Tailgating Ideas

More than likely everyone has a Coleman Cooler somewhere in their garage. It very well may be your cooler of choice to take tailgating. And because Coleman Coolers are such a popular brand, there really is no way to help your cooler stand out from the crowd. Sure, you may be a Kentucky fan and have a blue cooler but how many other Wildcats fans have the same size and color of Coleman Cooler? We’re willing to guess, quite a few.

We recently discovered Rapps Cooler Cover Graphics from Victory Corps. What they have essentially done is take a neoprene wrap that is specifically made to slide over and around Coleman Coolers and have colored them with dye sublimated graphics to help make your cooler stand out at your next tailgate party. Instead of that boring red cooler sitting out, you can now order custom graphics to display your tailgating crew’s moto or even show your support for your team. You won’t be able to use officially licensed logos and emblems but there are no copyright laws on using red and black and and having your cooler wrap say, “Go Cards” if you are an Arizona Cardinals fan.

As you can see in the above photos, your Coleman Cooler complete with the Rappz Cooler Cover Graphic is at home at any tailgate party. We contacted Victory Corps and requested a custom Rappz displaying our Tailgating Ideas logo complete with the remainder of the Rappz in the same color scheme. In the above photos you can see it fits our Coleman Cooler like a glove and has holes on the sides to slip over the carrying handles. The Rappz goes over the cooler body and fits snugly and allows for easy access to the lid  without impeding your ability to go back for another cold one.

Keep in mind, even though the Rappz Cooler Cover Graphic is made out of neoprene, the same material used to make can and bottle koozies, it is not designed to insulate or increase the life of your ice. This is not a cooler koozie to keep ice longer. The Rappz is merely a way to quickly and easily decorate your cooler to show off your team spirit or to help promote your business.

Rappz comes in a multitude of sizes and options for all different Coleman Coolers including the 1/2 Gallon Jug, 5 Gallon Jug, 18 quart cooler, 48 quart cooler, 70 quart cooler, 100 quart cooler, 40 quart wheeled cooler and 50 quart wheeled cooler. You can order just the wrap to go over an existing cooler you currently have or you can order the wrap to come complete with a new cooler. Obviously the prices will vary based on the size wrap you choose.

After thoroughly testing the Rappz and taking it tailgating, we are going to declare Rapzz Cooler Cover Graphics “Tailgate Approved”.

To learn more about Rappz Cooler Cover Graphics or to order one of your own, click HERE.

Slammo can be played on a beach, backyard, park or at a tailgate party

It seems as though tailgating games have evolved to include combining two or more games and creating a new one. Add Slammo to the list of tailgating games that takes aspects of one game to make an entirely new game.

Slammo is a two-on-two volleyball style game. Teams have three hits (or less if they choose) to return the ball by bouncing it off a circular net that is ankle high on the ground. Unlike volleyball, instead of hitting the ball over a net, players hit the ball off a trampoline type net. The same player can not hit the ball twice in a row like in volleyball. If the ball hits the ground or one team fails to get the ball back to the net in three hits or less, the team that last hit the net gets a point. Teams can only score when they are the serving team and normally games will play to 21 points. For an abbreviated game, play to 11 points.

In Slammo, there are no out of bounds like in volleyball. This is a complete 360 degree game in that teams do not have to hit the ball off the net in a certain direction. Hit the ball as hard as you like to make it travel further away from the opponent to increase your chances of scoring points. You can use all parts of your body in Slammo to get the ball to your teammate or onto the net as long as the player does not hit the ball twice in a row.

Slammo is similar to the game Spikeball*. One of the main advantages of Slammo is the superior construction materials used for the game. The PVC pipe used for the net frame is stronger and this is better to avoid any gaps or pockets in between the net and the frame. Strong PVC keeps a perfect circle under net tension. Even though the quality of construction materials are a higher quality than the competitors, the price is still lower than the competition.

Slammo Carry Case

Slammo includes:

• 1 – Slammo Target
• 2 – 9cm Completion Balls
• 1 – 12cm Training Ball
• Carrying Case
• Rules

Because Slammo is a 360 degree game, we suggest if you take it tailgating, to ensure your tailgating space has ample room to move around. If taking this game tailgating, we would also suggest using it on grass because, by the nature of play, some shots encourage people to dive for balls. Not a good idea if your are tailgating on asphalt. If purchasing Slammo for home use, taking it to the park, the beach or even in the backyard would be a perfect location to play Slammo.

