The Perfect Park Bag- and how to pack it!

I expect a lot out of a park bag. It has to be cute, hold a lot of stuff, fit comfortably, and come off easily when I'm getting on a ride.  It has to show my love for all things Disney, it can't cover my shirt designs. I have to be able to get to it easily to put things in or grab my phone. I've been on a long search for the perfect bag. I will even admit that on one trip I rocked the dreaded "fanny pack" although I called it  "hip pouch" to make myself feel better about the whole situation. Honestly, it was really my favorite bag, it didn't cover the front or back of my shirt, it didn't give me headache, it was so easy to grab stuff from, I kept my watch attached to it so that was easily accessible and I didn't have to take it on and off for rides. But alas...fashion prevails and the Facebook comments of my friends and family have forced me to abandon my beloved hip pouch and search for more socially appropriate options.  I landed on this option for awhile

It was a good option, not great, but it worked for awhile. I love being able to get character autographs on it. It gives me a way to keep them that I prefer over the autograph book. I even made a drawstring version of this for the lost boys. I don't like it for functionality, though. I was constantly having to stop and pull it off of my back to grab things. Its super deep has no compartments, that made it tough to find anything. And while I love the color for autographs, it really does show pretty badly if anything get on it.

While drifting through the thrift store I stumbled on this little fella....

Its a crossbody, which makes me think it will upset the flow of my shirts, but I can always pull it off quickly for a photo. It's also a lot easier to get into, so that may be the trade off that I have to make. It doesn't have any compartments but it's also not as wide as my old park bag so I'm hoping that will help me keep things organized. I have a tip on that for you later as well.

My biggest problem with this bag is that it distinctly "un-Disney." So I grabbed some scrap fabric and set out to fix that.

I'm not sure how well the autographs will show up, I will have an answer on that later this week. But I'm hoping it might finally be the answer to my perfect bag problem.

I'm headed down with Hubby and we are leaving the lost ones behind this trip. I love an adults only trip because there is so much less to carry! When I go without kids I just need a few things in my bag.

Snacks

Phone and Chargers

Wallet

Disney Essentials

Park Toiletries/First Aid

I have found that ziplock bags are worth their weight in gold on a Disney trip! Since most of the bags I like don't have a lot of compartments, I use gallon sized ziplocks to keep like things together.

If we aren't on the dining plan, we bring a lot of snack food into the park and eat through that until dinner. It's an excellent way to make a Disney trip affordable. I take granola bars, trail mix, crackers, peanut butter filled pretzels and roasted edamame. There are tons of great, easy and healthy options to keep you full and energized through the day. Since Disney parks offer free ice water, I don't usually pack bottled water, I don't like how it weighs me down! But since Florida water usually tastes pretty awful, I do bring single serve drink flavoring options. We don't like super sugary drinks, so one pouch will usually do 3-5 cups of water for us. I get lemonade and just a little bit of it helps to knock the sulfur taste off the water.

My park toiletries and first aid bag has sunscreen, feminine products, a brush, ponchos, cough drops, advil, and a few different stomach medications.

I also make sure to have my magic bands and sharpies. I need both of those on every Disney trip!

I take a much smaller wallet with just my license, credit card, annual pass, insurance card and of course my starbucks card. It's always s good idea to keep a little cash on you just in case, but most everywhere on property takes credit.

I also find that my phone battery dies pretty quickly in the parks so I keep a portable charger in my bag.

Other than hanging some hand sanitizer off the side, that's about it, I've been working on minimalizing my contents for quite awhile just to keep the load light.

See ya real soon!