Everything You Need for a Chic Picnic Season

Welcome to Someone Buy This!, a monthly shopping column featuring the fun, the frivolous, and the practical from a very discerning shopper.

Are you stocked up for outdoor hang season? We may be deep into summer, but it’s not too late to up your picnic game. Here are some essentials for picnicking at the beach, a park, or in whatever outdoor space you have at home.

The grill

Grilled food is one of my favorite things about summer. As an apartment-dweller with no backyard, I’ve depended on the hospitality of my outdoor space-having friends to fulfill my summer hot dog needs. I entered this summer determined to find a (propane!) grill I could take to the park and easily store in my apartment between uses. While I understand the enthusiasm bordering on fanaticism about charcoal grills, I don’t subscribe to it. Dealing with charcoal is annoying, time-consuming and messy! Sorry! I wanted a small propane grill that I could easily clean, store, and travel with and this little Weber grill checked all those boxes. It’s perfect for beach or park grilling but works great in a backyard or patio too if you don’t want to deal with a whole big grill setup.

We recently took it down to my family’s beach house where it got several consecutive days of use, easily handling grill staples like burgers, steak and assorted veggies. Cleanup was super easy, especially since we lined the bottom of the grill with foil. When you’re done, the grill’s legs fold up, locking the lid into place, and you can carry it away like a little toolbox. It’s extremely cute!

The tools 

You can’t grill without the proper tools and the most important tool (to me) is a solid pair of tongs. I grew up in a house with a full drawer dedicated to tongs. I love tongs of all sizes, shapes and colors, but the best one is the one that makes me smile because it has a little face on it. Readers of this column and my newsletter know I love Meet Your Staff, a home goods brand that puts little faces on boring household products like plungers and trash bags. Their tongs are great for all kinds of cooking and serving. Why not take them to your picnic?

When your burgers are ready you’ll need something to eat them on. What comes to mind when you think "picnic basket?" You’re likely picturing a Wizard Of Oz-style wicker basket. I’m going to show you something better. There are a lot of picnic sets out there but no one has topped Guzzini’s "Pic Boll," a plastic globe that holds cups, plates, bowls for six people. The outer shell of the globe splits into two salad bowls. The Boll debuted in the ’70s, but Guzzini reissued it several times since with some updates (BPA-free plastic, for example). You can buy a new version from Guzzini or grab a vintage one on Etsy.

You’ll need a reliable not-bulky cooler to keep your drinks and perishables cold. I love this bright Hydroflask cooler tote because it does a great job at keeping things cold and it doesn’t take up a lot of space. It doubles as a great grocery bag, too!

The blanket

I’m a recently reformed flat sheet as a park blanket user and I’m happy to report that blankets made for picnics are significantly better. Baggu’s picnic blanket is my current favorite, especially in the "Sistine tomato print" from their recent collaboration with cool-girl fashion brand Collina Strada. The blanket is cushy and thick, protecting your butt against damp grass. It’s also become my favorite beach blanket because it’s so easy to flick sand off of it. If you struggle to sit on the floor for extended periods of time, try a floor seat. This one from Sunnylife has an adjustable back and at 5 pounds it’s pretty easy to carry. 

Happy picnicking! Think of me when you’re using your smiley-faced tongs to serve hot dogs to your friends!

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