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Living at (and often working from) Walt Disney World makes finding a good backpack essential. But that can be a never-ending quest. It won't fit in the lockers if it's too big but going too small won't leave enough room for your things. If the straps are too thin, they'll cut into your shoulders, but extra-padded straps turn into sweat swamps. You'll also be taking them on and off constantly, meaning any exterior pocket items like water bottles can get flung off if they're not secured properly.
After five and a half years, I have an entire laundry barrel filled with backpacks that will likely never be used again because of the Eddie Bauer Stowaway 20L. This model might be seven years old, but it strikes the perfect balance between deceptively simple design and supremely flexible uses, and it's still rare to see new ones as low as this $28 deal on Eddie Bauer's website.
The life-changing feature on the Stowaway 20L -- one not replicated on the 10L or 30L, sadly -- is the placement of the upper lashing loops next to the water bottle pouches. These points are made for strapping sleeping bags, jackets or hiking gear to your pack, but they're at the perfect height for keeping any water bottle with a handle or loop attached but easy to reach with a basic carabiner. Same for travel umbrellas, mini tripods or eyeglass cases: they're easy to grab but hard to lose.
(Pro tip: zippered glasses cases don't set off Disney's security screeners as often as classic hinged cases do.)
While some backpacks have buckled cinch-down straps or elastic loops near the water bottle pockets, they don't keep exterior items secured half as well as the stout nylon of the Stowaway's straps. The elastic on the two side pouches will take years to wear out, too, so long as you're not shoving some extra-wide 40 oz growlers in them, and the zippers to each compartment can take quite the beating. The whole backpack can fold up into the small pouch that makes the middle compartment, and the main compartment easily fits a jacket, laptop/phone chargers, their cables, three kinds of snacks, a poncho, Minnie Mouse ears and a 13-inch laptop with sleeve.
On game nights at the local card shop, it can fit my playmat tube, 3-4 sturdy magnetic deck boxes, a jacket, fuzzy Trafalgar Law hat, snacks, decklists, a notebook for keeping score and the murder weapon known as my dice bag. I do wish the straps were a little bit padded, but 95% of the time, they're perfectly fine. (And the other 5%, my legs are usually more worn out after 12 miles of walking than my shoulders.)
Amazon has trouble keeping the Stowaway 20L in stock at all, and deals beyond a cursory 15-20% are rare at both general retailers and outdoor shops like REI. 30% off for a $28 deal price at Eddie Bauer is a welcome surprise, especially for a bag that still has few equals and many ardent fans. If you prefer your backpacks a bit more padded and protective, you'll want to head over to our best laptop backpacks, but for my mornings at the Magic Kingdom and evenings at Epcot, Eddie Bauer's Stowaway 20L is a girl's best friend.