Tailgating Ideas – Don't Just Tailgate, Tailgate Better

The essentials of a good tailgate party are food, friends, family and a festive atmosphere. A large part of that festive atmosphere includes having good music. One thing you can’t control is your friend’s taste in music thinking playing a loop of Michael Bolton’s Greatest Hits at your tailgate is a good idea. The thing you can control is how your music will sound and the quality and clarity in the way it is delivered. We recently discovered the OutCast Jr Wireless Speaker by Soundcast and put it to the test to see how well it adapts to a tailgating atmosphere.

If you are familiar with the Soundcast OutCast Wireless Speaker, The Outcast Jr is the smaller, more transportable yet tremendously sturdy little brother. 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 mentioned previously, we were sent an Outcast Jr free of charge in order to properly test and review it for quality, craftsmanship and durability. In the interest of full disclosure, receiving this product sample free of charge in no way influenced our opinion and review of this product.)

Upon receipt of the Outcast Jr, the first thing we noticed was how sturdy it was. The Outcast Jr is solidly built and before we turned it on and started playing music we could tell it could pack a punch. We plugged it in and started charging the internal battery on the speaker while we unpacked the iCast docking station and transmitter. This little guy was going to wireless transmit our music from our iPod to the Outcast Jr Wireless Speaker. The iCast transmitter was easy to use in that all we had to do was plug it in, place the iPod in the docking slot and hit play. Now was the real test to see how loud this speaker could get.

Cut to the chase, this sound system can get loud. And by loud we mean this could cut through the sounds of a noisy tailgating parking lot with generators and other music playing around you and still be considered to be loud. The Outcast Jr features four omni-directional speakers at the top and one 6.5″ subwoofer on the bottom. On a fully charged battery, this bad boy can play for six to 15 hours depending on how loud you like your music. Turning it up all the way proved to be ear splitting without any distortion which was quite impressive to me.

Now that you know it can belt out some pretty good sound, how would it hold up to the rigors of a tailgate season? In all honesty, we didn’t place it in the back of the car and let it roll around while we took sharp corners and we also didn’t take a baseball bat to it. But the solid construction and feel of it let us know it would take a beating and still pump out the jams. After a bit of snooping on the web, we came across these two videos of people putting the Outcast original through some tough environments including a high pressure car wash and even setting it on fire. Keep in mind, the manufacturer and Soundcast advise you do not attempt doing these experiments on your own and remind you that these videos are examples of testing under extreme conditions by third parties not associated with Soundcast. The Outcast Original and Outcast Jr are in no way designed to undertake being lit on fire or subjected to a car wash.

The Car Wash Test

The Fire Test

As you can see by the videos, you could even leave your Outcast in the rain or set it on fire and it will still play music. If it can withstand those types of brutal conditions, we’re sure it will handle whatever you can dish out while tailgating. If you accidentally tip it over while lunging to catch that errant pass thrown by your buddy who is less accurate than Uncle Rico, it will probably shrug it off and keep playing.

Another feature we liked about the Outcast Jr is the ability to customize it to any team logo you can imagine. By now we are sure you are familiar with Skinit.com where you can customize almost any device to include a logo of your favorite team, school or even your own custom skin. Skinit has skins that can cover the Outcast Jr so not only will you be able to play and listen to your team’s fight song in the parking lot, your speaker will be sporting your school’s colors and logo to boot. Skinit has skins for any professional team and college team you can imagine. We have our own Skinit wrap for the Outcast Jr coming in the mail and will be doing a follow up post once it arrives.

Okay, so now for the cons as it pertains to the Outcast Jr. After all, nothing is perfect and any unbiased review would not be complete without pointing out a few flaws. In relation to using the Outcast Jr while out tailgating, you will need to have continuous power going into the iCast Audio Transmitter. We tried unplugging it while it was playing to see if there was an internal battery and there was not. The iCast model we were sent came with an AC power cord but no power cord that was DC powered that you could plug into your cigarette lighter in your car. I would imagine they have DC power cords for the transmitter but we were not able to test that aspect. If they do, you then have the issue of running power from your car battery and potentially draining your battery depending on how long you play your music. I can’t imagine the amount of power the iCast transmitter using would kill your car battery alone but you always have to be aware of this potential issue while out in the tailgating parking lot.

The alternative to using the iCast is to plug your audio source, iPhone, Android, MP3, etc., directly into the OutCast via the headphone jack and eliminate the need for the iCast while at the stadium. The connection cable is included with the unit. I was so focused on the ability to operate the speaker wirelessly that I overlooked the concept of connecting the audio source in through the AUX port. Just make sure your iPod or MP3 player has a full charge because you will be running off of that device’s battery to produce the music. By employing this technique, if you have a TV running at your tailgate, you could watch the games with louder audio by using the included component wires to broadcast the game audio via the OutCast Jr.

