Tailgating Ideas – Don't Just Tailgate, Tailgate Better

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), a sub-division of the United States Department of Transportation (DOT), has issued an emergency order mandating a recall of cylinders manufactured by The Lite Cylinder Company, Inc. (Lite Cylinder). PHMSA also terminated the company’s authority to re-qualify and manufacture DOT cylinders.

U.S. Department of Transportation: PHMSA Orders Recall of Cylinders Manufactured by The Lite Cylinder Company

Lite Cylinder manufactures a number of composite fiberglass fuel tanks designed for the transportation of liquid propane gas (LPG). One of the main advantages that composite fiberglass LPG cylinders have over old fashioned steel tanks is the ability to see the level of propane inside through the translucent sides of the tank. Other advantages include they are lighter to carry and will not rust or corrode like steel tanks.

The emergency order was issued after a PHMSA investigation of Lite Cylinder of Franklin, Tennessee, revealed unsafe conditions and practices. The emergency order mandated more than 55,000 two-piece fully wrapped fiber composite cylinders be removed from service. If you own an LPG cylinder manufactured by Lite Cylinder, you may have already been contacted by the company alerting you to the recall. Lite Cylinder must immediately contact all cylinder owners and provide instructions about how to safely discharge, purge and remove the valve from the cylinder and how to safely return those cylinders to Lite Cylinder.

Cylinders manufactured by Lite Cylinder with any of the following markings are subject to this recall:

• DOT-SP 14562
• DOT-SP-13957
• DOT-SP 13105 (Only if manufactured by The Lite Cylinder Company. Cylinders manufactured by Composite Scandinavia [M0408] and marked with this number are not subject to the recall)
• Any cylinder requalified under requalification approval H706
• Any cylinder manufactured under M5729

Even though you may have a Lite Cylinder LPG tank that seems to be working fine, this is still a serious matter. Emergency orders are issued when PHMSA determines that the continued use of such an item would constitute an imminent hazard. Removal and recall of these composite cylinders is a serious safety matter that should be promptly addressed by cylinder owners, gas fillers, shippers and carriers of hazardous materials. And because we are dealing with a highly flammable and explosive liquid, this matter should be taken very seriously.

Although we here at Tailgating Idea have never used, tested or reviewed an LPG cylinder manufactured by the Lite Cylinder Company, we do know there are tailgaters out there that do use these types of propane tanks. We do have extensive experience with composite fiberglass tanks only our experience is with the Clear View Propane Tanks distributed by the Ragasco USA company.

We contacted the folks at Ragasco USA to ask about the recall of the Lite Cylinder tanks and to see if this would affect the manufacture and the distribution of Clear View Propane Tanks in the future. This was their response back to us:

There are a lot of questions surrounding the recent recall of Lite Cylinder LP tanks.

We are spreading the word about Clear View cylinders to RV and Marine Newsletters and through other avenues like TailgatingIdeas.com to help clear up the confusion that this issue with the Lite Cylinder recall has created for some people.

As you may have assumed, Ragasco cylinders have nothing to do with any recalled cylinders. If you read the DOT recall statement it goes into great detail about the reason for the recall. It was unfortunate that Lite did not react promptly and purposefully to correct the issues of concern to the DOT.

The Clear View LP cylinder by Ragasco marketed by RagascoUSA under DOT SP 12706 has an unblemished safety record and is a worthy replacement for the Lite Cylinder LP tank.

RagascoUSA, at this time offers a 17 lb cylinder that is 12″ in diameter and is 18″ tall and are now out of stock on the 11 lb cylinder. We do not expect to have the smaller size back in stock until towards the end of this year. We also have the 31lb Fork Lift cylinder available in stock.

The recall of Lite Cylinders does not affect any metal LP cylinders or composite cylinders manufactured by Ragasco and sold by RagascoUSA.

If you have an LPG cylinder manufactured by the Lite Cylinder Company, more than likely, yours is part of this massive recall. PHMSA’s Hazardous Materials Information Center is available to assist anyone who has questions. The Info Center can be reached toll free at 800-467-4922.

