The Utterly Inessential Outdoors Shopping List: How to grow your own drinks garnish, a water bottle that keeps ice for 24 hours and a quacking picnic blanket

The Great Outdoors is wild and mysterious, and often doesn't offer many opportunities for snacking. This week Alexandra Fraser has complied a list of handy products which correct this grevious oversight, making your next foray into the outside world that much more simple, luxurious and tasty.

Keep your cool

Red Original Drinks Bottle Complete (1)

In this sun, it’s a rare treat to have a sip of water that still tastes fresh from the highland spring after hours and hours of sitting in your warm backpack. The Red Original water bottle is lightweight and made from marine grade stainless steel and makes you feel like you’re treking over hills and dales, even if you’re sitting at your desk in Hampshire.

The bottle comes with a classic twist cap and a sports cap for cold drinks, preventing one from spilling half of their ice-cold water down their front as they attempt to climb over a fallen tree or two.

Stainless Steel Insulated Drinks Bottle by Red Original, £25 from www.redoriginal.com


Grow your own

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Why stop at simply drinking outside? Easy to plant and easy to maintain (for normal people. I, on the other hand, just managed to kill an orchid), having your own herb garden will make your summer day drinking just that little bit more organic this summer. If you cant actually get out to the Great Outdoors, you can at least attempt to grow it in your flat.

Plug Plant Herbs for Summer Drinks, £14 from www.abelandcole.co.uk


Priority one: keep sandwiches dry

red paddle cooler

The main deterent when it comes to exciting adventures is that they never seem to involve food. Red Original’s second offering solves that; a high performance cooler bag designed to keep water out and ice in. Made by the world’s leading stand up paddleboard (SUP to the experts) brand, this is a cooler to bring out on a boat, on a board or on a bank at Henley. Their advanced luggage tensioning system will ensure that your booze won’t float away – or be nicked by a cheeky relative.

The quality of this kit is undeniable and it can fit 54 cans in on its best day. Bottoms up and anchors away.

Waterproof Cooler Bag for £139.95 by Red Original, www.redoriginal.com


Beak chic

Duck picnic blanket

If you’re sitting on the floor, sit in style.

Waddling Ducks picnic blanket, now £27.30, www.64south.co.uk


For when things go wrong…

In case you ever need needlenose pliers, regular pliers, premium replaceable wire cutters, premium replaceable hard-wire cutters, a crimper, a wire stripper, a S30V knife, a 420HC serrated knife, a cutting hook, a saw, spring-action scissors, an 8” (19cm) ruler, a can opener, a bottle opener, a wood/metal file, a diamond-coated file, a large bit driver, a small bit driver or a medium screwdriver.

You know, on the off-chance.

Leatherman Charge TTi+ Multi-Tool from Farlows, £229.95 at www.farlows.co.uk


If you purchased our entire shopping list you would’ve spent £456.65 and don’t forget the bug spray!