When you pack picnic gear this stylish, "Are we there yet?" quickly turns into "We have arrived."
Tote some spicy tuna rolls (or a tuna sandwich) in one of these chic bento boxes. With 12 color options, matching your lunch to your ride is easy. Takenaka bento box, $30; harabuhouse.com
Dining by candlelight is next to impossible in the great windy outdoors. Try this graceful oil lantern instead. "Bollard" oil lamp, $148; dwr.com
Handmade in Portland, Oregon (of course), this stool sports a timeless design and is perfect for taking in that double rainbow. Camp stool, $298; pendleton-usa.com
Crusty breads, salumi, and hard cheeses are no match for this knife's 5 1/2-inch serrated blade. The built-in corkscrew is just gravy. "Batard" knife, $33; lamsonsharp.com
Keep a couple of these reusable utensils in the glove box so you're always prepared for a to-go slice of diner pie. "Spork & Cork," $10; bambuhome.com
Show that gas station sushi you mean business with these slick reusable chopsticks. "Carry-On" chopsticks, $39; snowpeak.com
Keep your cocoa hot and your Negronis cold with this insulated Danish vacuum jug, available in cool reissued 1970s colors. Stelton vacuum carafe, $75; canoeonline.net
This picnic blanket doubles as a tablecloth for that sketchy table at the scenic overlook. "Rustic" linen throw, $158; coyuchi.com
Motel-room coffee? Puh-lease. This hand-pumped espresso maker guarantees a barista- worthy brew to go--wherever you may be. Handpresso Wild Hybrid, $130; wholelattelove.com
...And don't drink that espresso out of Styrofoam! These insulated double-walled glasses fill the bill and won't leave rings on the dash. Assam glasses, $15 for two; bodum.com
If your dog could talk (and had a hipster-lumberjack sort of aesthetic), he would beg for one of these collapsible drinking bowls. Dog bowl, $38; filson.com
This midcentury classic keeps your drinks cooler than Kerouac. *"Retro" picnic cooler, $60; retrometalchairs.com*The Big Chill
It may seem simple, but there's an art to packing a cooler properly. --Amiel Stanek
Start Cold Refrigerators make things cold; coolers just prevent them from warming up. Chill food and drinks well before you place them in the cooler.
Pack It In A full cooler stays chilly longer. fitting in items snugly, be- tween ice or ice packs, also pre- vents them from shifting (and spilling) during transport.
Stay Dry Nobody likes a soggy picnic lunch. use ice packs or frozen plastic bottles of water instead of loose ice to keep your sandwiches and snacks dry.
Layer Up You can pack drinks in ice, but be sure to layer: Throw in a couple of inches of cubes, then a layer of bottles or cans, then top with ice. Repeat until full.
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