Our suggestion to the folks at Soundcast would be that when they are making the iCast version 2.0, to include either an internal battery that you can charge or one that you could insert a pair of AA batteries into it. This would eliminate the need for continuous power and would truly make it tailgate friendly. Electrical power is scarce out at the tailgating parking lot so the more devices that run on batteries or better yet, solar power, the better.

Despite this minor flaw associated with the transmitter system needing power, we are going to deem the OutCast Jr Wireless Speaker by Soundcast “Tailgate Approved”. Based on the sound quality and durability of the product, this one will last a long time and withstand the rigors of numerous tailgating seasons.

The Outcast Jr is sold either by itself or as a package with the iCast Transmitter. Prices vary depending on the retailer but we found a package deal on Amazon for $536.49 when the same package is normally priced at close to $700.

To learn more about the Outcast Jr, please visit the Soundcast website at: www.soundcastsystems.com

For the past few years, we here at TailgatingIdeas.com have offered up some holiday gift giving ideas for the tailgaters on your list. (Here is the Holiday Gift Guide 2011 and the Holiday Gift Guide 2010 in case you missed them.) We also do a Stocking Stuffer Guide for those tailgaters in your life as well. This year’s edition is scheduled for later this week so come back for that. Now if you are still searching for that perfect gift for a tailgater in your life, read on because this is the Tailgating Ideas Holiday Gift Guide 2012 edition.

Read the rest of this entry »

Imagine if you weren’t a fan of the most popular sport in your country… here in the United States that is the NFL, hands down. Imagine growing up not liking football and gravitating towards another sport that is rarely played in your home country but is wildly popular somewhere else thousands of miles away…. something like how cricket is popular in Australia or Bangladesh. Now you are starting to get the understanding of what it is like to be Adam Goldstein.

Goldstein is the “crazy Brit” that sold his flat in London, took the proceeds to fund his cross country trip across America to see every NFL team play at least once during the 2008 season. Did we also mention he did all of this while leaving his beautiful girlfriend back in England to pursue this ultimate dream? And all the while during his travels did his passion for the NFL and the game of football grow even more he found a new passion and love. No, he didn’t meet a new girl and forget about all about Stephanie back home. His new mistress became tailgating and the culture and customs that comes with the pre-game party in the parking lot.

Goldstein earlier this NFL football season published a book entitled Tailgate to Heaven: A British NFL Fan Tackles America. The book chronicles his adventure from becoming an NFL football fan at a very young age while growing up in London to hatching the idea to travel the United States to watch as many NFL games as he could in one season. We got our copy of the book well in advance of it becoming published because not only had we become friends with Adam over the years while he was doing this trip but after he had returned to England. In the interest of full disclosure, we even endorsed the book prior to it going to press and our testimonial is the the third one quoted on the book’s back jacket. Also in the interest of full disclosure, we were not compensated in any way for this endorsement that appeared on the back of the book. Despite having an advanced copy of the book months ago, we have chosen to publish our book review of Tailgate to Heaven: A British NFL Fan Tackles America now because in advance of the holiday season, this is typically a heavy season for book purchases to be given as gifts. As you might imagine we think this book would make a great holiday gift for any tailgaters on your Christmas gift list.

Tailgate to Heaven opens with a brief introduction on how Goldstein’s plan to travel to the United States was hatched on a flight back to England. From there the first chapter describes how in the world a young Brit could shun the sport of soccer, risk ridicule and ostracism by not playing the sport beloved and cherished by his fellow classmates and how he gravitated towards a sport that was hard to find on TV, difficult to understand it’s rules and was misunderstood outside of the United States. All of this and he became a Chicago Bears fan and not a fan of any of the English soccer teams. Quite a challenge as a young man growing up but as a young adult, Goldstein hatches a plan to make his life even more difficult.

The plan was to travel the United States in a car and see every NFL team in the 2008 season. He planned to see every NFL team at least once either by attending a home game of the team or to see the team as a visitor. He was not only successful in the original plan to do it all in a 17 week NFL season, he managed to mix in a couple of college football games, a high school football game and even an NFL Wild Card playoff game. All the while eating and drinking and tailgating his way across America.

Tailgating with Adam Goldstein prior to the Chargers vs. Packers preseason game in 2012

Although I thoroughly enjoyed the first chapter of the book, reading about the genesis of Adam becoming a fan of American football, tailgaters will enjoy the descriptions and details of Adam’s perception of the uniquely American culture that is tailgating. I found myself becoming more and more excited for Adam as his trip was building. He originally came to America in search of a way to satisfy his thirst for seeing the NFL up close and personal, but something funny happened on the way to to the stadium. Adam Goldstein became a changed man. He transformed. Dare I say, he evolved. He became a tailgater.

