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As you know my family and I snuck off to Disney World earlier this month. We had an absolute blast. There’s nothing like seeing your kid jump up and down at the chance to meet Mickey and Pluto. But a lot of work goes into planning a great Disney trip. Check out my tips for dads and Disney. But today I wanted to share something that made our trip a lot easier for me.
There’s a lot of pre-shopping that needs to be done for a trip to Disney. Make sure you have sunscreen, hats, medicine, bandages, autograph book and a change of clothes in case you get caught in a sudden Florida downpour. But how are you going to carry all of those essentials? Enter the High Speed Daddy Tactical Diaper Bag Backpack.
The Tactical Diaper Bag Backpack is new for 2017. I was fortunate to find High Speed Daddy on Instagram and caught that he was onto something awesome with a bag like this for dads. I did a lot of research, because there are a few tactical diaper bags out there, and decided that High Speed Daddy was right for me. After getting to know each other a little, HSD and I agreed to a discount for a honest review of his bag. HSD didn’t set out any expectations for the review because he’s an stand up guy, husband, dad and veteran.
First Impressions
When the bag arrived I was immediately impressed with the construction. The exterior 600D waterproof polyester fabric gives the bag a sturdy build. Online the 35L main compartment sounds huge but when you get it you understand it’s a lot bigger than what you expected. Inside the second compartment are smaller, well designed pockets to keep everything a dad could need for a trip, an outing with a baby or to have as an everyday carry backpack. While I know this is a Tactical Diaper Bag, the hidden baby wipe pocket was a nice touch. It’s easily accessed but concealed in case you want to take this bag to the range after your kids are out of diapers. Overall I was thrilled with the quality and design of the backpack. This is not a cheaply made bag.
In The Parks
After carefully planning and packing the Tactical Diaper Bag Backpack it was time to hit the parks. On day one we went to Animal Kingdom. I’d not been in a Disney park in a long time so the security line was new to me. I knew they were going to have to search the bag and let me tell you they did. I was that guy in the line who slowed everyone down because of all the pockets in the bag and how much stuff I had in it. (See below for a list of what my HSD bag contained.) But as the week went on the searching process got quicker.
For the first day at Animal Kingdom I wanted to wear the bag for as long as it felt comfortable. I ended up wearing it all day. It was fun to carry around. No really it was great. I enjoyed having it on me. When my family needed something it was easy to get to. Most of the time I could sling the backpack forward, grab what I needed and never break stride. The back mesh padding is breathable and allows airflow so I was comfortable all day. The shoulder straps are padded and contoured for comfort. And I was surprised at how helpful the chest strap was to distributing the weight of the bag.
As Disney insiders know, because one told us, squirrels like to raid the stroller areas especially at Animal Kingdom. When unsuspecting parents park their rides the furry bandits chew through zippy bags and steal your trail mix and cookies. Not with HSD Tactical Diaper Bag Backpack. We never lost a snack to a rat with a fuzzy tail. So add squirrel proof to it’s list of features.
I did experience one problem with the bag on the first day. On the bottom are four hard rubber traction feet that help the bag stand up. For some reason one of the feet would rub against my back as I walked. It ended up causing a blister. I’m not convinced this is the total fault of the bag. I think there were many factors like my height, weight, body type, amount of gear in the bag that led to the blister. But by the second day I had it figured out. At the end of the first day the High Speed Daddy Tactical Diaper Bag Backpack had exceeded my expectations.
For the entire trip we rented a stroller for our son even though he’s four. We were walking 6-8 miles per day and that’s a lot for little feet. One of the great features of the bag was the integrated stroller straps located at the top. On our second day we visited the Magic Kingdom and I wanted to test out the stroller straps. I expected that I would have to remove the bag because I anticipated the bag banging against our shins as we pushed the stroller. This was not the case. We could freely walk behind the stroller and the bag wasn’t in our way. And because the bag is designed so well, we could access all of our stuff easily.
On our second visit to the Magic Kingdom I carried the bag and tossed it in the stroller when we went on rides like Dumbo. Most of the rides like It’s a Small World and Pooh could accommodate the bag as well as two riders. I chose to keep the bag with the stroller. It was on this day I began to truly appreciate the zippers chosen for this bag. The product description mentioned the quality zippers and I was pleased at how easily they opened and closed. I never fought with them and they never creeped open. Some people may think it odd to notice a detail like that but when you have to use a zipper to access most areas in the bag, quality zippers are a must have.
Let’s not forget that the HSD Tactical Diaper Bag Backpack is indeed a diaper bag. I saw many different bags at Disney. Like the poor guy in the photo below many guys didn’t plan for the hike a day in the park would be. My bag was comfortable, well made, organized and renegade in the diaper bag world. But let’s not forget its core functionality. Disney has great bathrooms for families and that includes changing stations in most of them. I could see how the bag, and included changing pad, could make the diaper changing process go a lot smoother. My son is four so we were in and out of stalls together. When that happened the bag hung easily on the coat hook. I wasn’t ever worried about it being too heavy or falling off.
Here are some hard core stats about my trip with the HSD Tactical Diaper Bag Backpack.
Trip
Hours in the parks: 41.5
Days: 5
Walked: 33 miles, 69,381 steps
Temperatures: 86° to 30°
What I Packed:
Baby wipes
Jackets
Ponchos (3)
Stuffable rain jacket
Light blanket
Adult flip flops
Child flip flops
Change of clothes for a child
Change of clothes for an adult
Changing Pad (HSD Included)
Clips, Fasteners and zip ties
Medicine Bottle
Medicine in zippy bags
Snacks
Tissues
Phone charger
Power bank
Headphones
Kid camera
Play packs (for long lines)
Coins
First aid box (Yea, a box)
Pens
Water bottles (MOLLE and side pouches)
Purchases (Including stuffed dog)
Adult hat
Kid hat
Sunglasses
Sunscreen (small and large)
Moist wipes
Hand sanitizer
Bandanna
Bags
Shout Wipe and Go towelettes
Pros
Well-designed
Quality construction
Squirrel-proof
Comfortable shoulder straps
MOLLE webbing
Breathable back padding
Awesome style
Quality zippers
600D waterproof polyester fabric
Dual bottle holders
Dual insulated pockets
Interior padded pocket usable for laptop/iPad
Velcro straps for interior pockets
Huge Velcro strip for morale patches
Large main compartment
Integrated stroller straps
Removable waist strap (which I did remove it)
Luggage strap
Cons
Rubber feet rubbed my back at first
Took a while for security to search
Product sells out quickly
Final Thoughts
We spent 5 days in the parks and walked more than 33 miles with the High Speed Daddy Tactical Diaper Bag Backpack. That’s a lot for any type of bag let alone a diaper bag and it still looks brand new. In all the parks and all the miles this bag never let me down once. It did everything it was supposed to and looked awesome doing it. And don’t forget, it’s squirrel proof. I did receive a discount for an honest review of the bag and my honest advice is for you to buy this bag today before High Speed Daddy sells out again. Currently I’m making this my EDC backpack.
You can purchase the HSD Tactical Diaper Bag Backpack from The Secure Dad Store or directly from Amazon. For more information check out High Speed Daddy’s official website.