Bottler openers. Every tailgate kit needs at least one. More than likely you need multiple bottle openers. Finding that perfect bottle opener that is not only functional but shows your spirit as a tailgater and a fan of your team is hard to find. That is until we discovered The Footballer.

The Footballer is first and foremost a bottle opener that fits into the palm of your hand and easily removes bottle caps.

(Disclaimer: We did receive samples of The Footballer for free. The fact these samples were provided to us free of charge in no way influenced our opinion of the product nor did it impact our ability to test and review the product fairly and objectively.)

Before getting into the functionality of The Footballer, let’s take a look at the design of it. As you can see from the photos, The Footballer looks and feels like a real football. It has detailed bumpy pigskin, raised white ribbed laces, black entrenched threads and a little black air hole valve. I played center back in college so I handled a lot of footballs and this little guy looks and feels like a real football. The shape is perfectly sized for fitting into the palm of your hand which will come in handy later when opening up a bottle.

In addition to the look and feel of The Footballer being authentic, they are officially licensed by all 32 NFL franchises and select number of NCAA colleges and universities. Not only can you open up a bottle effortlessly with a bottle opener that looks and feels like a real football, but you can show off your team pride all while doing it. Now that we have covered the top side of The Footballer, let’s take a look at the bottom side and most notably, the bottle opener.

The bottle opener works exactly as you would expect it to work but with a slight twist. (No pun intended.) One aspect I really enjoyed about The Footballer is that the caps when pried off the bottle neck did not end up being bent. Most bottle openers bend the bottle cap or extend the teeth of the bottle cap and thus destroy the integrity of the bottle cap. The Footballer does not do that. Not that it is a big deal but it is nice to have the caps not all bent up in case you wanted to save them for a game of caps later.

An additional feature is The Footballer contains a small but strong magnet above the bottle opener’s “claw”. This magnet is dual function in that it catches the bottle cap as it is taken off the bottle top and also will hold onto any metal surface like a refrigerator door or a bucket of ice cold beers. It will even stick to the side of your car or truck’s tailgate so it is always within arm’s reach when you are out tailgating the game.

Take a look at the different varieties of Footballers sporting the logos of numerous NCAA and NFL teams.

After testing out the samples we were provided and putting them through a number of rigorous tests, we are going to deem The Footballer to be “Tailgate Approved”.

It is small enough to fit in any tailgate kit, it will stick to the side of your vehicle while out tailgating and is priced affordably considering NFL and NCAA licensing is not cheap. Priced at around $13 per opener, this little guy will be a big hit at your next football tailgate party.

For more information and to see which teams they currently have licensing for, visit: FootballOpener.com.

GIVEAWAY

Now for the good part. If you want one of your own, you have two opportunities to win one and have it shipped to you totally and completely for free.

OPTION 1: Facebook – If you are not already a fan of Tailgating Ideas on Facebook, go ahead and click the “Like” button on our official Tailgating Ideas Facebook Page. Once there, find the wall post promoting this blog post and comment on it with your favorite team and why you deserve to win one for free. Be creative, funny, tug at heart strings or outrageous but please do not bore us. The comment we find the most intriguing and creative will get the free Footballer of their choice. Because this is up to our discretion as to who is most deserving based on their comment, put some thought into it and make it a good one.

OPTION 2: Twitter – If you are not already following us on Twitter, go there right now and follow @TailgatingIdeas. Now that you are a confirmed follower on Twitter, go ahead and cut and paste this into a new tweet.

I want to win a free #Footballer bottle opener from @TailgatingIdeas before next season. You can too! Details: http://buff.ly/1bClUw7

The winner will be chosen at random and the more times you tweet the above, the better your odds of winning. (Just please don’t be obnoxious about it to the point your followers start hating us…) The winner will be contacted via Twitter so be on the lookout for a message from us alerting you that you won.

Deadline to like, comment on Facebook and tweet to win a free Footballer of your choice is Monday, June 17th at midnight eastern daylight time. We will contact the two winners on Tuesday, June 18th to alert them they have won. Please refer to The Footballer website to get an idea of which teams are available before you let us know which team you would like for your prize.

No purchase necessary, probably not legal in some states but we are too lazy to get a lawyer and figure it out. Good luck to everyone.

