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Picnic Essentials Checklist
School is out (or almost out if you aren’t yet!) and Summer is here! That means Summer FUN! For us, that means spending time outside, enjoying the weather, and playing with our friends. We love planning picnics. They are the perfect way to plan for a day of fun…all day! Just pack your essentials and you will be prepared for hours of fun 🙂
Here are the items on my Picnic Essentials Checklist:
Blanket/Sheet
It should be large enough to hold all your picnic-goers and food. I recommend one that folds up easily, is easy to clean, and being waterproof is a bonus. You will see the OneStepAhead Beach Blanket pictured throughout this post…because we LOVE it! We love that it is waterproof (the kids thoroughly tested this out by spilling water on it over and over and loved watching it bead up), soft, and is reversible! We can have cool stripes or brown. It also folds up easily into it’s compact tote. If you spend a lot of time on the beach, you HAVE to check out this Sand-Away Beach Sheet, it is super lightweight and it actually repels SAND!
Cooler
You need something to bring all your goodies in! I suggest an easy to carry cooler bag.
Food, Snacks and Drinks!
What is a picnic without the food and drink? Be sure to pack casual foods like sandwiches, bagels, Crunch Pak Apples, carrots, etc.
You will want items that you can eat without utensils and be sure to pack in reusable bags (less waste!). I like the Bumkins Snack bags from OneStepAhead, they are cute and great for snacks and even your sunglasses and keys! They are also machine washable 🙂
Ice/Ice packs
Be sure there is a way to keep the cool items cool. If you don’t have an ice pack, freeze a bottle water or two! And when they start to defrost, you can drink them 🙂
Utensils if needed and napkins
Be sure to Cleanup
Don’t leave a mess behind!
Towels if needed
If you plan on sending some time in the water, grab a towel or two to bring along. This Fast Dry Hooded Towel is a perfect option because it is REALLY lightweight, so lightweight you won’t even believe it’s a towel! It folds up small and is perfect for on-the-go and travel.
Most importantly, Enjoy your Day!
Seeing smiles on everyone’s faces is the best feeling ever, isn’t it?
What are some of your tips for Planning the Perfect Picnic?
Make sure to check out these 10 Summer Must Haves, so that you are completely ready for Summer Fun!
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I love going on picnics and these are some great tips
Thank you!! Have fun on your next one 🙂
Make a list take a blanket and pick a place were you and the kids can have fun may be together
Thanks for the great tips. We plan on going to the park a lot and these tips will come in handy. Picnics are such a great way to spend time with your family and they are so much fun where ever you have them.
This is a great check list for picnics! I pinned it! Looking forward to picnics with my grandchildren this summer.
Thank you for all these great picnic tips. I love picnics.
We love going on picnics! Some meat, cheese, fruit and some great bread and we are ready to go!
Looks like this is a great picnic. Thanks for the information.
Funny, Now that my boys are 18 and 22 they say some of their best memories are from the (what they said then) ‘stupid picnic’ ‘s I made them go on. I found a book, I think it’s in every major area called 50 Hikes in 50 miles. We explored a lot, found hidden gems in our community, picnic ‘d in beautiful places – Oh, and I am an artist so I took watercolor tubes, brushes and a pad of watercolor paper with us too – I now have 10 year old+ watercolors done by the boys of the places we explored together. I feel a blog post coming on! LOL With a smile, Carlyn in South Tampa 🙂
I LOVE this. Totally makes me smile, thank you Carolyn! I love that your boys remember those times and cherish them. I hope that mine say the same when they get older. And I would love to see those painting sometime – they sound BEAUTIFUL!!
Absolutely, most importantly enjoy the day!!!! Hope you have many great picnics and days in the summer ahead. Thanks for sharing via #FridayShareFest
no picnic is bearable without mosquito repellent
My favorite summertime picnic must-have is the waterproof sheet. They are a must for wet grassy areas and even concrete next to pool.
Don’t forget the paper towels!
Blanket/Sheet is the most important last time I forgot it. Will not make that mistake again lol
I love all the tips, you got to have the bug spray! Great picnic essential checklist!
The waterproof blanket is an awesome idea, especially if its a beach picnic! Would love one of those!
