Fanny/Belt Pack vs. Backpack

[wdwrule]

Thank you all for your help. I THINK we are going with a backpack for DH but it will not be loaded down like normal and will have a filtered refillable water bottle and room for 2 Freestyle Cups ( I really liked the Powerade option and DH LOVES soda). My girls HATED the water a Disney but did great with the filtered water bottle last time ( I am assuming its the same taste issue at Universal). So this way I don't have to worry about them being dehydrated due to taste (my girls would so do this). Both daughters love the idea of small fanny packs to keep a snack or two and something to do in line so we are doing that for them. I will probably bring a fanny pack for myself. This will work well if we only come for a few hours before or after a break, too. I know we will need a backpack for Volcano Bay ( with locker) anyway, so if we end up getting by without we can always leave it in the room. We are driving so luggage isn't near the issue you flyers have to deal with. Again, thank you all for your input. Hopefully this helps others as well.

Just FYI you will not need your bottle to be filtered. The already filtered water from the freestyle machines taste NOTHING like water at Disney. We hit up these machines often for water and haven’t had a bad one yet.

 

[JoyfulHeart]

Just FYI you will not need your bottle to be filtered. The already filtered water from the freestyle machines taste NOTHING like water at Disney. We hit up these machines often for water and haven’t had a bad one yet.

I did not know this! This is really good to know, because me kids refused to drink Disneys water. THANK YOU!

 

[ruthies12]

You've gotten a lot of good answers already and I will second the person that said the lockers aren't annoying, it's the other guests that are annoying. If everybody would do the one person per group go to the locker with all the stuff it would be soooooo much faster and easier for everyone.

I also agree that it really depends on your family's style of touring. Personally my family does fanny packs. We only take our wands one day of the trip and do all the spell spots on that day, then leave the wands in the hotel room. That way we only have to mess with the lockers for the wands on one day. I like to pick what I think will be the busiest day of the trip, usually a saturday, to do spell spots and shows and eat at a sit down restaurant like mythos. Then I concentrate on rides the other days.

If you are going memorial day weekend it will likely be pretty crowded. I find the lockers more annoying during the crowded times and will take less with me to avoid using them. If this is your first time then I'd recommend doing a small backpack like you are used to on the first day, get your wands but have the boxes sent back to the hotel if you are on site or to the front of the park to pick up later. Do the spell spots that day and see what you what you think of the locker situation. If you hate it then switch to fanny packs the next day. You can get cheap fanny packs off amazon if you don't already have them. they won't take up much room in the suitcases and if you end up not using them no big deal. You'll be better off having them and not needing them versus deciding you do want them but too late to get them. That's my 2 cents.

 

[akadada]

backpack, frameless, 20l or less. We use Ospreys, but if you have a patagonia black hole or a ski backpack under 20, those will work well too because they can easily slide in and out of the lockers.

 

[kevtlas]

Does anyone know if camelbal mule backpacks will fit into the lockers?

 

[UOAP-Naples]

Does anyone know if camelbal mule backpacks will fit into the lockers?

I’m not familiar with that backpack but I did find the locker size.

The free lockers are 14 in. x 5.5 in. x 16.9 in. The large lockers you pay for also had a 16.9 measurement so I think that’s the depth. Should be 14” wide, 5.5” tall and then 16.9” deep. Measure ahead of time with the stuff you plan to take.

 

[kevtlas]

I’m not familiar with that backpack but I did find the locker size.

The free lockers are 14 in. x 5.5 in. x 16.9 in. The large lockers you pay for also had a 16.9 measurement so I think that’s the depth. Should be 14” wide, 5.5” tall and then 16.9” deep. Measure ahead of time with the stuff you plan to take.

Thanks!

 

[CAPSLOCK]

The lockers are short but reasonably wide & deep. If it's taller than a soda can, it won't fit height wise.

 

[dez1978]

Neither, Sling bag.