Father’s Day is June 16th this year. That means if you are as big of slacker as most of us, you probably have not gotten him his gift yet.

Have no fear because if your dad is a tailgater, sports fan or just a plain old cool guy that likes fun stuff, we have compiled another edition of the Tailgating Ideas Father’s Day Gift Guide. (Click HERE for last year’s Father’s Day Gift Guide that also included some pretty cool gadgets and gizmos.)

Whether you want to spoil dad with an expensive gift or you are a broke tailgater yourself with a tight budget, we have a Father’s Day gift idea to fit every need and every budget. So without further introduction, here is the Tailgating Ideas Father’s Day Gift Giving Guide for 2013.

Frost Boss

Frost Boss – Is your dad always asking you to go to the fridge and get him a cold one? If so, get him a Frost Boss. In short, this is a battery operated canned beverage spinning machine that will take a can that has been sitting out in the sun down to 42 degrees in about 2 minutes. The internal timer shuts off after two minutes and because the can is rotating around the liquid inside and it is never moving, dad doesn’t have to wait to open up the can. Once the Frost Boss spins and shuts off, simply take the can out and open it up and enjoy a cold one that was room temperature two minutes ago. The Frost Boss sells for $40 and you get one for dad HERE.

Heat Shield BBQ Tools

Heat Shield BBQ Tools – Dad probably loves to grill. One thing he probably doesn’t love is getting the hair on his arms singed off from the heat coming off his grill while turning steaks. These are the barbecue tools with built-in shields that protect hands from heat and flame flare-ups. The included spatula, fork, and tongs each have a stainless steel guard under the handle that swivels to always face the grill regardless of the tool’s position, providing protection when reaching over the cooking surface. The tools telescope from 18 1/4″ to 24″ long and lock into place at any length in between. The spatula and tongs have oversized heads that allow cooks to easily grip and turn large steaks or flip large burgers. Priced at $80 these are a bit more expensive than cheap grill tools but cheaper than a trip to the emergency room. The Heat Shield BBQ Tools are available through Hammacher Schlemmer.

Pong Islands

Pong Islands – Dads are getting more and more cool as the years go by. With each passing year we see more and more older guys playing beer pong out in the parking lots than ever before. Why not give dad a cool gift that you can enjoy too? They always say, “People tend to give gifts they would like to receive themselves”. This one falls directly into that category. Pong Islands are beer pong racks that quickly mount and are easily removed from the tops of tripod stands. The set up is a breeze and the space it takes up in dad’s tailgating vehicle is minimal. Plus dad will be the coolest tailgater in the parking lot or the backyard BBQ when he breaks out these bad boys that no one has ever seen before. Pong Islands cost $80 for the set and can be purchased HERE.

EZ Fan Feet

EZ Fan Feet – When dad is out tailgating, he probably goes to great lengths to make sure his pop-up tent does not lift up and relocate with a strong breeze. We all have seen what a gust of wind can do to a canopy and your shade tent can become a kite in a matter of seconds. EZ Fan Feet are football shaped weights that dad can place at the bottom of each tent leg to ensure the tent canopy stays put. Each weight is hollow and when filled with either playground sand or landscape pebble, adds 10 to 12 pounds of weight to each tent leg. The additional weight is great but an added bonus is EZ Fan Feet add an additional six inches of height to the tent for those taller tailgaters that bump their heads. EZ Fan Feet run $50 for a set of four and can be found HERE.

Scorzie

Scorzie – Dads love to play tossing games that score to 21, like horseshoes, darts, cornhole, washers, bocce ball, ladder toss, etc. Dads love playing those games but most of the time struggle remembering the score after having a few adult beverages. If that is the case with your dad, you need to get him a Scorzie. The Scorzie is a drink koozie that not only keeps your canned beverage cold but has two separate scoring bands to keep track of your game. The bands move around the Scorzie so your dad will never have to ask who remembers the score. A single Scorzie is $12.99 plus shipping or buy two for $24.00 plus shipping. Get your dad his own Scorzie HERE.

