Vera Bradley recently gifted this Forbidden Forest sling backpack to me and I have fallen in love with it, using it every opportunity that I get. If you haven’t already figured it out, I am a huge Harry Potter fan and I also love going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios, so using it there was an obvious choice for me. Actually, I’ve used it several times so far at the theme park and will continue to do so, but thinking about that fact made me realize that some people might want to know what I take with me when I go in case any of you are considering getting this for yourself.
Read My In-Depth Review Of This Bag Here
Before I get into what I packed in each part of the bag I’m going to show you what it looks like when full. Here is a view of the front:
And here is a view of the bag from the side:
Okay, now that you’ve seen the outside, it’s time to see what’s on the inside.
WHAT’S INSIDE THE TOP FRONT POCKET
There are two pockets on the front, one on top of the other. The very top pocket is flat but I put two Tupperware Smidgeons inside it and had no problem closing it or accessing them when I needed to.
I like to keep a variety of medications with me wherever I go, things like Tylenol, Advil, and Benadryl, and these containers are the perfect size for keeping the pills safe without crushing them inside my bag.
As you can see, my kitten Freya thought that the Smidgeons were toys that I put on the floor for her. She liked the way they sounded as the pills rattled around. No, Freya, you cannot play with these! If you’ve never heard of a Smidgeon, it’s a very small, round, plastic container that I have found to be perfect for use inside my purses.
WHAT’S INSIDE THE SECOND FRONT POCKET
The second front pocket is larger than the one above it and is about one inch deep so I was able to put more in there.
The items that I put inside were my face mask, car keys, lip balm, motion sickness medicine (some rides are brutal for me without it), hand sanitizer, and my sunglasses in their protective case. Everything fit perfectly inside and I had no problems finding any of them when I wanted to use something.
WHAT’S INSIDE THE HIDDEN BACK POCKET
The back has a hidden pocket that is as deep as the sling backpack is wide. To put it another way, I can insert my entire hand about two inches past my wrist. I push my wallet all the way to the back of the hidden pocket so that it is safe from pickpockets.
This is the wallet that I usually bring with me when I go to a theme park. It is small and flat, doesn’t take up much room, and has just the bare necessities (my driver’s license, a credit card, and my insurance card, although I think my Sam’s Club membership card is also in there are the moment).
WHAT’S INSIDE THE MAIN BODY OF THE VERA BRADLEY FORBIDDEN FOREST SLING BACKPACK
Now that you’ve seen what I put in the pockets it’s time to see what I put in the main body of the bag. This is the largest part of the backpack and is one, large, open area.
The items that I normally take with me are my lanyard with my Universal Studios annual pass, a water container (in this case, a 28 oz. BlenderBottle because you absolutely need to stay hydrated while at a Florida theme park), a rain poncho because even though Florida is called the Sunshine State it sure does rain a lot,! and a cooling towel which is fantastic for keeping me comfortable on hot, humid days.
Here is everything that I put inside my Vera Bradley sling backpack. It looks like a lot, doesn’t it? It is, yet I was able to comfortably carry it all day, despite how heavy the water bottle is when it’s full.
Do you have this sling backpack, either in this pattern or from one of their other Harry Potter lines? If so, how do you like using it? Is it comfortable for you to wear, too? Let me know in the comments below.