Everything You Need to Picnic, According to Picnic Professionals

While awicker basketis aesthetically pleasing, it is often hard to store and carry and is not well insulated. All of the experts who we spoke to advised carrying something with a more comfortable strap, and most say an insulated tote is ideal, especially since it folds down. In order to keep things cold all day,Julie Lindenman, owner of an eponymousevent-planning company, which pivoted to picnic planning during the pandemic, packs this easy-to-carry Yeti soft cooler with ice and says it still fits up to “a couple bottles of wine, lunch for two people, two water bottles, and a few other drinks.” Our colleagues at Grub Street call Yeti coolers “indestructible,” and we’ve named them as among the bestgifts for beer lovers, who are always in the mood for a cold one.

“We do most of our picnics in reusable totes, just because you can flatten it and get on with your life,” echoes Wendy Weston, founder ofPerfect Picnic, which has been organizing European-style artisanal picnics since 2011. Weston likes the insulatedtotesfrom Scout but says that putting frozen water bottles (or a frozen washcloth) at the bottom of any easy-to-carry tote is just as good as filling withice cubes.

If you want to keep your hands free, Lindenman recommends West Elm’s less-insulated picnicbackpack, which comes with a 20-piece set of plates and cutlery for four, plus salt and pepper shakers.

If you are going to go the route of a traditional-style wicker basket, three out of our four experts recommend buying one that comes with cutlery inside it. AtPersonal Attention, a New York City-based,French-inspired event service, which also planspicnics, project manager Laéthycia Simms vouches for the Bee & Willow wicker basket because “there’s an insulated section, so you just put ice inside and can keep everything cool.”

With more stores than usual closed, Rosen notes that folks might need to bring more of their own gear to picnics this summer — because it’s a bit harder to stop by a bodega or supermarket for an extra thing or two. Packing a granny cart full of things, in lieu of an overflowing cooler, will help make transporting all of your stuff easier, especially if your picnic spot isn’t too far away. This trolley, which senior editorKaty Schneiderlikes the looks of, comes in a picnic-appropriate gingham pattern.

“The biggest pain about a picnic is hauling all this stuff around the park,” says Weston. The solution is a wagon. She likes this one because it folds “completely flat, and they can carry a lot of weight.” Not only does this wagon fit all of her gear, it also fits her daughter.

When it comes to picnic blankets, all of our experts say the bigger, the better, though they all prefer different kinds of materials. Rosen loves her portable,waterproofpicnic blanket so much that she says it’s the present she most often buys friends. Plus, “the blanket has taken on new meaning during coronavirus times, because it naturally allows you to give people space.”

“A lot of blankets that are branded picnic blankets are flannel or fleece, which I’m kind of confused by because it’s so hot in the summer,” says Lindenman, who prefersTurkish towelsthat are “lightweight and easy to machine-wash, so you’ll definitely feel like it’s clean after.”

Weston also prefers lightweight blankets to thick, waterproof options and recommends putting painter’s tarp underneath to keep your area dry. “Canvas acts as a barrier, which doesn’t harm the grass like plastic, and it can be used to create a larger surface area for social distancing,” she explains.

Most of the experts we spoke to say thatchairsare a must-have picnic accessory for those who have back issues or are uncomfortable sitting on the ground. Though any easy-to-carry,foldable chairis sufficient, two experts specifically named Qliq chairs which “basically fold up to the size of a Nalgene water bottle,” according to Lindenman.

If you’re going to be out in the sun all day, Rosen recommends bringing this pop-uptentfrom Wolfwise, which has sandbags to stay grounded on the beach and stakes to set into the ground at a park. “You have to set up most bigger tents, but this unfolds in one move. It opens fully on the front and back and has screens that go up and down on the sides so you can sit under it to stay out of the sun or put your kids in there for a nap,” she says, adding that watching avideois the easiest way to learn how to fold it back up.

