The Pre-Game Party: Essential Tailgating Gear

I went to my first NFL game when I was about 14 years old—and I went with a group of fairly affluent people who were also raging superfans. We drove to the game in a purpose-bought touring van with a custom interior, complete with a team-matched color scheme, a refrigerator, card table with six swiveling captain’s chairs, a hot plate, and microwave.  As a naïve kid who wasn’t that much into football, I figured going to the game like that was the exception rather than the rule. Then we got to the parking lot and, boy, was I wrong.

Tailgating is a custom that has taken on a cultural identity almost separate from the event one is tailgating for. Over the years, I’ve tailgated at football games, baseball games, soccer games, concerts, high school sports of all kinds, and even a wedding. The equipment and the amount of preparation have varied over time, but there are certain lessons that I’ve learned over time to make my tailgating experience almost as much fun as the game—and if my team loses, then the tailgate is usually the ONLY shining moment of the day.

I’m always shocked at the lengths to which people will go to make THEIR tailgate the best in the parking lot. From enormous custom smokers and grills to entire tour buses with team logos painted on the sides, these are people in a league of their own and way out of the scope of this article. For the sake of sanity, we’re going to be staying safely in the realm of “fan” and not “superfan” and the equipment we’ll be discussing probably won’t require you to take out a loan—or second mortgage—to afford. With this gear, you’ll have a great time, cook some good food, and probably make more than a few friends as you hang out.

A good way to think about tailgating is to almost consider it camping in a parking lot. A lot of the gear you’ll use is identical to what you’d take if you were camping out of your car or camper.

Cooking

Coolers

The hallmark of a successful tailgate is food. No one wants to pay exorbitant concession-stand prices for food and drinks, but on a windy December day having a cold PB&J or bologna sandwich is just as depressing. So you plan on cooking some nice sausages, hamburgers, hot dogs, and maybe some chicken. Depending on where you live, you’ll need to safely transport your food, so you’ll need a cooler. Obviously, the size and type of the cooler will vary depending on how much food (and how many people) you’re bringing. There are two main types of coolers: hard and soft. The hard coolers, like Pelican’s Elite line, will keep food cold for days and come with cup holders and can support the weight of someone sitting on it so it pulls double duty as a seat. Since the food only needs to stay chilled for a few hours when I tailgate, I usually bring a soft one—something along the lines of Polar Bear’s 12 and 24-pack coolers—so that when I pack up for the day, I literally pack up the cooler.

Stoves/Grills

There are a number of ways to cook, and they mostly depend on how much room you have to pack and what you’re looking to cook. Simple tabletop units like this Coleman have a single burner and grill so you can heat up some beans or sauerkraut and grill hamburgers and hot dogs, or heat a triple-burner. If you want to upgrade, there are free-standing collapsible gas grills that give you more freedom and cooking surface. For even more gravitas, you can go all-in and set up this portable charcoal grill to do it old-school for that unique char-grilled flavor.

For those who really want to cook in style, you can grab a few of Stansport’s components and build a heavy-duty camp kitchen—whether you’re looking for table-top stoves or a high-output free-standing dual-burner cook top—these are great choices for getting noticed by anyone passing by.

Cookware

This is a highly personal area, but there are some basic things you’ll need to look at. If you’re cooking outside on open burners, especially in the cold, you’re going to want to lean toward cast iron. This type of cookware is definitely heavy, but the benefits they offer for outdoor cooking far exceed their weight concern.

First, with proper seasoning beforehand, your cast iron pots and pans will be virtually non-stick so cooking is simplified right out of the gate.

Second, the more you use it, the more flavor it picks up and the better food cooked in it tastes over time.

Third, the thick walls and iron construction ensure excellent heat retention, so you won’t be burning a lot of extra fuel trying to keep your pan hot.

Finally, under normal conditions, cleanup is fairly easy: you should NEVER use soap or a sponge on your cast iron. Most of the big bits should come right off. (And if it doesn’t, take a little vegetable oil, put it in a hot pan and pour some coarse kosher salt onto the surface. Then, using a paper towel, scrub the stubborn parts off.)

Beyond common pots and pans, if you’re planning on making chili (and let’s face it, if you’re tailgating you’re GOING to want to make chili at some point) nothing will compare to a nice Dutch oven. They come in a variety of sizes and are ideal for slow-cooking chili, stews, and even corn bread.

One last consideration about cooking is prep surfaces. If you’re going to go portable, make sure you have a table to put your tabletop grill on. If you’re doing a lot of cooking from scratch, you’ll need a place to cut, chop, and mix. Luckily there are purpose-built cook stations like this basic one from Kamp-Rite, or its table specifically meant for tabletop grills, or this multi-level one from GCI.

Lounging

Canopies

One of the best things about the tailgating experience is the sense of community. Whether you’re rooting for the home team surrounded by the same group of people every game day in a sea of team colors, or you’re with the visiting team feeling like an island in an ocean of hostility—at some point you’re going to want to sit down and have a soda or a coffee. Seating is an often overlooked comfort and one that can really make or break your experience.

The first thing you should consider is a canopy. No matter the season, a canopy can shade you from the sun or keep the rain and/or snow off your food. Guaranteed, if you have a canopy when it starts raining, you’re going to make a LOT of new friends as they scramble looking for cover. They are easy to set up and collapse into easy-to-transport and store. You can get canopies from Kelty, Stansport, this cool one from Wenzel, or any number of sizes and styles from Coleman.

