountains.

I've used one of those Britta filter bottles at lot at the Disney parks. It helps, but it's bulky and I can't just toss it away.

Now I like to carry bottled water into the park (never any question at the gate) so I can toss the drink when I'm done. Sometimes I refill an empty bottle from a water fountain or pour my leftover super-size softdrink into an empty bottle.

If you're staying on-property, those refill mugs at the resort are a pain. Yes, you can get free refills at the resort, but you end up hiking back and forth to the food court way too often and end up packing empty mugs at the parks all day long. In the end, it's easier and cheaper to buy bottled drinks. Eespecially if you bring them or buy them off-property.

We usually pack a suitcase full of bottled drinks and kid snacks like mini-doughnuts. That way we have an empty suitcase for purchases, etc.

I've tried several different packs at Disney parks and for now I'm carrying a smaller daypack/backpack. I've carried a hydration pack, camera bag, and a travel "man purse" and always end up carrying more than I planned to, especially as my wife starts handing me extra crap on the way out the door. The backpack lets me carry jackets and hats or dry clothes (depending on the season) for the kids, diapers, meds, camera, bottled water, and all my man-gear.

I like the backpack because it's got space to pack everything inside and not snag on a lot of stuff. The shoulder bags with one strap just don't work for me because I end up carrying a kid by the end of the night. It's easier to leave a small bag behind by mistake.

I've also learned the hard way that it's better to carry as much as possible for the family so there's less chance that my wife will leave something critical behind.

A lot of people have given gear advice. My 2 cents? I carry all the usual stuff people bring up. Definately a flashlight. Everything goes into Ziploc bags. Besides helping with water, it makes it easier to find things. I do carry knives at Disney, even though they are prohibited. I usually carry a small SAK for the scissors. Otherwise I've never used a knife at Disney. I rarely carry my usual Spyderco, which makes Disney the only place without metal detectors or pat-downs where I don't carry one.

When night falls and the $10 glowing toys appear, I hand the kids a 50-cent glow stick or now a $3 LED reusable one. It spins just as well and it makes it easier to find them.

I also take a photo of each kid early in the morning, often before we even get to the park, just in case they get lost. We'll have a current picture and know exactly what they're wearing. I also try to wear a brightly colored unusual shirt, so my kids can pick me out of the crowd pretty quickly if they did get lost.

One last tip: spend some time at Disney without your camera or camcorder. Everywhere I go all I see is rows of dads with the camera or camcorder glued to their eye. Go have fun and make some memories with the kids and don't worry about capturing the moment digitally.

Never have run into this problem but I usually don't ride the roller coasters. Rides like Pirates of the Caribbean or the dinosaur time travel etc. are no problem. I usually carry a dedicated camera backpack w/ extras like snacks in the extra room.

"...jackets and hats or dry clothes..."

To decrease my load, we used to put the extra clothes, etc, into one of the bus lockers you can rent for a buck or so at WaltyWorld. When it cooled off, or got dark, or someone got wet, everyone else found a place to sit and I made the trek back for the goodies. This was in Disneyland, which is a tad smaller than Disneyworld I understand, so it might not work as well there...

Yeah - they can be - now if you have the budget, stay on the concerge level - free cans of soda - grab a couple, bring them back to the room. An the evening snacks were enough for dinner

Like others, on our most recent visit there was no problem with small backpacks or shoulder bags as most rides (at least the ones we went on) had special bins for those bags right on the ride. Moleskin was a life as well as vacation saver! I like the idea of the filtered water bottles (I wish we'd had them).

The check of bags at the gate was cursory, I slipped my Spyderco Yojimbo into my pocket so the tell-tale clip wasn't visible. No worries there.

Light plastic rain poncho's are a must for summer travel to the park (it rains most afternoons). We got a bunch at Wal-mart and Gander Mountain when they were on sale for around $1 a piece. We carried at least two at a time per person. When the rain appeared over we ditched them in the trash bins as refolding them was a pain (especially if wet).

One other thing, like was mentioned before, PLAN! My wife (bless her heart) planned our days around meal times and we always stopped for dinner around 4-5 pm (which usually coincided with the afternoon rain shower) which got us in to eat before others were ready, and back into the park when all the eating venues were full and the attractions were less crowded.

We stayed in the Sports complex and while the rooms were not anything special, they are private and comfortable and all you need since the PARK is the attraction. Also the pools stayed open until Midnight or 1 am which was nice after a long day.

Have fun!

I always wonder about Ponchos - I sweat enough that I think I get as wet with them as without.

That said, I got a nice Tilly hat - kept the sun off me and kept me dry