“My biggest advice with food is, store things separately and get rid of the idea that you want to build your meal beforehand” explains Rosen, who adds that lightweightcontainersare ideal — like this collapsible, silicone set from Amazon — butZiploc bagswill work in a pinch. And all of our experts advised bringing what Weston calls “fresh food made to travel” that will last during travel and heat, such as whole cured meats and cheeses, fresh baguettes, jarred vegetables and condiments, and salads (withdressing on the side). You can assemble them once you’ve arrived at and set up your picnic spot.

Another highly recommended collapsible, silicone storage item is theStrategist-favoriteStasher bag. “I’ve used them for everything from sliced fruit to actual ice from the freezer, and they seal it all off really well,” says Lindenman.

Rosen and Weston both recommend bringing a lightweightboardfor preparing and serving whole foods, like thiswooden setof three, which weighs a total of one pound.

You’ll also need something to eat your picnic on. If you’re willing to tote along realplates, Weston suggests the melamine wares from West Elm, which are both cute and very hard to break.

Fordisposable platesand cutlery, Rosen likes bamboo, because “it’s recyclable and it also just looks really nice.”

“If you’re trying to do something special, do one of those little things, like order patternednapkins, just to make it feel like something is happening,” encourages Rosen. Strategist senior editor Anthony Rotunnorecommendsa vibrant, “museum-quality” set from Caspari.

In addition to food, water is essential for making your picnic enjoyable — and according to the experts we spoke to, a frozenwater bottlecan not only help keep you hydrated as it melts, it doubles as an ice pack on your way there. Lindenman specifically recommends thebottlesfrom Vapur, because they’re “flexible and rollable, so at the end of the day, it’s not like a massive empty water bottle rolling around in your bag.”

In New York City, public consumption of alcohol is usually a$25 ticketable offense, butto-go liquor licensesduring the coronavirus have loosened the open-container laws, so our experts say that (with a little finesse) picnic drinking is likely easier than ever. Weston advises against bringing more conspicuously packagedbottles of wineand instead recommends filling aCorkcicle canteenwith one (or two) bottles of wine, or a premixed cocktail, adding, “they actually work — you can put that bottle in the sun and it stays cold.” Plus, the canteen hides obvious alcohol labels.

Koozies also help obscure alcohol labels on cans, says Lindenman. Strategist writer Dominique Parisorecommendsthe triple-insulated koozies from BrüMate, which keep everything from slim, 12-ounce White Claws to 24-ounce tall boys as ice-cold as when you “first cracked it open straight from the cooler.”

“One thing that a picnic can be now, that it isn’t necessarily at other times, is, it’s a great way to support restaurants, especiallyBlack-ownedrestaurants,” says Rosen, who recommends using the app EatOkra to find Black-owned restaurants and food trucks near you (the app is free, but food is not). All of our other experts agree that this summer more than ever, picnics can be a way to support local businesses and take a break from cooking, especially since restaurants across the city are beginning to offer prepackaged picnic spreads — many of which are detailed inthis list, compiled by our colleagues at Eater.

Once you’re done eating, you’ll want some way to clean up your site. While personal-hygiene basics, likehand sanitizerand wipes, are must-haves for keeping yourself clean, all of the experts also recommend bringingtrashbags to maintain your picnic area. “The last thing you want is to carry around a Whole Foods bag that’s overflowing with garbage while you look for a trash can,” says Weston, who notes that the Clean Cube trash bins have a cute paper, gingham exterior, and an interior trash bag so “you don’t have to deal with things falling out of it.”

“People tend to forget, but it’s nice to have options of what to do at a picnic, especially if you’re in a group, and a board game helps keep people engaged,” says Simms, who is one of a couple of experts to recommend bringing games along to your picnic. Though there are many board games forcouplesandfamilies, if you’re looking for a socially distant group game, consider one where a single person can control all the pieces, likeexpert-approvedword-deduction gameCodenames.

In addition tosunscreenand ahat, Simms brings a spray bottle to picnics, especially in parks with limited shade, like the Brooklyn Bridge Park. “When the sun is out, it’s nice to have a little spritz, and when you’re not using the bottle, you can put it in the basket with the ice to stay cold,” she says, adding thatspray bottlesare very popular in French picnicking.