Also, keep in mind that this is a more physically demanding game than other traditional tailgating games like cornhole or washers. You may work up a sweat depending on how competitive the game is and how vigorous of competition you participate in. Keep that in mind that if you don’t mind a little work out or working up a little sweat while tailgating, Slammo is an excellent choice.

Based on those warnings, the affordability, the portability and the opportunity to bring a new game to the parking lot, we are going to label Slammo “Tailgate Approved”.

The Slammo game set complete with carrying bag (pictured above) costs $49.99 plus $12 flat rate shipping and handling. You can purchase Slammo HERE.

*Spikeball is a registered trademark of Kankakee Spikeball Inc.

You know you want to have some good eats while out tailgating but the hassle of making up the menu can be too much sometimes. Sometimes you would rather have someone else come up with the tailgate party menu and have all the grub delivered right to your door.

We recently discovered a new website out there called feedtheparty.com that will not only make up your tailgate party menu for you but will deliver it right to your door. In addition to that convenience, Feed the Party takes a portion of their proceeds and donates it to a local food bank. Take a look at this video where Feed the Party was showcased on ABC’s World News Now.

Jump to the 3:15 mark to see the section about Feed the Party

You get the gist from the video this is a service that will deliver the choicest meats, rubs, spices and buns directly to you. The best is that you don’t need to be hosting a large tailgate to use Feed the Party. They have packages to accommodate even an intimate tailgate for two. Check out some of their packages ranging from small to large.

Upon learning about Feed the Party we requested a sample to see for ourselves if the quality of the food sent is really top notch and worthy of appearing at our tailgate. We were sent the “Party Starter” package which included steaks, burgers, pork chops, gourmet buns and spices.

Breakfast of Champions – Steak and Eggs

We brought the Feed the Party “Party Starter” to the San Diego Chargers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars game a couple of weeks ago and we can honestly say the food and the quality did not disappoint. We did the NY Strips in the morning for a little steak and eggs to start the day off right. (We also added some bacon but then again, who is really going to argue about adding some bacon?) The steaks were tender and perfectly cut. Steak and eggs in the morning never tasted so good unless you have had them on the blacktop outside of a football stadium. We also added some grilled onions and mini peppers to round out the most important meal of the day. Although breakfast was an awesome meal, we didn’t stop there and grilled up some more Feed the Party grub before heading inside.

Gourmet burgers from Feed the Party

For lunch we hit the burgers from Feed the Party. We grilled up only four of the eight burgers that came in our Party Starter kit because they were rather big and we were still a little full from breakfast. Thankfully we had some guests join our party late and were able to share these burgers with them.

The burgers were great and full of flavor. I chose to wrap mine in lettuce leaves choosing the low carb route while our late arriving guests were not watching their carbs and went with the buns that came in the Feed the Party package. They commented how they loved the burgers and the buns really made the burgers complete.

(Those of you that follow Tailgating Ideas on Twitter and Instagram might recognize those photos. We shared them in real time on the day of the tailgate via those social media channels.)

Overall, the food from Feed the Party was outstanding. The speed and convenience of having your tailgate party food delivered directly to your door was exceptional and honestly, the price was excellent. The food included in the Party Starter package is priced at about $60 and when you factor in free shipping and not having to burn your own gas going to the store or the butcher shop, it is well worth the price.

If that wasn’t enough convincing, we mentioned earlier that a portion of each sale of a Feed the Party food pack goes to charity. Feed the Party is based out of Kentucky and their charity of choice is the Dare to Care Food Bank in Louisville, Kentucky. So if you not only want some quality tailgating grub and want to give back to the community at large, Feed the Party would be a great way to go about it.

With all things considered, the quality of food, the fast and free delivery and the price, we are going to definitely label Feed the Party “Tailgate Approved”. Of course we focus primarily on tailgating here but in addition to tailgating, any of the Feed The Party packages would be great for “Homegating”, when you want to have friends over to watch the game on TV when your team is on the road.

To learn more about Feed the Party or to pick up a package for your next tailgate party, visit: feedtheparty.com

The Tailgating Kit- Standard in boxes

When you host a tailgate party, you need a way to serve the food. Most of us will stock up at our local warehouse store or grocery store and buy paper plates, plastic utensils, napkins, aluminum foil, condiments, etc. Before the next tailgate you have to remember how much of each thing you used last time and make another trip back to the store and restock what you used up last time out in the parking lot.

