Best Backpacks for Disney World in 2021 Plus Bags and Totes

If you’re anything like me, the bag you bring with you on your Walt Disney World vacation has to be just as stylish and themed as the rest of your outfit. After all, Disney World is one of the only places in the world where it’s completely acceptable to wear fashionable mouse ears, lanyards full of pins, and Loungefly backpacks created to look like Captain Hook. While style is certainly important, so is dependability. Here, at WDW Vacation Tips, we’re often asked what the best backpacks, bags, and totes for Disney World are in 2021, and today, we provide the answer.

What Should You Bring to Disney World?

In order to determine the best bag or backpack to bring with you to Disney World, you need to first decide what you want to bring with you. Here’s our expert recommendations:

• Rechargeable phone charger
• Non-perishable snacks like granola bars, gummy snacks or crackers
• Sunblock
• Ponchos
• Water bottle – you are allowed to bring water bottles into the park, but please note you will not be allowed in if you have a glass bottle. While carrying around a water bottle may be heavy (especially if you’re carrying it for multiple people), it’s a cost effective measure to save a few bucks in the park; currently, a bottle of water in the parks costs $3.50. If you’re traveling with a family of four and purchase two water bottles for each member of your group per day on a five day vacation in the parks, that’s a grand total of $140 just on water alone! There is a way around this, as you can ask for a cup of water with your meal at various dining locations. 
• Your MagicBand and/or park ticket
• Your phone (this is especially true since Disney World guests can use their phone as their ticket into the parks)
• Hair ties
• Sunglasses
• Wallet
• A change of clothes and diapers, if you’re traveling with children
• A pen or marker for character autographs

Since the Coronavirus pandemic, we also recommend bringing in your own hand sanitizer as well as multiple face masks to swap out during the day. While the parks have done an excellent job of keeping the hand sanitizing stations fully stocked, I still recommend bringing your own. With face masks, I typically bring three with me, in case one gets lost or wet after riding Splash Mountain. 

Read more: The ULTIMATE Disney Vacation Packing Hack

Can I Bring Any Size Bag Into Disney World?

Unfortunately, no. Walt Disney World will not permit any suitcase, bag, backpack, cooler or any other type of storage product into the parks if it is larger than 24’ long x 15’ wide x 18” high. This applies to luggage that has wheels, as well.

Read more: Important Tips for Planning a Disney World Vacation in 2021

What’s the Best Backpack to Bring Into Disney World?

Alright, now onto the fun stuff: the best backpack to bring into Disney World!

Loungefly Backpacks

I mentioned Loungefly backpacks above and that’s because they’ve soared in popularity over the years due to their convenience and unique Disney theming. 

You can purchase these backpacks on Amazon, Shop Disney, BoxLunch, eBay, in the parks, and on Lounfefly’s website. These bags are typically always water-resistant, which is perfect for rides such as Splash Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean. They typically measure 9” long x 10.5” high x 4.5” wide and come in a variety of styles not limited to various Disney attractions, villains, colors, snacks, and a host of your favorite characters. 

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What makes these bags so great is that they can hold a lot of stuff easily. I own one and I can easily store my wallet, poncho, set of ears, cell phone, masks, cell phone charger, snacks and water bottle in it. These backpacks are going to be best suited, however, for carrying essentials for one person so this bag would be ideal if you are only carrying items for yourself as opposed to larger families. Please note that because these backpacks are usually genuine leather, they can get heavy after a while. 

How much it costs: Typically $75+. In Walt Disney World, a Loungefly backpack will usually set you back around $75 and online prices don’t fare much better. Depending on the design and the popularity, some backpacks can set you back more than $100 on Amazon.

Read more: Shop New Disney Outfits That Will Make You Hungry

Fjallraven Kanken

Like Loungefly, Fjallraven Kanken backpacks are another great option to take with you into the Disney parks. I own one of these and they’re usually my go-to not only when I’m in the parks but when I’m traveling to them, as well. These backpacks are very lightweight and like Loungefly, can easily fit everything you want to take with you to the parks for the day. Fjallraven Kanken backpacks were actually designed to provide back support to school-aged children. 

When I visit Walt Disney World, I’m usually able to carry around two water bottles, snacks and all the other essentials listed above in my Fjallraven Kanken backpack. It does get a little heavy the more I try to cram into it, but generally speaking, it’s a really comfortable option for walking around the parks all day. These bags don’t offer a lot of organization and only have a zippered pocket on the front and a small pocket inside.

How much it costs: $50-$80 depending on where you purchase it. I’ve seen it as low as $50-$65 on Amazon and they typically sell for about $80 on their website. I actually bought mine for $30 on Facebook Marketplace so be on the lookout for second hand sites to see if you can grab a deal. 