Outcast Jr

Outcast Jr – You may not always agree with dad’s taste in music but you can both agree that having a killer sound system for outdoors is a key for entertaining. Whether dad is a tailgater or just likes to have some tunes while grilling in the backyard, the Outcast Jr wireless speaker system is pretty damn cool. The Outcast Jr is an outdoor wireless stereo speaker designed to work with Soundcast audio transmitters and can receive signals up to 300 feet outdoors. That’s the length of a football field between the transmitter and the speaker. Also, the speaker has a long-life internal battery. That means if your tailgating neighbors half way down the row invite you down to try their atomic chicken wings, you can bring your tunes with you. Just pick up the Outcast Jr, leave your iPod docked in the iCast Transmitter, and you won’t miss a beat. As you might expect, a high quality product that puts out some high quality sound is not going to be cheap. We looked around the internet and found the $700 price range to be pretty standard and if you want to get dad one this year, check out the ones they have for sale on Amazon.

Shower Beer Buddy

Shower Beer Buddy – Who doesn’t love having a beer in the shower before going out for the night? We are sure dad would love to have a beer before your mom drags him out to dinner with his in-laws. In that case he may want to have a few beers in the shower. The Shower Beer Buddy is a cup holder with a heavy duty suction cup that can hold a full 16 oz. can of beer against any flat surface. Originally designed to go on the inside of a shower or the shower door, the Shower Beer Buddy attaches beautifully on the side of a car or the car’s window while out tailgating. It keeps dad’s beverage up and out of the way of potential spills while saving space. Mom might not be too keen on this cup holder looking like a busty bikini babe but your dad will probably appreciate it. The Shower Beer Buddy sells for $10 and you can pick one up for dad HERE.

Smack Hat

Smack Hat – Tailgaters will dress in jerseys, paint their faces and even their whole bodies but when it comes to the tailgating vehicle, that seems to get neglected. The Smack Hat is a full sized football helmet that attaches to the roof of your vehicle via non-marking magnets. You can drive with the Smack Hat on the roof of your car at full highways speeds up to 80 MPH. While packing up the tailgate party to head inside, simply remove the Smack Hat from the top of the car and lock it up inside the vehicle where nobody can steal it. After the game, place it back on the top of the car and drive home sporting your team’s helmet. The Smack Hat sells for $110.00 and comes in all 32 NFL teams and many NCAA football schools. To get the Smack Hat, visit smackhat.com.

Ryobi RYI2200 Generator

Ryobi RYI2200 Generator – When it comes to tailgating, electrical power is scarce. After all, it is a parking lot. Although portable generators are the power source of choice for tailgaters to run their electronics while tailgating, most generators are either too big, too bulky and most importantly, too loud. Dad could use a break from the loud grinding of a normal generator while he is trying to watch the early games while tailgating. The Ryobi RYI2200 Generator pumps out a maximum of 2200 watts but is as quiet as a Honda EU series generator, widely regarded as the gold standard to which generators are compared for power, fuel efficiency and quietness. Sold exclusively through Home Depot, the Ryobi RYI2200 Generator is terribly affordable at around $600. Compare that to the Honda EU 2000 that normally costs twice that and you can give dad some portable power for the tailgate or for severe weather storms.

Trip to Omaha, Nebraska – You may be thinking, “Omaha, Nebraska?!?” Hear me out. A trip to Omaha on Father’s Day weekend is a tailgater’s dream come true. The College World Series is held every year in Omaha and is home to some of the best tailgating you will ever find. Even if you want to go to soak up some of the best college baseball, the College world Series is the college baseball equivalent of the NCAA March Madness Final Four or BCS Championship Game. With traditional college baseball powerhouses like LSU, Cal State Fullerton, Florida State, Rice amongst others still alive in the Super Regionals and having a good shot at advancing to Omaha, this year’s field in Omaha looks to be the best in years. A little road trip for you and dad to see some baseball the way it is supposed to be played just might be the perfect gift.

You knew it was bound to happen. Ever since we discovered the PortoPong inflatable beer pong raft back in 2007, PortOPong had been the kings of inflatable beer pong table market. There were a number of other companies that tried to knock off the idea of an inflatable beer pong table but most came up short. That is until the guys over at GoPong created the Pool Pong Party Barge.

