Your favorite bag and self-filtering water bottles?

[firefly_ris]

Next trip is kid-less and I'm looking forward to not having a double stroller with a whole bunch of snacks, diapers and so on jammed into it.

My *hope* is to just be carrying my ID, phone, back-up credit card, magic band, any Disney gift cards I acquire, and lastly a water bottle that I can easily refill.

What's your favorite compact bag to take to the parks? I do have a small faux-leather crossbody backpack that could easily fit my stuff plus my husband's phone, the only thing that wouldn't fit is a water bottle, but maybe I could clip it on to it or something.

What's your favorite water bottle? I saw Target carries a Brita hard-sided water bottle -- any of you have experience with these? It seems like it would be really convenient to be able to refill this with tap water and have it filtered but I don't have any experience with Brita filters.

[edit] I'm also still debating on whether to bring my DSLR or not -- if I do I'd like to have 2 different lenses in particular to bring... but I'm thinking I either just skip it entirely for this trip or only choose one day to bring it.

 

[lsenquiz]

I have used several different types of filtered water bottles. They all seem to be the same to me. My problem is carrying them around. So I switched to a lifestraw. It is a straw that filters your water. I carry it in my bag and just get large cups of water from any kiosk or counter service place that offers fountain drinks. The cups of water are free and I just use my straw to drink from them. That way I can throw my cup away when I am done and put my straw back into my bag.

 

[emonade8]

I have used several different types of filtered water bottles. They all seem to be the same to me. My problem is carrying them around. So I switched to a lifestraw. It is a straw that filters your water. I carry it in my bag and just get large cups of water from any kiosk or counter service place that offers fountain drinks. The cups of water are free and I just use my straw to drink from them. That way I can throw my cup away when I am done and put my straw back into my bag.

Isn't the water from the quick services already filtered?

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

I bring a Brita water bottle and use my Disney VB backpack (it's the small one that they don't sell anymore). The Brita bottle really filters out the gross FL water taste.

 

[firefly_ris]

I have not heard of the lifestraw before, I will have to check that out!

Sounds like the Brita bottle works pretty well. I'm thinking if I get one I could just hook it to my little backpack with a carabiner clip.

Thanks guys. Any other suggestions welcome. I feel like I'm "overplanning" this all a bit, but I'm really excited for the upcoming trip, and it's a short trip (just 1 arrival evening spent at the resort and 3 days in the parks.... technically 2.5 since the last evening we depart) so I'm over-planning in an attempt to just streamline and maximize our time, and reduce the amount of crap I'm dragging around.

 

[IrishNYC]

We love the Brita bottles for Disney. I've said it here before...I can't even brush my teeth with the water in the rooms without gagging, but with the Brita filter I can drink that water without a problem. We fill them before we leave the room, then refill from QS locations.

 

[IrishNYC]

I
Sounds like the Brita bottle works pretty well. I'm thinking if I get one I could just hook it to my little backpack with a carabiner clip.

If it's the same bottles we have, there's a "loop" on the top that you could easily put a carabiner through. The bottles do leak a little if you lay them on the side, so hanging them is a great solution.

 

[lsenquiz]

Isn't the water from the quick services already filtered?

hum. I do not know. It definitely does not taste filtered to me. The sulfer taste is overwhelming.

 

[yulilin3]

The water from all the quick services is filtered. It gets some getting use to though. I live her in Orlando so I'm used to it, I do not bring a bottle of water ever, just go into any quick service and you can get a free cup of ice water or a cup to fill it yourself at the restaurants that have the fountain drinks for self filling

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

I bring a Bobble water bottle with me. You can get them at places like Marshall's for cheap!

 

[Daniela Rose]

I have not heard of the lifestraw before, I will have to check that out!

Sounds like the Brita bottle works pretty well. I'm thinking if I get one I could just hook it to my little backpack with a carabiner clip.

Thanks guys. Any other suggestions welcome. I feel like I'm "overplanning" this all a bit, but I'm really excited for the upcoming trip, and it's a short trip (just 1 arrival evening spent at the resort and 3 days in the parks.... technically 2.5 since the last evening we depart) so I'm over-planning in an attempt to just streamline and maximize our time, and reduce the amount of crap I'm dragging around.

That's really cool. I never heard of that before.

 

[LizzieLou]

Totally understand the DSLR debate. I've had that same thought about not carrying it but always feel like something is missing when I leave it in the room. My WDW photo collection has increased to the point that I only really carry it around for one day after I really try to make a shoot list of photos I'm missing. The other option is to make use of the lockers available in each of the parks and only carry the DSLR during golden hours. Might actually try that myself one day?

 

[emonade8]

hum. I do not know. It definitely does not taste filtered to me. The sulfer taste is overwhelming.

Wow, I've never noticed a sulfur taste in the water from the restaurants. The water fountains are another story. We fill our filtered water bottles from the fountains and once I decided to try it unfiltered just to see. Yuck.