The creators of TheTailgatingKit.com think they may have an answer for this age old problem. They have taken all of the essential tailgating items you could possibly need for tailgating, placed it in one convenient box and will ship it right to your door. You determine how many people will be at your tailgate and then choose the size tailgating kit and it will suit your needs. All you need to do is remember to bring the food and drinks and everything else can be found all in the box.

We thought this was a cool concept to alleviate all the running around from store to store where some places might not have everything you need all in one place. We requested a few samples of The Tailgating Kit and took it to the San Diego Chargers vs Jacksonville Jaguars game to test it out. We wanted to see if The Tailgating Kit had everything we were going to need to throw a successful tailgate party.

The Tailgating Kit comes in three different sizes; The Basic Kit, the Standard Kit and the Premium Kit. The Basic Kit is compiled for those hosting a tailgate party with 15 people or less. The Standard Kit is designed for parties up to about 20 people and the Premium Kit can handle 25 people. We took the Standard Kit with us to the Chargers/Jaguars game and when we unpacked it, we knew we had more than enough gear to handle all of our guest’s needs.

The Tailgating Kit- Standard Kit items on an 8′ tailgating table

The Standard Kit comes with:

1 – 8 Piece Fold-A-Way Buffet Set
20 – Dinner Bowls
30 – Dinner Plates
3 – Chip Bowls
2 – Serving Platters
2 – Plastic Table Cloths
1 – Ketchup Bottle
1 – Mustard Bottle
20 – Mayonnaise Packets
1 – Salt Shaker
1 – Pepper Shaker
1 – Wet Naps Pack
20 – Napkins
1 – Paper Towel Roll
1 – Roll of Toilet Paper
20 – Fork, Spoon, Knife and Napkin Combos
20 – Standard Cups
1 – Box Aluminum Foil
3 – Serving Spoons
2 – Tongs
2 – Garbage Bags
3 – Zip Lock Storage Bags (one gallon)
3 – Zip Lock Storage Bags (one quart)
2 – Koozies

Using the Standard Kit as the baseline, the Basic Kit and the Premium Kits have basically the same things in there only more or less quantity based on your estimate of how many guests to expect.

After bringing the Standard Kit to our tailgate, we were not looking around to find anything that might have been missing or forgotten. Everything that we needed for a successful tailgate was all included. Another feature of the Standard Kit was that after you unload all of the stuff out, you line it and the shipping box can be used as a cooler as well. Just throw your beverages in there and add ice and you have yourself a cooler. Once the tailgate is over and you are about to head inside, just throw all your plates and used items in the box and take it to the trash.

The Basic Kit is priced at $54.99 for the time being with the Standard Kit going for $99.99 and the Premium Kit is only available for a limited time and will run you $129.99. Many might claim that you can compile a kit with all the same items for less money but keep in mind, you are paying for the convenience of having it delivered to your door. You are not having to run all over town to two or three different stores to put together this kit on your own.

If you like the convenience of having all of your serving gear in one box and ready to go for each and tailgate, The Tailgating Kit is for you. Based on the convenience and not having to hassle with buying and packing your kit, we are going to deem the Tailgating Kit “Tailgate Approved”.

To learn more about the The Tailgating Kit, visit their website: The Tailgating Kit to see how much gear goes into each kit.

Updated: For a limited time, The Tailgating Kit is offering free shipping exclusive to TailgatingIdeas.com readers. Anyone ordering any size of The Tailgating Kit can receive free shipping by using coupon code “500”. Depending on the size kit you choose, receiving free shipping could be a savings of $15 all the way to $45. Make sure to use coupon code 500 during check out and get your free shipping.

For years, tailgaters have upped the ante when it comes to bringing all the creature comforts of home to the tailgating parking lots. Satellite TV is just one of the modern day conveniences we can’t imagine living without while tailgating.

Unfortunately, setting up the satellite dish on a tripod, finding the correct angle and the azimuth, (what the hell is an Azimuth?) and locking in the strongest signal was such a pain. It took too long and frankly, detracted from you doing what you came to do; tailgate. We are tailgaters, not astronomers. Some tailgaters grew frustrated and would leave the satellite TV at home because it was too much of a hassle and took too long to set up. But, technology kept advancing and in 2009, we discovered the VuQube.