The Pool Pong Party Barge was recently introduced and in our opinion, changes the game when it comes to inflatable beer pong rafts and floating beer pong. We recently had the opportunity to test out and review the Pool Pong Party Barge in a real tailgating environment.

(Disclaimer: We did receive a sample Pool Pong Party Barge for free.  The fact this sample was provided to us free of charge in no way influenced our opinion of the product nor did it impact our ability to test and review the product fairly and objectively.)

First we will look at the similarities of the Pool Pong Party Barge and compare it to the original PortOPong Pro. On both the PortOPong and the Party Barge there are two triangular patterns of cup holders that hold 10 party cups for beer pong. On either side of the beer pong rack is an additional cup holder for the wash cup or the chill cup if you aren’t putting beer in the triangle cups. Both the PortOPong and the Party Barge come with a large inflation valve for easy inflating and deflating. Both products feature raft tether anchors on each of the four corners so you can tie string or ropes to the rafts to prevent them from floating away. But beyond those features, that is where the similarities end.

One feature that the Party Barge has that the PortOPong does not is the center cooler. The Party Barge boasts a sunken cooler area with a lid that can hold up to 18 canned beverages and has room for ice to keep them cold. How many times have you been playing beer pong in the pool and wanted to start a new game and you have to get out of the pool to get more beers? Or how many times have you yelled for someone to bring you a few cold ones so you can start your next game? Now with the central cooler, you just have to grab a few more and you are ready for your next game.

Even if beer pong is not your game, the Party Barge can be used as a social floater. The central cooler holding 18 ice cold beverages makes it like a floating bar so nobody is too far away from their next drink. The Party Barge also comes with eight additional cup holders around the perimeter of the raft for additional partiers to place their drinks. Don’t even load up the triangle with cups and the Party Barge is a social floater for eight to 10 people.

Although these aspects do not pertain directly to tailgating, one idea for the Party Barge would be for river float trips. Tie the Party Barge in between two inner tubes and you now have cup holders and a floating drink cooler that can hold 18 cans and ice as you leisurely float down to the sand bar where you will set up camp for the night. No more trying to rig up some sort of pool noodle to wrap around a hard sided ice chest. Tie up to the Party Barge and you are a floating Mardi Gras for the rest of the day.

With regards to tailgating, the raft tether anchors can be utilized to suspend the Party Barge off the frame of your pop up tent to give yourself a levitating beer pong table while out in the parking lot. The Party Barge deflated would take up a lot less room in your tailgating vehicle on the way to and from the game or concert. One thing we would suggest is to not use the central cooler if you are going to suspend it. That cooler area is not strong enough to hold an 18 pack with ice unless it is floating in water or is supported by something solid like a folding table.

Based on a head to head comparison, the Pool Pong Party Barge is the better floating and inflatable beer pong table based on price and possessing more options. The PortOPong is designed for playing beer pong in the pool and that is about it. The Party Barge is not only for beer pong but it is also a social floater and a floating bar with the central cooler holding 18 canned beverages and ice. Based on price, the Party Barge is slightly more expensive than the PortOPong but the additional features are worth the extra few dollars more.

After thoroughly testing the Pool Pong Party Barge we are going to give it the Tailgating Ideas “Tailgate Approved” stamp. We thought so highly of this product that we have chosen to add it to our online tailgating gear store, shop.tailgatingideas.com.

The cost of the Pool Pong Party Barge is $55 plus $15 shipping to any of the continental United States. To buy your own Party Barge, click HERE.

Beer is the main staple of any tailgate party. It’s cheap and is easily purchased just about anywhere. But what about those tailgaters that want something with a little more kick or possibly a little more sophistication? There are plenty of Portable Bar options on the market but that is the actual physical bar you prepare your drinks on top of it. How do you transport all the bottles of liquor and mixers and even have a segregated ice box for those mixed drinks? Fortunately for you, we recently discovered the CocktailGator.

The CocktailGator comes in two different models: the Walkabout CocktailGator and the Mega CocktailGator. We were sent a sample of the Walkabout CocktailGator which makes sense for those tailgating because it is smaller and more portable than the the bigger and more stout cousin the Mega CocktailGator.

