Somewhere in this world you will find a rectangular tarp that is slightly
larger in its dimensions than the average picnic table.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=953

Get some bungee cords of the appropriate length, hook them through the
grommets at the corners of the tarp and cross them under the table.

Alternately you can use these and do the same thing on a 'tablecloth':

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=91858

Or you could get these- looks like a 3" depth:

http://tinyurl.com/2zcnsv

Cya,
Robert

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott" <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, June 14, 2007 10:25 AM
Subject: [NVC] Clamping tablecloth to picnic table

> Mrs Squirrel pretty much refuses to use the picnic tables in campgrounds
> unless we first put down a tablecloth. I pack one of those Coghlan's
> white/red plaid vinyl numbers that can be found in any Walmart or
> equivalent. They come with clamps which are fairly useless in my
> experience because they are intended for tables no thicker than 1 inch
> or so, while the picnic tables in every campground I've ever visited
> (limited to west of Rockies, admittedly) are usually more like 2-1/2 to
> 3-1/2 inches thick. So I end up scouring the campground for clean rocks
> to put on the corners for when the wind gusts. Mrs Squirrel finds this
> unsatisfactory because we're pretty much putting rocks (which are
> "dirty" in her estimation)atop the tablecloth, which is meant to cover
> up dirt and stuff, so it's sort of defeating the whole idea.
>
> Anyone know of a simple clamp that can be used with these thicker
> tabletops?
>
> --
>
> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
> KG6RCR