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Sunhiker Lightweight Small Daypack

Another backpack we recommend is the Sunhiker Lightweight Small Daypack. These backpacks were designed for hiking, so for us Disney fans, that means they were also designed for long hours spent walking down Main Street U.S.A. These are the most affordable option on this list and can be found online on Amazon, Walmart and come in a variety of colors like black, purple, red, blue and green. 

This backpack has breathable mesh shoulder straps, which helps to alleviate shoulder pain. They’re also incredibly lightweight and water resistant. The best part about this backpack is that they have water bottle compartments on both sides, meaning you have more room for your essentials in the main compartment of the bag itself. You can purchase the Sunhiker Lightweight Small Daypack on Amazon here. 

How much it costs: Depending on where you purchase it, this bag will usually cost you anywhere from $26-$50. They’re currently listed on Amazon for under $30.  

Read more: Dooney and Bourke Disney Bags

What Are The Best Tote Bags and Purses to Bring Into Disney World?

If you’re not a backpack person, no worries – there’s plenty of viable bag/purse options to bring with you into the Disney parks. Personally, if I’m not wearing a backpack, I prefer to wear a crossbody purse. Not only are crossbody bags easier to wear during the day, but I feel much safer knowing it’s not as easy to accidentally sit down somewhere and misplace. 

Baggallini Legacy Everywhere Bag

The Baggallini Legacy Everywhere bag is not the most stylish, but it gets the job done and surprisingly has a lot of really cool features that come in handy. There is a version of this bag that comes equipped with RFID technology and if you’re thinking, wait, that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the same Radio Frequency (RF) technology that’s found in your MagicBand. The Baggallini Legacy Everywhere bag has a removable RFID-protected wristlet that helps protect the data on your cell phone and credit/debit cards from being scanned and stolen. 

Like the others mentioned on this list, the Baggallini Legacy Everywhere bag comes in a variety of colors including red, black, brown and green and is water resistant, lightweight and machine washable. This bag has an adjustable strap and measures  9” tall x 11” wide x and 5” deep. 

How much it costs: The Baggallini Legacy Everywhere Bag with RFID-blocking technology will set you back around $75, but it’s definitely worth it considering the protection this bag offers. After all, who wants to have their money stolen on vacation? 

Read more: The Magic Behind MagicBands

Vera Bradley Triple Zip Hipster Crossbody Purse

To grab this bag in the parks, all you have to do is hop on over to Disney Springs and visit the Vera Bradly store located in the Town Center. The Vera Bradley Triple Zip Hipster Crossbody Purse comes in a variety of different, colorful patterns and has a five-star rating on Amazon. 

These bags are fully lined and keeps everything in your bag neatly organized thanks to the two slip pockets. It has an adjustable strap, is machine washable and measures 12” high x 12’ wide x 1” deep. These bags are extremely lightweight and are big enough to carry around all of your essentials. 

How much it costs: Like the others mentioned on this list, it’ll depend on where you purchase this. On Amazon, it’s selling on average for around $60 but in stores and on their website, it’ll cost you around $85. To shop for this bag in a Disney-specific print you will need to get through shopDisney.

Read more: Best Face Mask for Disney World

The HaloVa Diaper Bag

If you’re traveling with babies or young children, then the HaloVa diaper bag is perfect for you! This diaper bag is very affordable and multi-functional. It’s technically a diaper bag, tote bag and backpack wrapped in one, which is kind of what makes it stand out amongst the competition. This bag has multiple pockets, making it easy to keep all your personal items organized for easy access.

It has two bottle holders in a separate front pocket and can easily hold up to 40 pounds. Even if you don’t have babies in your party, these separate bottle compartments would be perfect for carrying juice boxes or even snacks! 

This bag comes in a variety of colors, including gray, sky blue, black and orange. 

How much it costs: You can order this bag for $32.99 on Amazon. 

Read more: The Perfect Backpack Diaper Bag for Disney World

Final Thoughts

When deciding what kind of bag or backpack you want to bring with you to the parks, keep in mind that this is going to be something you’re not going to take off for long periods of time. Always try to opt for comfort over style and look for bags that will be comfortable to wear for long periods of time as well as something that can help keep your items organized. While I love the different backpacks I have, I often make the mistake of shoving everything in with zero organization, which always results in me having to stop off to the side and practically take everything out of my bag just to find one thing. When you’re doing that multiple times a day, it can get frustrating real quick. Organization is definitely key when traveling to Walt Disney World and spending the day in the parks.

Read more: Important Tips for Planning a Disney World Vacation in 2021