 

[firefly_ris]

I bring a Bobble water bottle with me. You can get them at places like Marshall's for cheap!

I'll check it out!

Totally understand the DSLR debate. I've had that same thought about not carrying it but always feel like something is missing when I leave it in the room. My WDW photo collection has increased to the point that I only really carry it around for one day after I really try to make a shoot list of photos I'm missing. The other option is to make use of the lockers available in each of the parks and only carry the DSLR during golden hours. Might actually try that myself one day?

Hmm, good thought, I always forget about the lockers. I am thinking just take it on the MK day... I want to take the 11-18mm for some fun wide angles, and then the 50mm f1.8 for night time/low light and more "artsy" stuff. There's just no way to fit it in the little backpack I want to take and I'm just imagining a sweaty neck after slinging it around all day. Since it will just be my husband and I, I can possibly talk myself into waiting to take it until the next time we take the kids down in a few years. Decisions!!

 

[LoveAndHonor]

https://www.amazon.com/WATERFLY-Packable-Shoulder-Backpack-CrossBody/dp/B00PPXVAOW
Carrying this one now for two adults and it's perfect. Smaller than the picture looks, extremely light, but plenty of room. Also easy access to the pouch when you're wearing it.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I don't carry a water bottle in the parks; just get cups of iced water from various restaurants along the way. That makes my life easier when getting on rides. For the rest of my gear I carry a wristlet with a separate zippered credit card and ID organizer within. The nice thing about the c/c and ID organizer is I can readily move it from pocketbook to pocketbook w/o forgetting anything. You can find them at different price points and materials across the spectrum from as low as 15.00 at Target's to over 50.00 at Michael Kors, Vera Bradley, Marc Jacobs, Christian Lacroix, Adrienne Vitadinni.You can even find models with rechargeable battery chargers built in.

I personally prefer one with a single zippered top and magnetized foldover top that expands or can be minimized at will.

Whatever style you choose be sure that your cellphone will fit in it as the phones are getting larger in size.

I see you like to carry a camera and accessories from time to time and that won't fit in most wristlets. So maybe a triangular shaped crossover bag would work better for you. Take a gander at the Camelback line and I'm sure you'll find a padded version (to protect the camera) that will work for you with the added feature of a refillable water carrier.

 

[NYCgrrl]

https://www.amazon.com/WATERFLY-Packable-Shoulder-Backpack-CrossBody/dp/B00PPXVAOW
Carrying this one now for two adults and it's perfect. Smaller than the picture looks, extremely light, but plenty of room. Also easy access to the pouch when you're wearing it.

I really like that one and will remember it for the moment that DGD loses the freebie version she received when we stayed at a hotel in DC. The DC one has fashion forward colours (chartreuse and black that ALWAYs matches the pink and purple stuff she likes to wear that will make the grandmother happy when we allll wake up to the non mass marketed princess stuff, LOL) but lacks the padded exterior and little extras that adults would care about .

 

[LVSWL]

Next trip is kid-less and I'm looking forward to not having a double stroller with a whole bunch of snacks, diapers and so on jammed into it.

My *hope* is to just be carrying my ID, phone, back-up credit card, magic band, any Disney gift cards I acquire, and lastly a water bottle that I can easily refill.

What's your favorite compact bag to take to the parks? I do have a small faux-leather crossbody backpack that could easily fit my stuff plus my husband's phone, the only thing that wouldn't fit is a water bottle, but maybe I could clip it on to it or something.

What's your favorite water bottle? I saw Target carries a Brita hard-sided water bottle -- any of you have experience with these? It seems like it would be really convenient to be able to refill this with tap water and have it filtered but I don't have any experience with Brita filters.

[edit] I'm also still debating on whether to bring my DSLR or not -- if I do I'd like to have 2 different lenses in particular to bring... but I'm thinking I either just skip it entirely for this trip or only choose one day to bring it.

I carried my Brita bottle last year on our trip. It worked out great! Filled up at quick service (free) and before leaving sit down restaurants. I have a baggallini bag with water bottle pockets on the sides. It isn't compact, but weighs nothing at all. Sometimes when I use a smaller bag I use one of the old Disney water bottle straps to carry my bottle.

 

[LizzieLou]

I'll check it out!



Hmm, good thought, I always forget about the lockers. I am thinking just take it on the MK day... I want to take the 11-18mm for some fun wide angles, and then the 50mm f1.8 for night time/low light and more "artsy" stuff. There's just no way to fit it in the little backpack I want to take and I'm just imagining a sweaty neck after slinging it around all day. Since it will just be my husband and I, I can possibly talk myself into waiting to take it until the next time we take the kids down in a few years. Decisions!!

The lens combination sounds like a lot of fun! I usually just leave the 18-300 on the camera and use a wristband to avoid the sweaty neck syndrome. One of my favorite things to do is to just head into a park late afternoon with the camera and shoot until the hand-held camera starts to be a problem. Next trip, the perfect tripod!