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We get asked to try out quite a lot of picnic mats here at Mini Travellers and you might think that really there isn’t much that can be different about a picnic mat, and well until last year I’d have probably agreed with you.

I mean there are clearly some picnic rugs that are prettier than others and some that are purely functional in their design but most do the same thing don’t they?

Well two picnic mats that have stood out for me this year are the Wunderlife Brug and the Rubbastuff Pacmat.  Both completely different but both ultimately are picnic mats you sit on down at the beach or in the park

Last weekend we took both down to our local beach and I had the opportunity to review the pros and cons of both.

Wunderlife Brug

Heavy?

I made the mistake the first time I took the Brug out of packing it as I would a normal picnic blanket and taking it in addition to my bag full of picnic things.  This is not the right thing to do as I’d say the Brug is heavy to carry in another bag. The point is you don’t need another bag, you put everything into the Brug.  Literally you throw it all in and off you go. For me this works better when you’re leaving the beach as it literally took seconds to throw it all in, buckets spades and more and off you go!

Waterproof?

Yes absolutely, my 2 year old niece even tested it for me by throwing a drink all over it.

Functional

Currently in plain blue or green colours as they go through their Kickstarter campaign, but I’m sure different designs will follow as it becomes more popular.

They have a really good video showing you how it works:

Price

£63 or you can personalise it for an additional £12.  You can buy one here!

Conclusion

Not one to pack, but one to use when you want to carry loads of things to the beach or park. Throw it all in and off you go!

Rubbastuff Pacmat

Extremely Light

It’s made from super light water-proof rip stop nylon. It’s very strong, durable and packs really small. It’s perfect for throwing in your bag and taking down to the beach or the park in case you need to use it. It also clips onto the side of a bag. I hadn’t thought to do this but they suggest you can just throw it over yourself to protect yourself from the rain too, which you definitely could as it’s so light!

Waterproof

It’s definitely waterproof, I’ve had to use it on some very wet grass in the past, the joys of summer in the UK and it’s always kept us dry.

Pretty

There are lots of designs so even if you don’t like the one I chose with the butterflies on, you will definitely find a design to suit you!

Price

£39 for the Family sized one we have, there are also single sizes for £17. You can buy them here!

Conclusion

This Pacmat lives in my day out bag and is used almost weekly.  A definite addition for our household.

NB: We were sent both the Brug and the Pacmat to review.

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