(Disclaimer: We did receive a sample CocktailGator for free.  The fact this sample was provided to us free of charge in no way influenced our opinion of the product nor did it impact our ability to test and review the product fairly and objectively.)

First we will cover the main differences between the two models of CocktailGator and then we will share our opinion after tailgating with the Walkabout CocktailGator.

Mega CocktailGator

• Carries 8 bottles up to 2 Liters in Size
• Cup Dispenser Holds 50 Large 18 oz Cups
• Heavy Duty Ice Bin Holds 10 lbs of Ice
• Mirrored Lid with 10 Miniature Bottle Holders
• Storage Area in Lid and Side Pocket
• Removable Shoulder Strap

Walkabout CocktailGator

• Carries 4 Bottles Up to 2 Liters in Size
• Cup Dispenser Holds 25 Large 18 oz Cups
• Heavy Duty Ice Bin Holds 5 lbs of Ice
• 2 Smaller Spaces for 1 Liter Bottles
• Large Storage Pocket In Front
• Removable Shoulder Strap
• Available in Black, Blue and Green

As you can see by the photos and the specs, the Mega CocktailGator is bigger and has a lot more options, however the Walkabout CocktailGator is quite sufficient and is more portable and lighter. We were able to test the Blue Walkabout CocktailGator and took it to the Angels baseball game a few weeks ago.

We loaded the Walkabout Cocktail Gator full with a 2 liter bottle of soda, a 1.75 bottle of Kettle One, a cocktail shaker, orange juice and a few fifths of other liquor bottles. The center ice bucket was filled to the top with ice from our home freezer and we were ready to tailgate.

The compartments were very helpful in keeping the portable bar neatly organized and prevented the bottles from bumping and clanking into each other. The dividers are held in by velcro and you can reconfigure the compartments to fit larger bottles or smaller bottles. The versatility was a key selling point for us in that you don’t want to be pigeon holed into bringing the same sized bottle every time you tailgate.

The CocktailGator was very strong and even when packed full with bottles and ice, the shoulder strap was sturdy and it did not feel like it was going to break or give way due to the weight. Outside of the branding on the top of the lid, there is really no indication that you are transporting a portable bar. To the casual looker, it appears you are bringing in another soft sided cooler. This is key for those parking lots or festivals that frown upon glass bottles or are skeptical of someone bringing in hard liquor as opposed to beer and wine.

The ice container kept the ice from melting because the sides were insulated. The day prior to taking it to the Angels game, we filled the ice bucket full and let it sit in the CocktailGator overnight. We checked on it after three hours and before going to bed and the ice had hardly melted. The next morning there was some melting and the cubes had fused together due to it. But this was after 10 hours of being in there and there was still enough ice to make a round of cocktails if you could break the ice cubes apart.

The one knock against the CocktailGator is it gets a bit heavy if you have a long distance to travel on foot. By no fault of it’s own, when fully loaded with glass bottles that are full of liquor and mixers, the bag can get quite heavy. This is not the fault of the CocktailGator but merely an inherent hazard of physics in that liquids housed in glass containers when in the presence of gravity can be heavy. A suggestion would be if you are going to be going to a concert in the park and you have to park a distance away from the tailgate party and carry the CocktailGator a distance, put it on a rolling trolley or one of those lightweight Magna Carts. Although we did not personally test and review the Mega CocktailGator, it stands to reason that since it holds more and would be even heavier, that distances traveled on foot you might need to use a cart or some sort of wheels.

For all means and purposes and for that coolness factor of having a wet bar in a travel bag, we are going to say that the CocktailGator is “Tailgate Approved”. With the CocktailGator you now have expanded your options for entertaining and keeping your tailgate party guests happy. No more having to disappoint your guests who are not beer drinkers and telling them that is all you have in your cooler. The quality craftsmanship and the materials used ensure you will be able to use your CocktailGator for many tailgate parties in the future.

Both the Mega CocktailGator and the Walkabout CocktailGator are proudly made in the USA. The Mega CocktailGator costs $149 and the Walkabout CocktailGator costs $75. To purchase your own, click HERE.