Picnic hikes might be an effective way to spend a summer time afternoon enjoyable by an alpine lake or take pleasure in a sundown out of your favourite overlook. However should you’ve by no means packed up a meal for the backcountry, you could be questioning what to pack for a picnic hike.
It’s all about discovering the suitable steadiness between what you want for the hike itself and what you want for the picnic, all whereas maintaining it as light-weight and manageable as doable.
On this submit, we stroll you thru the method of packing in your picnic hike and provide suggestions and strategies to make your expertise as pleasurable as doable.
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How To Plan Your Picnic Hike
Earlier than you begin packing your mountain climbing backpack, it’s important to get a transparent plan in place in your picnic hike – similar to every other hike you would possibly go on.
Your plan ought to account for a wide range of elements, which is able to finally dictate what you must pack. Right here’s what it is best to contemplate:
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Meals Concepts for Picnic Hikes
So that you’ve picked out an important path with a pleasant picnic spot, however what do you have to pack to eat?
The basic is a PB&J, however should you’re studying this, likelihood is you need one thing a bit extra subtle.
When packing in your picnic lunch, select meals which might be comparatively light-weight, can face up to some jostling round, and received’t soften or perish in a number of hours. All the time search for gadgets that don’t create a ton of mess or require elaborate setup.
Listed below are our high picks for what to pack for a picnic hike:
Have extra concepts? Share your favourite picnic hikes lunches within the feedback!
Tip: Take away as a lot extra packaging and plastic earlier than heading out in your hike so you chop down on the trash you’re needing to pack out!
What To Pack For A Picnic Hike
Along with the 10 necessities it is best to pack on each hike, there’s a number of issues you must elevate your mountain climbing recreation on a picnic hike.
You possibly can most likely cobble collectively the whole lot you want in your picnic hike with what you’ve got in your kitchen and kit closet, however should you’re trying to make your expertise additional particular, listed here are our favourite gadgets for a pleasant picnic on the path:
1. Picnic blanket
Whether or not you’re headed to a distant seaside or a rocky peak, the REI Co-op Out of doors Blanket is the proper picnic companion. It weighs only a pound and a half and might simply be stuffed into your day pack.
The underside layer has a water resistant end to maintain you dry whereas the highest is made of sentimental microfleece, nice for having fun with a post-picnic nap.
Store the REI Out of doors Blanket at:
2. Swiss Military Knife
Each outside adventurer ought to have Swiss military knife. They turn out to be useful on picnics when you must slice a block of cheese, pop that half bottle of wine, reduce open a package deal, and even choose a pesky morsel of meals out of your tooth with a toothpick.
The Swiss Military Camper Knife options a wide range of helpful instruments whereas nonetheless being compact and light-weight.
Store the Swiss Military Camper Knife at:
3. Hydro Flask Cooler Cup
The Hydro Flask Cooler Cup is a intelligent design that retains drinks chilly in your hike in after which doubles as a cup when it’s time to drink them.
For added chill issue, refrigerate the containers the night time earlier than so that they’re additional chilly once you head out.
Store the Hydro Flask Cooler Cup at:
4. Picnic Flatware
Elevate your picnic expertise by bringing stainless-steel flatware as an alternative of low-cost plastic utensils.
This flatware set by Hydro Flask comes with its personal carry sleeve that retains your forks, knives, and spoons organized and simple to search out.
Store the Hydro Flask Flatware Set at:
5. Plates
You need to use any non-breakable plates in your picnic hike, however if you’d like a set that cleans up properly and appears good, take a look at the stainless-steel Hydro Flask camp plate.
Store the Hydro Flask Camp Plate at:
6. Bee’s Wrap
I’m at all times looking for methods to scale back single-use plastics, so I used to be actually excited to find Bee’s Wrap, which can be utilized in lieu of plastic wrap.
These sheets are coated with a skinny layer of beeswax and can be utilized to wrap up sandwiches, cheeses, veggies, fruits, or every other meals gadgets you’ve got deliberate in your picnic.
To wash them, merely rinse them with cool water and allow them to dry earlier than reusing them!
7. Stasher baggage
These reusable silicone Stasher Luggage are good for carrying picnic goodies like chopped fruits and veggies, sandwiches, path combine, or different picnic provides.
Not like regular ziplock baggage, these are supposed to be reused, so merely rinse them out and repeat!
8. Loopy Creek Chair
For a picnic get together, my Loopy Creek is my go-to chair. It takes about 5 seconds to place collectively and gives greater than ample again help. It additionally has hook-and-loop straps to connect to your backpack so that you might be hands-free in your hike.
This chair can also be good for outside concert events and films and particularly useful on river journeys the place you might be sitting upright in a ship all day.
Store Loopy Creek Camp Chair at:
9. Moist Wipes
Moist wipes are at all times helpful to have round. They’re nice for cleansing up post-picnic when you must wipe off soiled utensils or plates. These Surviveware moist wipes are good and thick and huge sufficient so that you solely want to make use of 1 or 2.
Please keep in mind to pack out all used moist wipes and get rid of them in a trash can, even when they are saying biodegradable.
Store Surviveware Moist Wipes at:
10. Hand sanitizer
Convey a small bottle of hand sanitizer with you to wash your arms earlier than you eat your picnic. I like this travel-sized bottle of Dr. Bronner’s Hand Sanitizer.
Store Dr. Bronner’s Hand Sanitizer at:
11. Bug repellant
Nothing can damage a pleasant picnic sooner than a swarm of mosquitos or pesky gnats. Be ready to fend off bugs with some good bug repellant.
Natrapel is a plant-based, non-toxic bug repellant that works fairly properly. Nevertheless, if you realize biting bugs will probably be an issue, you would possibly wish to go along with one thing that comprises DEET.
Store Natrapel Insect Repellant at:
Learn Extra
Extra Picnic Hike Gear Suggestions
Go away No Hint on Picnic Hikes
It’s necessary to say the 7 Go away No Hint ideas so you may comply with good environmental practices in your picnic hike.
They’re:
- Plan forward and put together
- Journey and camp on sturdy surfaces
- Get rid of waste correctly
- Go away what you discover
- Reduce campfire impacts
- Respect wildlife
- Be thoughtful to different guests
You possibly can learn extra in regards to the 7 Ideas and discover examples in our Go away No Hint weblog submit.
Have an important hike!
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We hope this submit helps you intend a memorable picnic hike! What are your greatest picnic hike suggestions and necessities? Do you’ve got a favourite hike or expertise to share? Tell us within the feedback!
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