Day Trip Essentials: A Peek Into Our Backpack

As our family prepares for our trip, we’re sharing our favorite road trip tips and resources. Here’s the list of everything we pack in our day trip backpack.

This post was originally published in 2020 and contains references to COVID-19 regulations that may no longer be in effect.

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We love parks of all kinds. On our next particular road trip, we’ll be visiting local parks and a theme park! We’ll be packing a day bag for both and though much will change between the days we spend at these destinations, the essentials we need to carry will not.

The Bag

The perfect day trip bag is large enough to hold everything you need, yet still lightweight, and can be worn comfortably.

Beyond that, what bag you should carry really depends on your family and travel needs. Fortunately we’re past diapers and our bags have gotten much smaller since. Unfortunately we’re also past strollers, so anything we pack has to be carried!

What works for us is a two-backpack system. Neither is particularly fancy or expensive and both are extremely lightweight. The smaller of the two is a completely collapsible backpack and it can fit comfortably into the side pocket of the other. We use this system to share the weight when needed, bringing home souvenirs or leftovers. Our kids really enjoy being able to help carry the load, too!

We use smaller bags to organize the items we store inside. We always use clear cosmetic bags. They’re waterproof and the contents can easily be examined at bag checks.

First Aid

A small tube of antibacterial ointment and a handful of adhesive bandages are 99% of the first aid we need. If we’re a bit farther off the grid, like on a longer hike, we also bring the full kit with us from our car.

Ibuprofen and lip balm also make the cut. We include motion sickness medication if we’re headed to a theme park.

Food & Drink

We always bring plastic or reusable silicone baggies wherever we go. They’re perfect for protecting a phone in a downpour, saving a half-eaten lollipop, and packing out granola bar wrappers.

Some destinations do not permit outside food and beverage, but we have not yet found a destination that doesn’t permit outside water. For day trips, collapsible water bottles are the way to go. They weigh practically nothing when they are empty, so even a child can carry all of them at once. They also clip onto bags, strollers, or belt loops.

We also pack a couple snacks that aren’t likely to melt or be crushed: squeeze pouches, nuts, granola bars, or beef jerky. Again, check the guidelines of your destination. Some parks do not permit food because of concerns with wildlife; other places do not permit food because they want you to buy theirs!

I also pack a small bag of salt and pepper and water enhancer. Consider including creamer and/or sweetener if you’re particular about what you use.

We’ve gotten the most mileage out of the water enhancer. It has saved us from buying $5.00 sodas when the water at our destination doesn’t taste like what we’re used to at home.

We also carry food clean-up in the form of wipes. Lately we’ve used antibacterial wet wipes more than baby wipes, but either will do for sticky hands, playground dirt, and unexpected spills when there’s no sink nearby.

Electronics

Phone, power bank, charging cable, and wall charger. Easy peasy!

For the Weather

Regardless of where we travel, we always pack sunscreen. While we are usually wearing our sunglasses and visors or hats, we still pack those, too, if it’s cloudy when we head out.

Single travelers may get by with an umbrella, but we find ponchos best for our family. They actually stay on our little ones, who are quick to use an umbrella as a twirling accessory.

For hot destinations, we also pack cooling towels. They work via evaporation (just like your skin, only faster) and while we were skeptical at first, they really work! Thankfully the price of cooling towels has dropped dramatically since they first came on the market. This is particularly important for us as we have a family of five!

COVID-19 Compliance

Coronavirus has changed travel quite a bit for everyone. We now carry masks and hand sanitizer, of course, but we’ve also found a few items that makes wearing them easier.

I keep all of our masks and these accessories in a pencil bag when they aren’t in use. This allows us to pack it flat, taking up as little space as possible.

Our second favorite accessory is billed as a “lipstick saver.” Mask support frames keep the fabric of the mask off of our faces. They make breathing so much easier (a relief when you’re wearing the mask all day long) and help our littlest mask wearers resist the urge to lick at the mask that’s touching their lips. (Ew!)

When we’re wearing masks all day, we also use mask extenders. They keep our ears from getting sore, sure, but more importantly, they keep me from getting migraines due to the continual pressure. We opted for hard plastic because we found that silicone pulled our hair!

If we’re in a situation where our masks will be coming on and off, we make sure each of the kids has a face mask lanyard. Their clothes don’t always have pockets, especially the younger ones, and this helps them keep track of their own masks during meals without putting them down on tables or seats… or worse!

Recap

• Backpack
• Clear cosmetic bags
• First Aid kit with antibacterial ointment, adhesive bandages, ibuprofen, lip balm, and motion sickness medication
• Reusable baggies
• Collapsible water bottles
• Snacks
• Seasonings
• Water enhancer
• Wipes
• Phone with power bank, charging cable, and wall charger
• Sunscreen
• Ponchos
• Cooling towels
• Hand sanitizer
• Face masks with mask support frames, extenders, and lanyards

What would you add to this bag?