DISH Tailgater and VuQube side-by-side

Thinking the VuQube was the answer to all of our prayers, we raved about it for years and even got one of our own. (We actually purchased a VuQube on our own and it was not sent to us as a sample to review.) We used it religiously while tailgating for years and always thought the small glitches and annoyances were just part of the overall experience.

The only complaints we had were the set-up time would take a little longer than what was advertised depending on our location. Pointing the dish and using the remote to find the strongest signal was time consuming and you would need to be watching the signal bars on your TV to see what was the strongest signal you could get. This sometimes would take 20 minutes because you would get a strong signal and not knowing if it was the strongest, would see if it could go even stronger, and would eventually lose it and have to try and reacquire it. Again, we just thought this was all par for the course if we wanted to have satellite TV at our tailgate, this was just something you dealt with.

DISH Tailgater portable satellite TV antenna

Last year, we heard about the DISH Tailgater and had heard rumors that it was easier to set up and was fully automatic. It looked exactly like the VuQube we had been using for years but we heard it was so much easier to set up.

You mean we no longer had to push buttons up/down and left/right to get the strongest signal? You’re telling me with the DISH Tailgater I just push a few buttons and I can walk away and the strongest TV signal will be found for me? If this is true, then sign me up.

After doing a little research and investigation on the DISH Tailgater, we discovered that it was essentially the same hardware, made my a company called King Controls in Minnesota, but had been improved upon drastically. Since the DISH Tailgater is made by the same company that made the VuQube, that is why it was about the same size and weight. You still powered the Tailgater by the single coax cable and did not require additional power. The main difference was in the set up.

(Disclaimer: We did receive a DISH Tailagater and receiver  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.)

DISH Tailgater on roof of van with Seattle Seahawk fans walking by

We thought no better place to test drive the DISH Tailgater than while out tailgating an NFL game. We chose the San Diego Chargers 2014 home opener vs. the defending Super Bowl champions, Seattle Seahawks to test it out. We did what we normally do in that we parked, set up our tailgate gear and started to tailgate. Of course you will need a power source (we use a generator) and set up the DISH Tailgater. We placed the tailgater on top of the TailgatingIdeas.com van to get a clear view of the southern sky. We ran the coax cable to our DISH Network receiver and connected it to our TV. We turned everything on and the first screen we saw was a test screen asking us what part of the United Stated we were located. We selected Southern California and the DISH Tailgater proceeded to run through three tests.

DISH Tailgater on roof of van at Qualcomm Stadium prior to the San Diego Chargers game

Keep in mind, once we started the test, we did not have to stand in front of the TV and monitor it to make sure the strongest signal was being pulled. We simply walked away, checked on the grill, grabbed another cold beer and went over and greeted the new people who just pulled in next to us. Within this time, the three tests were completed and I came back to a screen informing me that the DISH Tailgater and receiver were acquiring the satellite signal. After that was completed in a total of about 90 seconds, the next screen said it was downloading the program guide. After the program guide successfully downloaded in a matter of about two minutes, up pops our programming. I picked up the remote, selected the pregame show we wanted to watch before the first set of NFL games started and we were off and running.

NFL Football game shown in the parking lot off of the DISH Tailgater

The picture quality was superb and we were able to watch all the programming we wanted from my DISH Network account. Not that we watched anything else other than the early NFL football games while tailgating but it was good to know we could if we had kids that wanted to watch cartoons or something other than football.

Once it was time to pack up and head inside for the game, break down and storage was a breeze. We simply disconnected the DISH Tailgater from the receiver, wound up all of our cords and cables, took the Tailgater off the roof and packed it securely inside the van. It truly was extremely simple and fast to set up and was just as fast and easy to stow away.

After thoroughly testing out the DISH Tailgater, it’s ease of set-up and excellent picture quality, we are going to label the DISH Tailgater “Tailgate Approved”.

The time you will save by not having to search for a satellite signal will be worth the price alone. How much is 20 minutes of your time while out in the tailgating parking lot? To me, my time while tailgating is priceless, so any piece of equipment that enhances that experience that takes little to no time to set up, I am a believer.

We plan on taking the DISH Tailgater to this Sunday’s San Diego Chargers game vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars and for the remainder of the season. The DISH Tailgater will be a regular piece of our tailgating gear no matter where we park.

The DISH Tailgater is available through a wide array of retailers including, Camping World, Amazon, Target, Best Buy, Radio Shack, Walmart, among others. For a complete list of retailers where you can find and purchase the DISH Tailgater, visit King Controls website HERE.