Ahhhh….the park bag….what in the world do you need to take? What’s the right size? What type of bag works best?

If you are feeling a little overwhelmed by what should be in the perfect park bag – don’t stress! I’ve got my park packing down to a science and I’m ready to share.

The family trip park bag:

When going to Disney with the whole fam (2 kids, 2 adults), I carry a regular backpack. Before we get to the packing list, here’s what I look for in a park bag.

1. Medium size – Some backpacks are just huge and would be difficult to take on and off of rides. A medium size bag works perfectly. It’s easy to get on and off of rides with but also can fit everything you need.
2. Padded straps – Ok, really this is the MOST important backpack feature to look for. You are going to be carrying this bag for a long time, while walking all day and probably doing that multiple days in a row. Padded straps are not negotiable!
3. Inside zipper pouch – The inside zipper pouch is the perfect place to keep your most important items. The inside zipper pocket in my bag is always home to my wallet and keys.

Ok, let’s move on to what to take…

1. Ponchos – Disney trips are almost always blessed with a little (or a ton) of rain and quickly slipping on a poncho can save your day.
2. Money – Take a few different forms just in case.
3. Sunscreen – Sunburns = grouchy kids….enough said, right?
4. Advil/Tylenol – Take a good over the counter pain med in your bag. No one wants a simple headache to get in the way of having a great day. Make sure to take the kids and adults version.
5. Extra sunglasses – There’s a strong chance yours may get lost or broken and the FL sun is intense. You’ll be very thankful you had a spare.
6. Phone charger – All the time you will spend on the app and taking pics/videos will run down your battery. You will almost always need to charge during the day.
7. Hand Sanitizer
8. Baby Wipes – These come in handy for so many reasons….messy tables, sticky snacks…they are kind of a jack of all trades.
9. Band-Aids – Blisters or scrapes are a part of many Disney days. You don’t want to have to spend time chasing down a Band-Aid while you could be having fun.
10. Chapstick – Ideally one with sunscreen.
11. Moleskin – This is the ultimate protection for blisters! I like the patches so that you don’t have to worry about cutting anything.
12. Chafing protection – Trust me you don’t want to be caught without this when someone in your party starts to need it.
13. Zip top bags – Bring 4-5 of these in your bag. They don’t take up any room and are great if you want to save a snack, store wet clothes…who knows all the ways they could be useful!

**Helpful hint – Use clear zip top bags to organize your park bag. I try to group like items into zip top bags. This will make it so much easier to quickly get to the item you are looking for instead of having to dig through the whole bag. Also, the security guards love this if they have to go through your bag. It makes their job easier and will save you time getting through the bag search. I’ve actually had them thank me for doing this.