How do I pack for a big picnic without a car?

November 30, 2012 12:13 AM

What equipment and bag should I pack to go on weekend picnics with a large family BUT no car to store things in? We want to stop by a park on the way home from church, but we take public transport, so we need some way to haul along picnic supplies and food for a family of 7. We live in hot humid Singapore. Bag ideas, packing tips and what works well for regular picnics - pop-up tent? card games? - much appreciated. We want to put together a picnic-kit we can prep on Saturday nights.
posted by viggorlijah to Food & Drink (4 answers total)

You need a fold up trolley (like this, but UK link). Large cooler box for food. Plastic box for plates, cutlery, napkins, wet wipes, lights. Bag for picnic rug, games, mosquito repellent etc. Cooler bag for non-perishable food.

I don't think you need a pop up tent or windbreak unless you foresee wind or rain.
posted by MuffinMan at 12:44 AM on November 30, 2012

Case of less is definitely more. Pick your food judiciously so that you can manage with minimal cooling. Pick your utensils wisely - light weight, easily slotting into one another to pack small etc. Using a box for all your utensils is brilliant because it can contain any mess made by dirty utensils and is easily stacked, carried and cleaned.

Also, be sure to spread the load - no reason why children can't each carry a childsized backpack with something for example.

I'd not use a card game for a picnic because there are no even surfaces to play on and there mey be a breeze and there may be children running round...just don't take card games. Take a ball, a frisbee etc.
posted by koahiatamadl at 9:23 AM on November 30, 2012

Picnics certainly predate cars. You might take some inspiration from the equipment people used.
posted by alexei at 2:13 PM on November 30, 2012

We ended up getting a supermarket wheelie bag (like this) and a flexible cooler bag. We put a tupperware box with cutlery and napkins in the bottom, loaded up the supermarket bag with snacks and took this foldup blanket with us. Ziplocs and supermarket plastic bags made cleaning up easy. We took an inflatable beach ball and the Apple to Apple card game which was fine to play on the blanket. The umbrellas were essential because it poured with rain for half the day.

I way overbought snacks and drinks, but we had a blast and now have everything set up for the next weekend and onwards.

Thanks for the suggestions! Looking at them made me realise how little we needed to have a good time, and that I should focus on making it easy to get things set up.
posted by viggorlijah at 4:57 AM on December 9, 2012