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Special Dietary Needs: Packing for the Parks
By Valarie - June 19, 2002
Here's my plan, since I've got special dietary concerns (I'm a diabetic) and I can't be drinking much soda or juice at all (as if I
could afford it!) when our family gets to WDW. I also don't have a lot of time to wait in line for food when my sugar levels crash.
We're going to be there the 1st week of July (it wasn't MY nutso idea) and I know, just KNOW that I'm best off with water and probably
Gatorade, a bit watered down. Besides, I've heard the fountain water tastes yucky there, and I don't want to buy bottled water,
naturally... I also don't want to lug around big old empty bottles or mugs with me -- if it doesn't fit into my fanny pack (okay, it's a
good sized one!) it isn't going in with me. No way am I wearing a backpack or carrying a purse. So I did a little shopping, and here's
what I came up with. Can you tell I love Campmor.com?
Shopping list:
Outdoor Products "Roadrunner" Fanny Pack (from Campmor - Regularly $20 - on sale for $9.97 while supplies last)
The picture of this product on the site and in their print catalog doesn't do justice to how much space is in this bag! (More pockets
than they list -- they changed the picture to a better one after I emailed them about it....) Love mine so much my sister and my nephew
each wanted one. LOL Now my little 5 year old nephew is a bit small for a normal sized fanny pack (they swallow him) so I got him a "belt
pouch" made by the same company. We can use one of his belts and it will be a perfect fit.
PS - I wouldn't have bought it if I hadn't been in need of a fanny pack in the first place -- gotta save those $ for the trip!
Platypus Sport Collapsible Water Bottles - 1/2 liter size ($3.75)
*These are really cool -- when empty you can roll it up and fit it easily into a pocket or fanny pack... the spout is the only thing
that takes up any room. Makes that "will you hold my bottle / cup / drink situation a whole lot less annoying when you can squish it
small and put it in your bag. LOL Plus, you can freeze them the night before! The squashability factor was the most important part to
me... And these stand on their own when not empty, just like a rigid water bottle. no plastic taste. We've tested them!
Bottle Bag ($3.99 from Campmor) & Wal-Mart mini biners ($1.78 in camping section)
The bottle bag will easily hold up to a 1 liter bottle and it has belt loops - use the mini biner to clip to your belt loop if you need
to set your drink aside before it's empty. (I'm clipping mine so that it will be out of the way on the back of my hip with my fanny pack.
Put a bandanna inside around the bottle, and if the bottle sweats, the bandanna will make a nice cool cloth.
Powdered Gatorade and Crystal Light Drink Mixes
*Gatorade works great for me, and we'll have another (insulin-dependent) diabetic with us too, so the Crystal Light is really for
both of us... Besides, all that sugar in sodas and regular fruit drinks there will have me going BLECH! in a couple of hours (it
happened at 6 Flags in St. Louis...) I need to stay refreshed and hydrated, and yucky plain water ain't gonna do it.
"snack size" baggies & how I'll use them
*I'm going to pre-measure the drink mixes (yes, I sat down and figured out how much per serving! LOL) and put a serving into each
zip baggie... When drink time comes, use folding scissors (about the size of a quarter - super cheap in the sewing tools at Wal-Mart) to
cut off the corner of the bag, and pour the powder neatly into the neck of the bottle. Add water, close it up, and shake. Discard
cheapie little baggie. LOL (Less stuff in the fanny pack now...)
*I'm also going to use these to organize my fanny pack... I'll package small items like my snacks (beef jerky - yes, I make my own -
much cheaper!, Balance Bars, emergency candy, glucose tabs, etc.) in them, which will also keep them dry, just in case.
*can be used for holding change -- like what you'll need for the pressed coin machines... :)
*Exact perfect size for holding ones, fives, tens, twenties... possibly for tickets, passes, receipts, etc.
*If you'll need to take small amounts of your medicines in with you... (I'll take excedrin migraine & tummy medicine) you won't have
to take the whole bottle -- you can also get little 2"x3" craft ziplock baggies to individually package sets of doses.
*put those sample-sized bottles of sunblock, bug repellant and sunburn reliever into a baggie so there's no mess in your fanny pack.
The beauty of those baggies is that they are small, disposable, and cheap.
(And I'm a paranoid packer, obviously... LOL)
Valarie
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