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The time has come. Nature is making you stand up, and it sucks. You want to be that 24-year-old who spends your groggy, 1000-degree afternoon swinging from that hanging bench on your buddy's front porch; iPhone in one hand, IPA in the other.
And while that sounds classic and everything, the guilt is real. Portland has plenty of spacious knolls where you can score seasonal views of the whole city in bloom. You have the rest of the year to limit yourself to the porch, especially when rainfall enters the equation.
Below, we play personal picnic basket shopper. If you bring all the items below, not only will you take summer by storm, which is sort of an oxymoron, but with the right positioning and hashtags–all the pop-up shops will be blowing up your Insta.
Pick a blanket
Pendleton Eco-Friendly Easy Care Blanket
Be cool without culturally appropriating for $129.
Grab a machine-washable (cuz you gonna spill Andre on it), 100% pure virgin wool Pendleton Eco-Friendly Easy Care Blanket. This blanket is sturdy against the dirty, and is a classic striped print that will stand the test of time.
What makes Pendleton worth the price is its durability and the softness of the product. It constantly feels like a bed, and you can also convert it into a bed sheet for those chilly winter approaching us quickly.
Yodo XXX-Large Waterproof Blanket
Seat four yoga-hungry adults for $35.59
If you haven't already bought a Pendleton blanket, it's 100% likely that you're turned off by the price tag. You might instead go for the Yodo XXX-Large Waterproof Blanket with a much more modest price tag. Besides its gigantic size–suited for 3-4 grown adults looking to perform a downward dog in unison–it's made out of a soft "micro fleece" and is, as marketed, waterproof. It's not a dual bed blanket/ground blanket like the Pendleton, but it looks great and will keep your friends on your good side even through those occasional summer storms.
Bring a portable speaker
DOSS Touch Wireless Bluetooth V4.0 Portable Speaker
Spend $32.99 on the best portable speaker out there.
People in Seattle don’t like music outdoors, but Portland seems chill with it. Mount Tabor Park and Washington Park, for example, are so large and scatterbrained that there are plenty of spots where you can picnic and chill with a portable speaker–with few others close enough to listen or protest.
Our pick: the DOSS Touch Wireless Bluetooth. It's everything a millennial can ask for: HD sound; it's a 12W full-body stereo with a built-in rechargeable battery and, obviously, it provides you with the freedom only syncing your phone with BlueTooth can provide. This is Amazon's Alexa at a discount.
And it's so darn affordable. Even a freelance journalist can afford it.
Entertain your friends
The Wild Unknown Tarot Deck and Guidebook
I asked a witch, and she says this $27.33 set is worth every penny.
Trust me, everybody knows you’re entertaining. You’ve got that leo ascendant; btw, nice new hairdo. But even you will get tired after all that fizzy wine, and your friends will appreciate it if you bring an activity to center the group. Our suggestion: take tarot cards
The Wild Unknown Tarot Deck (plus guidebook) will send shivers down everyone's spine. It's a conventionally attractive tarot set with rich graphics, a sturdy guidebook that can you teach all you need to know on the spot–and there's a storage box, so you can keep everything together.
Elise needs to know if she and Erica are getting back together.
Bring booze.
Just reminding you.
(Cool Stuff is a new feature at WW that reviews the best gear and stuff. Our reviewers are experts in their field and are asked to provide honest and independent assessments. When readers choose to purchase our editorial picks, we earn affiliate commissions that support our journalism.)