Solo Question - How Do You Carry...

[mrsapalm]

Camera bag, water bottle (hanging on a strap) and waist pack (strapped on) all by yourself? I'm a little person (not to be confused with an actual Little Person), and I am looking at the prospect of me carrying the camera bag (video cam and digital cam + tape, batteries, etc...), and the water bottle (on a strap) and having my waist pack attached to my person.
Will I look silly with all this stuff (like a pack mule)? How do other solos tackle carrying supplies through the parks?
-MrsAPalm

 

[PieInYourEye]

But, you could carry it all in a backpack. I've done that, even though I don't carry that much. If it gets to be too much, I rent a locker and scale down my load.

 

[nativetxn]

You could consider a back pack. I'm always afraid I will lose it or forget it somewhere, though. I just strap the camera, waist pack etc on and don't care if I look like a pack mule.

Of course, I imagine I am a much larger person than you, so I probably DO look like a pack mule

Katholyn

 

[dahirsh]

I had been hoping to get by on just a fanny pack on my trip last May, but I ended up carrying a backpack every day too. Most of the time the fanny pack was in the backpack, so I only had one thing to keep track of. I don't have a video camera, but I was carrying a 35mm, a bottle of water and my resort mug once I finished my morning beverage. None of those fit in the fanny pack.

Deb

 

[Lynn K]

I just throw it all in a tote bag.

 

[The Sybah Shelstah]

I used a backpack -but one slightly smaller than the average smallest backpack you would normally see... and made almost like a purse (soft cloth). It had a drawstring top with a flap over that attached by velcro- with small handle on top (to hold by hand) and ofcourse straps on the back to be worn like a backpack also.

It worked well for me- I only took what I needed each day and sometimes that was different items. Sometimes it held my resort mug if I didn't want to take it back to my room (I had a room FAR from the food court on this trip). I didn't take a camcorder this time though (because I didn't want to carry it around and had already taped most everything like parades/shows/etc on my last trip a few weeks before this trip) but I did take other "necessities" like poncho, wallet, camera, etc. Only one time did I feel like I was carrying around too much stuff because I also had some souveniers so I used a locker at Epcot that day. Lockers (I found this out on this trip) are very reasonably priced at $5 per day and you can even park hop and not have to pay the $5 again (just retain ticket to be able to use a locker there at each park you go to- paying the $2 deposit but getting that back again everytime you leave).

Some days I just took my fanny pack, like on days I didn't want to lug around my mug and camera. I felt less like a pack mule than I do when on a NOT-solo trip (with 3 kids.. even with a stroller you still end up "carrying" a lot of stuff on your person)

Oh and as far as a jacket- just tied it around my waist like everyone else- if it got too warm for it during the day.

 

[RussH]

I tend to travel light now a day. Have this old leather shoulder bag (10x6x4) and everything fits in it. Went digital a few years ago my camera fits along with a extra battery and memory cards. A poncho along with a microfiber hand towel also fit easily. Add in a waterproof plastic box containing a bunch of sample meds bandages sunscreen with my sunglass case (prescription now getting old) and that is nearly everything.
The only other item normally is a couple fluorescent green plastic very heavy-duty straws. At Dawa bar in AK they don’t have straws available so for proper cocktail consumption I take my own.

I have switched to cargo shorts while at WDW this gives me 2 big front pockets for a paperback book passes and other items.

Stuff I don’t haul around anymore.
Fans squeeze breeze and misters- If its that hot I go inside or the pool.
Drink bottles of any kind- If I am thirsty I go to a cart buy what I want down it quickly and move on. This probably comes from dating a juice girl for several years
Souvenirs- except when leaving the parks. Always stay on site and I don’t buy much. Please send it to the resort.

This works for me everyone needs to come up with his or her own scheme

 

[Terk-1]

I try and limit what I bring to the parks. I take a backpack and put in my camcorder, disposable camera, a non-perishable snack, a compact poncho and a book (not like War & Peace, but more like a small paperback). The book comes in handy while waiting for a show or parade to start or while eating. That's about it for me.

 

[BostonTigger]

I limit myself to what can fit in my fanny pack. I do carry a camera with extra film in the strap though. I carry a backpack around with me everyday and it gets old carrying it, so I love to just leave it at home and not even bring it with me. When I buy suvi's, if it can't fit in my fanny pack then I just send it back to the room. That's the nice thing about staying on property...if you don't want to carry something you've bought around with you then just tell the CM when you buy it to send it to your room. I just love that perk!