Tables

Now that you’re covered, let’s talk about eating and sitting. It’s always awkward to try to eat mac & cheese, chili, or beans from a plate while you’re standing up talking and holding a cup of soda. Something is going to fall on the ground, and it’s inevitably your favorite food. Make your life easier and get a portable table; something as simple as this GCI table can be used as a prep surface for cooking, then cleared and used for eating. You can upgrade to a larger, soft-top table like this one from Picnic Time that can easily seat four with built-in cup holders and pockets. If you want something a bit more compact, Wenzel has a similar, smaller model with two cup holders and a 150-pound weight capacity.

Of course, you’ll need chairs—or you can go right for tables with built-in benches. Kamp-Rite has a full-sized folding table with benches that can seat six adults or even more if the kids squeeze in. For more compact packing, Picnic Time has this simple 4-seater that comes in several colors to help you match your team. These two models have benches attached to the table. If you’re looking for some more freedom, Stansport makes a table with separate benches.

Chairs

For that first set of tables, and for non-eating sitting activities, a folding chair is an essential piece of gear. They can be as simple or extravagant as you want. The more pockets and cup holders they have, the less you’ll need to get up—but they will be progressively heavier and bulkier, so tread carefully when choosing your lounging gear. GCI makes a nifty rocker, and another with a side table and ottoman and adjustable back position. For the truly comfort-driven person, you can pick up a reclining folding chair like this one from Picnic Time, or another from GCI. For ultimate comfort, few things will compare to this Kamp-Rite model with built-in foot rest or this one with its own sunshade. For the truly dedicated lounger, I can only suggest this Picnic Time Fusion chair. Among its features is a removable 24-can cooler, a side table with shelves, molded cup holder, umbrella loops, and ribbed seat and back for airflow and comfort.  

Comfort

This speaks to more than sitting and eating. Especially with football season taking place in the fall and winter, you’ll need to address the reality that it gets downright cold out in those parking lots. For heating larger areas, Stansport and Mr. Heater make an assortment of propane heaters that can warm areas of various sizes. Since these are all propane heaters, you’re not going to want to run them in a camper or trailer—because the exhaust will cause you to have a very, very bad time. They offer basic ones that will heat your feet and not much else, all the way up to a three-head model that connects directly onto propane cylinders up to 100 pounds and will kick out up to 45,000 BTUs of cold-busting heat.

If you’re not into dragging extra propane tanks around, you can look into personal heaters. While the old-fashioned conventional pocket warmers are still around—and still effective—we’re living in The Future now, and so we have options. Brunton and Thermacell are leading the pack in this regard. They offer battery-powered heating solutions. Brunton has a line called HeatSync. You can get an under-jacket vest that heats your core using a variety of battery packs. They also offer a heated pad called the Bench Warmer and a seat. Thermacell has a line of rechargeable hand and pocket warmers that work similarly to the conventional ones we mentioned above but without the waste, plus heat settings so you don’t end up getting sweaty hands. To keep your toes toasty, they also have a line of heated insoles. They have two versions of these foot warmers: one uses permanently installed batteries, and another has removable, rechargeable batteries. Both versions can be trimmed to fit most shoes, have multiple heat settings and, the coolest part, they come with remote controls so you can turn them on and adjust the temperature without having to take your shoes off.

Entertainment

Let’s face it, as a society, we’re addicted to our devices. So even when we’re cooking in a huge parking lot surrounded by loud sports fans, there’s going to be a fair number of people on their smartphones or tablets. They will be texting their kids, watching videos of their team’s greatest plays, taking pictures of superfans, or updating social media. A fair number might even want to fire up a laptop or TV. Whatever your needs are, there is a portable power solution for you. In days past, you’d need an all-out gas generator to run larger electronics, but today batteries are much more powerful, so you don’t need to start up a loud gas-powered exhaust-belcher. While you’re probably not going to be outside long enough to set up a solar panel array, companies like Brunton, GoalZero, Bushnell, StongVolt, and Wagan make powerful battery-powered power stations of just about every size and capacity. From charging a smartphone or digital camera, all the way to running a portable TV, there is a simple power pack for just about every budget. For sustained power usage, you can always look to power inverters that will take your car/vehicle 12VDC battery and convert it to 110VAC power. This will allow you to run standard appliances like TVs and blenders using your car’s power. But be careful… don’t drain your battery down too far that you can’t start the engine (but just in case you do, having one of these jumpers handy might not be a bad idea).

Safety

I know. Why bring down a party with a talk about safety? Well… because it’s important. I wouldn’t want to inspire a killer tailgate only to have it ruined because I didn’t bring up safety. The first thing you need to prepare yourself for is basic first aid—if you’re throwing a football around, cooking, or getting into a heated debate over the best defensive lineup for you fantasy team, things can happen. Having a first aid kit is essential, and should always be checked before you head out to make sure it’s properly stocked. You can make your own or go out and grab a starter kit and then further tailor it to your needs to include things like prescription medications.

Finally, two-way radios. Whether you’re with your kids or your college buddies, having radios are a great addition to your tailgating kit. These will allow you to communicate over distances if cell service is sketchy or there is limited bandwidth from everyone streaming, texting, and posting. You can spend as much as you’d like—you can even get a pair of pink walkies—and get sets with up to five radios right out of the box for you and your crew, or you can get multiple sets and, as long as you can change frequencies, you can get as many people on your channels as you want.

Wrap-Up

Tailgating can be as easy or complicated as you want to make it. The best thing about it is the sense of community you experience while doing it and the ability to do as little or as much as you want as long as you’re having fun. So the next time you get tickets to see your favorite team play, pack your grill, chairs, canopy—load up your biggest cooler—and get out there and enjoy another Great American Pastime—The Tailgate.