The Hitchnic Table is the first ultra-portable picnic table that takes up no room in your vehicle and provides extra storage space functioning as a cargo rack. The goal with this project was to make the outdoors more accessible, and to make eating outside, a lot more comfortable. In today's culture, many activities revolve around food and eating. This is true whether you are tailgating, camping, or just enjoying a picnic with family and friends. Currently you have a few options, none of which are terribly convenient. First, you can spread out a blanket. This certainly has its place but it starts to lose its charm as the group grows and the terrain becomes more rugged. Another way is to plan your outdoor activities around a picnic area. This limits the places you can go and requires scheduling and luck to get a good table. There are also portable picnic tables, these usually pack up fairly small so as to not take all of the storage room in your vehicle. As a result, they are flimsy. They also only sit four people, which is not enough for my family. The last option is to take a folding table and chairs, but that is probably all you will be able to fit in your vehicle. I am not aware of any products currently on the market that have a table and seating that connect to the exterior of the vehicle.

The combination table and cargo rack is made up of 3 main components that are designated with respect to the picnic table configuration. The main components are the stationary bench, the table top and the movable bench. The table is set up by rotating the movable bench away from the vehicle, extending the legs and then pulling up and back to deploy the table top.

The design is very simple. The table can be set up or taken down in less than one minute, and takes very little strength.

You can take the Hitchnic Table to the great outdoors, or to your next tailgating party. You can literally have a picnic with your family anywhere your vehicle can go. Hook it up to the trailer hitch, drive to where you are going, and unfold your picnic table. Now instead of having to plan your outings around a picnic area or using up all of your cargo room for a table and seating, you can connect the table and seating to the hitch of your vehicle and gain some additional cargo space as well.