Yep this!! I have a Vera Bradley one and I love it. It is plenty big enough for a couple water bottles and a sunscreen and a few snacks. I usually also have a phone charger and my small wallet in there. Its more comfortable than a backpack and more versatile. And my 9 & 11 yr olds like to carry it too. Bonus, it converts to a waist bag so you can do that on the rides you can take a fanny pack, but not a backpack.

 

[bethiecow]

Yep this!! I have a Vera Bradley one and I love it. It is plenty big enough for a couple water bottles and a sunscreen and a few snacks. I usually also have a phone charger and my small wallet in there. Its more comfortable than a backpack and more versatile. And my 9 & 11 yr olds like to carry it too. Bonus, it converts to a waist bag so you can do that on the rides you can take a fanny pack, but not a backpack.

What size Vera Bradley sling bag do you have, the regular or the mini?

 

[dez1978]

What size Vera Bradley sling bag do you have, the regular or the mini?

I have one of each. The mini won't fit cups or wands or water bottles, but it'scperfect for everything else. A little bigger than a regular fanny pack. So it would fit collapsable water bottles. The regular size fits all the things and I use it when I have to carry a bunch of kid stuff. But they are 9 and 12 now, so not as much stuff.

 

[bethiecow]

I have one of each. The mini won't fit cups or wands or water bottles, but it'scperfect for everything else. A little bigger than a regular fanny pack. So it would fit collapsable water bottles. The regular size fits all the things and I use it when I have to carry a bunch of kid stuff. But they are 9 and 12 now, so not as much stuff.

So helpful, thank you! I ended up ordering one of each last night from Amazon, so now I feel validated. They're cute and I'll use them in my daily life anyhow, so I figured I might was well. I decided I could use the bigger one on the day I bring my wand, so I'm happy to hear that it will work well for that! I have a small leak-proof BruMate champagne flute type of cup that I plan to use for water, and I'm hoping it will fit in the small one for the other days.

Are you able to use the bigger one as a waist bag on rides that allow them? It seems like it would be too bulky, but I'm curious.

 

[dez1978]

So helpful, thank you! I ended up ordering one of each last night from Amazon, so now I feel validated. They're cute and I'll use them in my daily life anyhow, so I figured I might was well. I decided I could use the bigger one on the day I bring my wand, so I'm happy to hear that it will work well for that! I have a small leak-proof BruMate champagne flute type of cup that I plan to use for water, and I'm hoping it will fit in the small one for the other days.

Are you able to use the bigger one as a waist bag on rides that allow them? It seems like it would be too bulky, but I'm curious.

I think that you could, depending on what you had in it. I did not try because I was worried my wand would break

 

[mamapenguin]

There are 8 rides at the two parks that don't allow backpacks. 3 of those 8 don't allow fanny packs either. So you'd be sacrificing your snacks and cheaper freestyle drinks to make things a little quicker on just a few rides per day.

Take the backpack, just make sure they are smaller and will fit in the free lockers. We always do the freestyle cups and usually take a wand or two so we have to do the lockers. We take one or two small backpacks with ponchos, snacks, Aleve, bandaids, sunscreen, etc.

We've been so many times that we know the drill and get in and out fast. Have one person take the backpack(s) and be ready to get it in to the locker when you get there. Don't open the locker with a line behind you and then start pulling everything out of your pockets to put into the backpacks. Get that done as you're walking to the ride and it's pretty quick and painless.

The only reason that the lockers are inconvenient is because a family of 5 will all go to the locker area, open a locker, and then stand in front of the lockers for 5 minutes while they all get everything into the bag and then try to stuff the oversized bag into the locker. The team members try to tell people to just send one person into the locker bays but many are too stupid to pay attention.

My personal favorite locker experience was when my teenage daughter went in to retrieve our stuff from the locker. She opened the locker and a little boy shut the locker as soon as it opened… she got an attendant to reopen it. Her retelling of the story and the expression on her face was priceless.