Description

What is the Bat Plush Backpack?

It’s a stuffed bat with a zippered pouch and backpack straps. Kids wear it like a regular backpack, but it looks like a plush bat riding on their back, wings spread. The pouch is 8 1/2 inches deep, with room for snacks, a small water bottle, sunscreen, and a junior ranger activity booklet.

Made by Impact Photographics, this is part of a line of animal plush backpacks sold at national park visitor center stores across the country. The bat version is the natural pick at our Jewel Cave National Monument store, where multiple bat species roost in the cave’s upper passages during summer, and at Wind Cave National Park, which monitors its own bat colonies as part of ongoing white-nose syndrome surveillance.

What’s included

• Soft plush bat body with extended wings
• Zip-close storage pouch (8 1/2″ deep)
• Two adjustable woven nylon shoulder straps

The backpack is one piece. The bat body is the bag itself, with the zipper running along the back. Straps attach at the top and bottom so the bat faces outward when worn, wings spread to either side.

Specifications

• Dimensions: 22″ (wings expanded) x 17 1/4″ x 7 1/2″
• Weight: 6.4 oz
• Pouch depth: 8 1/2″
• Materials: Soft plush body, woven nylon straps
• Closure: Zipper
• Care: Hand wash only
• Age rating: Ages 3 and up
• Manufacturer: Impact Photographics

Who is this for?

Kids visiting Jewel Cave or Wind Cave. Gives them their own bag to carry on the trail, which means fewer “can you hold this?” requests from the back seat. Sized for ages 3 and up. At 6.4 ounces empty, even toddlers can wear it without getting weighed down. The wings-out shape gets attention on the cave-tour line and makes for easy in-park photos.

Gift buyers. Generic stuffed bats sit on shelves. A plush backpack gets used, because it’s a toy and a bag a kid actually wants to wear. At $19.99 it’s a solid visitor-center gift that holds up well beyond the car ride home.

Bat fans of any age. Bats account for about a quarter of all mammal species worldwide. They pollinate, eat agricultural pests, and are quietly carrying one of the most serious wildlife disease stories in North America. If someone in your life lights up when a brown bat swoops through dusk, this is their backpack.

Bats at Jewel Cave and Wind Cave

Jewel Cave National Monument is home to multiple bat species, including Townsend’s big-eared bats and little brown bats. The park’s volunteer survey team works closely with NPS biologists on summer bat counts in the cave’s upper passages, and visitor center exhibits cover the role bats play in cave ecosystems.

Both Jewel Cave and Wind Cave monitor for white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease (Pseudogymnoascus destructans) that has killed millions of North American bats since it was first identified in New York in 2006. WNS has not yet hit western South Dakota bat populations the way it devastated eastern colonies, but proactive monitoring is the only reason park staff would know the moment that changes. Cave-tour visitors are asked to wear clothing and shoes that haven’t been in other caves, which is part of the same surveillance effort.

BHPFA also runs an Adopt-a-Bat program that helps fund bat monitoring and research at Jewel Cave. That’s a separate fundraising bundle (plush + sponsorship certificate), but this backpack lives in the same family of bat-focused park-store items and serves the same “bats deserve a fan club” mission.

More on planning a visit at our Jewel Cave National Monument page.

Frequently asked questions

How much can the pouch actually hold?
The pouch is 8 1/2 inches deep. It’ll fit a small water bottle, a couple of granola bars, sunscreen, and a junior ranger booklet. Not a full daypack, but enough for a kid’s essentials on a short hike or a walk through the visitor center.

What age is this good for?
Ages 3 and up. At 6.4 ounces empty, it’s light enough for young kids and the straps adjust to fit a range of sizes. Use your judgment with very small children around the zipper.

Can I machine wash it?
No. Hand wash only. Spot cleaning with a damp cloth handles minor dirt. For a full wash, use mild soap and warm water, then air dry completely. The plush material holds water, so give it time.

Is this just for kids?
Sized for kids, but the straps do adjust. Adults who collect bat gear buy them too. It’ll sit higher on an adult’s back than a regular bag would, and the wings stick out a little wider than a standard daypack profile.

Do you have other animal backpacks?
Yes. The same Impact Photographics line includes a Bison Plush Backpack, a Smokey Bear Plush Backpack, and a Prairie Dog Plush Backpack, all $19.99.

Are the straps comfortable for little kids?
The woven nylon straps are adjustable and light. They’re not padded like a hiking pack, but for a 6.4-ounce backpack carrying a few snacks, padding isn’t necessary.

Can I see real bats at Jewel Cave?
Yes, though sightings are not guaranteed on every tour. Jewel Cave’s bat colonies are most active in summer (roughly May through September). Bats roost in the cave’s upper passages and you’ll occasionally see one in flight near the cave entrance at dusk. The visitor center has exhibits on the park’s bat species year-round. The Scenic Tour is the most accessible tour if seeing the upper passages is the goal.

What’s white-nose syndrome and why does the park ask about my shoes?
White-nose syndrome is a fungal disease that has killed millions of bats in eastern North America since 2006. The fungus spreads on clothing and gear, so cave tours ask visitors not to wear items that have been in other caves. It’s not a hassle, it’s how the park keeps the colony alive.

Does BHPFA have a bat-conservation program?
Yes. The Adopt-a-Bat program supports bat monitoring and research at Jewel Cave. It’s a sponsorship bundle (plush + certificate) sold separately from this backpack. Ask at the visitor center or check the BHPFA site for current availability.

Does buying this support national parks?
Yes. BHPFA is the official nonprofit partner of Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, Scotts Bluff National Monument, and Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, as well as the Black Hills National Forest and Nebraska National Forests & Grasslands. Proceeds from every purchase support education programs, conservation projects, and visitor services at these sites.