My most essential item for a picnic are good cheeses and fruits. Of course a good bottle of wine wouldn’t be refused.
Can’t forget the snacks! PB&Js are essential to a picnic.
I love the reusable bags. Would come in handy for so many things!!! Such great tips!
Great post! We go hiking every saturday and have a lil mini picnic in the woods! I have a cooler bag similar to yours (Not as nice Lol!) and that is a definite NEED. I’d never be able to carry some cumbersome cooler through the woods. I can’t believe I’ve never thought of freezing water bottles, totally having a blonde moment on that one! So thank you for that tip!
BBQ chicken, no picnic is complete without BBQ’d chicken
favorite item is a cooler bag
I love it all but especially the bumpkins snack bags and waterproof balnket!
Oh picnics are so much fun. Thanks for the tips!!!
I love picnics in the park or the beach but got to have sun tanning lotion on all the time or I get burnt like a lobster!
the sand-away beach blanket looks great!! something that repels SAND? that sounds perfect! i’m hoping to take a trip to the beach one of these days, too! 🙂
Since we like to picnic on the beach, a blanket is essential. I think the Sand-Away Beach Sheet sounds like a great idea.
Thank you!
Good food is essential for a perfect picnic 🙂 But so is a big, comfy blanket.
Lemonade and watermelon ..light and refreshing
My must have item for picnics or beach days is a cooler but now I think I need a beach sheet. I love that it repels sand.
I need a cooler and blanket for a picnic as a minimum.
Frisbees, balls, and water guns are a must for our picnics.
Have blanket and cooler…will picnic!!
My favorite must have item is a lightweight cooler bag
I love the fast toweo dry I would take baby wipes for clean up
What great ideas and I really love the OneStepAhead Beach Blanket as it’s waterproof, so nice and thanks!!
I love picnics and your essentials list is great. One I will use in the future. Thanks.
A good cooler filled with great food is a must at our picnics!
My must have is sunscreen because when I was younger I didn’t use it and am paying for that sun damage now. I bring extra spray for everyone to use.
Great tips. I am a big fan of having blankets, and no matter how many I have there is never enough. I have a blanket just like your stripped one with the black edging. It is the best blanket, as it has some cushion to it so even on hard ground it is still really soft.
My favorite picnic essential is bug spray!
My picnic must have is sunscreen and a waterproof picnic blanket.
snacks are a must have of course like mini sammies and fresh veggies n dip.
Gotta have cold drinks!
These are some awesome tips! I never leave home without ice water and a first aid kit.
First off, we need sandwiches! Lots of cheese and meat. Next we need a nice big blanket to fit us on and a cooler to keep our drinks nice and cool! :] Also a camera to make memories
a picnic must have is snacks for sure and sunscreen
Great Tips! I always take all these with me beaucse we do impromto picnics all the time, but I add some kind of cleaner as well for sticky hands and or bags/ tables.
Snack and sunscreen.
Great tips! Thanks for sharing.
Food and snacks are deff a must
Picnic food can be a wide range of all enjoyable tasty choices. I have very few choices when dealing with mosquitos and ticks. I can’t tell you how many friends have suffered with lyme disease within their families., sometimes more than once.
Great tips. I always make sure to bring things to clean up with. Handi wipes or something.
Must have a cooler and ice packs for my homemade potato salad!
A cooler bag to keep the food fresh and beverages cold!
We always carry sunscreen, bug repellent and Wet Wipes with us on picnics.
My picnic essentials are plenty of food and snack plus sunscreen.
Great check lists & tips. Love going on impromptu picnics. I keep the essentials packed and ready to go then all I have to do is add food and off we head!
the only thing I would add to your list is sunscreen. I can’t go outside without sunscreen.
Be Organized ahead of time
The blanket/sheet is my most have item for a picnic. Thank you for the great tips
My must have for picnics is wipes! No matter what, my kids always end up sticky!!
My must have is my family and good food, just being able to escape life for a little bit. Leave the cell phones at home and just have fun together
Lots of cold drinks and some yummy sandwich fillings!
We live in Texas so a cooler is a must-have for any picnic here. Thanks for the other good tips.
My must item is a cooler !!!