 

[mickeyfan1]

Originally posted by BostonTigger
I limit myself to what can fit in my fanny pack. I do carry a camera with extra film in the strap though. I carry a backpack around with me everyday and it gets old carrying it, so I love to just leave it at home and not even bring it with me. When I buy suvi's, if it can't fit in my fanny pack then I just send it back to the room. That's the nice thing about staying on property...if you don't want to carry something you've bought around with you then just tell the CM when you buy it to send it to your room. I just love that perk!

The process has changed, packages are no longer sent to your room, they are sent to the resort gift shops. Still very convenient if you are like me and buy way too much to carry around. And don't forget that if you are buying something too big to schlep home, you can have it shipped. Tell the CM you want to do that before you start checking out, and you may not have to pay FL sales tax, just the shipping charges. I have used this service from DL to ship home a LE statue, they packed it and insured it, so no worrying about trying to get SWA to treat it nicely.

 

[BostonTigger]

Originally posted by mickeyfan1
The process has changed, packages are no longer sent to your room, they are sent to the resort gift shops. Still very convenient if you are like me and but way too much to carry around.

Oops. I had a brain burp. I'm glad you pointed this out. I had forgotten.

 

[jenelope]

I have a small backpack by Eagle Creek (which they don't make anymore, unfortunately). It converts from a backpack to a shoulder bag and has a front organizer pocket, as well as a large center pocket, a smaller front pocket, and two side bottle pockets. My Girl Scout training seems to rear its ugly head when I go to WDW, because I pack for all emergencies, although I do leave my Swiss Army knife at home these days. In addition to meds, bandaids, moleskin, gum and sunblock, I brought a nylon packable windbreaker (it was late October last trip), a small digital camera bag w/ spare batteries and card, contact lens stuff, my cell phone, and somehow managed to find lots of room to spare for all of the small parcels, bottle of soda or water, plasticware, maps and napkins that I always manage to accrue throughout the day. I don't carry a Mister Fan, but pretty much everything else is fair game. The only time I get tired is at the end of the day, and that's my feet, not my back!

 

[WOW]

I use a waist pack and I attach a plastic bag to it and put my stuff in there. I really works for me. I really don't carry too much.....camera, water, passes, and some cash and of course my room key and credit card.

 

[MdmMim]

I travel light--and wear cargo shorts. Passes, $--that's all I need.

 

[CarolA]

Well. if you have gone as much as I have you can pretty much figure you have all the photos you will ever need. LOL! I have about 1000 disney pictuers. I did the video camera once, NEVER AGAIN! I won't ever watch those videos and my friends don't want to see them.

Now that we have disposed of the cameras the load is much lighter. Sometimes I just stick money and passes in my pocket. I have a rain jacket that folds up into a pouch and can be hung from a belt loop.

 

[LUV4TINK]

mrsapalm,

I like yourself did not want to have a big bulky backpack. I had been searching a long time for a fanny pack that was large enough to hold my camera,snack,AP and $$$$$. To my surprise I found it @ WDW, in the Mexican Pavillion. It is just the perfect size.!! I carry my camcorder in a case it has a long strap, plus also has a hand grasp and it unzippers from the top. It also can be worn as a fanny pack and has a zipper wallet section. I know it sound like it would be huge,but it is about 6"x8" it is from caselogic. As for my water bottle I just stick it in between myself and the band of the fanny back.

Enjoy your trip!!

 

[Pumbaa_]

I got real tired of being a pack mule. Now I carry nothing. I have money, a small container for aspiring, a piece of moleskin, pass and credit cards. That's it!

 

[KarenNY]

My fanny pack (should be a tummy pack because that's where I wear it) holds my ID, money, credit card, glasses, ibuprofen, pepcid and my camera. If it doesn't fit in there- I don't take it.

 

[Kaycee]

If it doesn't fit in a fanny pack, we (DH and I) don't take it into the parks. We have a tiny digital camera which fits. The camcorder stays in the room though. We only use the camcorder to tape around the resort, and for short trips to the parks just to get video.

If you want all the stuff with you though, don't feel like you'll stand out. You see all kinds at WDW, from people carrying nothing to "pack mules".

Kaycee

 

[Mrs. Snowgod]

A previous poster mentioned Cargo pockets, and I second that!!!

I have a pair of shorts with 2 cargo pockets as well as smaller velcro pockets that fit money and passes (I think they are "water shorts" from Land's End). My camera case slides on to my belt (these shorts have a light yet strong nylon belt attached) and DH & I drink our water early instead of carrying it (since common wisdom holds that by the time you feel thirsty you are starting to become dehydrated). We leave the room with 2 bottles of water each - drink one while waiting for bus, the second while riding, then the first stop at the park is the rest room!!!

The additional benefit of stuffing all extras in cargo pockets is that you don't have to stop at the security tables to have your bag searched.