The bulk of the book chronicles Adam’s 40 game trip crisscrossing the United States via rental car and via airplane and the experiences he took in. As the trip wore on, Goldstein’s focus was less on the games and he found himself stressed out and feeling anxiety about losing “tailgating time” if a flight was delayed or if he experienced car trouble. The most common delay was a problematic GPS system he nicknamed “Gippy” that would send him down rural roads and sometimes on the wrong side of the road.  Although the original intent of the trip was to see football games, Adam found himself going into the games after kick-off or missing the entire first quarter in order to tailgate longer or meet legendary tailgating icons like Joe Cahn. This evolution from football fan to tailgater is what I think is the best aspect of the book. It proves our point that football and tailgating are inherently intertwined and you can not have one without the other. The game day experience is not the same if tailgating were to be abolished and the same goes for tailgating. You never see anyone with their trunk open, drinking beers and grilling in an empty parking lot without a game or concert happening in the immediate future.

The book is smartly written and includes a look into Adam’s dry and sarcastic humor all while detailing the ups and downs of taking on a road trip of this magnitude. I found myself becoming jealous of Adam as I read the book. Not because he was able to see 40 football games but because he was able to experience so much tailgating in the course of less than 20 weeks. His liver must have been throbbing when he finally went home to England after weeks of kegs stands and the endless liquor shots that always seemed to Adam as if he was ingesting molten lava. But it wasn’t all drinking all the time. Adam consumed all sorts of American cuisine from all sorts of exotic animal flesh like alligator to wild boar and venison to the tailgating staple of Cheese Whiz squirted directly into one’s mouth from the can. All of this tailgating is done in a short amount of time and if you have only tailgated at your home stadium, this book gives you a sense of what the tailgating culture and atmosphere is like all across the NFL.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is not only interested in NFL football but more if you are interested in the unique American culture that is tailgating. As of today, you can get your own copy of Tailgate to Heaven: A British NFL Fan Tackles America or pick up the book for those tailgaters on your gift list, for $20.65. This price may change but as of today and this publishing, that was the price we saw on Amazon.

Hats off to you Adam for a great trip and a wonderful read. We salute you and your book and for allowing us to come along on your trip across America and into the tailgating lots vicariously.

How many times have you been tailgating and someone shouted “SHOTS!” only to not have a shot glass ready and available? If that has happened once, it has happened one too many times.

We were recently introduced to the Poppin’ Shot, which is a collapsible silicone shot glass that is connected to a key chain. This ensures that you will always have a shot glass ready to go, at a moment’s notice, right there in your pocket. Take a look at their video:

From the video you can see the Poppin’ Shot collapses flat and will fit into your pocket without taking up too much room. When it is time for some shots, just pull out your keys, press the Poppin’ Shot out and you are wide open for a single ounce shot of whatever they are pouring. The really fun part is the Poppin’ Shot comes in an assortment of colors so you can not only be doing shots but also sporting the colors of your favorite team.

A small sample of Poppin’ Shots were sent to us in order to thoroughly test and review. Because the concept is quite simple, it was quite a simple review. The Poppin’ Shots were easy to use, popped out nicely, laid flat when not in use and did not feel big and bulky when in the pocket next to keys. The main suggestion I would make is that you rinse out the Poppin’ Shot once done to prevent it from getting sticky. That is not a design flaw of the Poppin’ Shot. That is just the nature of liquor in that it tends to get sticky if the residue of the shot remaining is not washed out.

If you would like more information on the Poppin’ Shot, please visit: www.poppinshot.com. As of press time, the Poppin’ Shot will be available for sale starting in January 2013. Currently, the folks at Poppin’ Shot can take orders via email and accept PayPal if you want to buy some right away. Their online web store is expected to open next month. If interested in getting some for yourself or your tailgating crew, go on their website, contact them and let them know you want to be notified the moment they come available for sale.

As always, please drink responsibly and never drink and drive.

As a season ticket holder to the San Diego Chargers, I tend to get my fair share of emails from the team. Most of them are emails promoting the latest merchandise or sale going on in their online store but one in particular caught my eye. It said “Chargers Fan Code of Conduct Update” in the subject line so it automatically piqued my interest. I opened the email and this is what I read.

Dear David,

As a Chargers Season Ticket Holder, our most loyal fans, the Chargers and the National Football League want you to be the first to know of additional steps being taken to create the most enjoyable and safe environment possible.

The NFL has initiated a policy that fans who violate the team’s Fan Code of Conduct may be required to complete the NFL’s four-hour online Fan Conduct Class and may be prohibited from attending future Chargers games at Qualcomm Stadium until they have completed the class and produced the Certificate of Completion.

The four-hour class focuses on, but is not limited to, fans with alcohol-related violations. The course is completely educational and meant to be a positive learning experience. It costs $75, including $20 that is donated to MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). The remaining fee is paid to the course administrator.

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation in helping make Chargers games a positive experience for everyone.

Sincerely,

Todd Poulsen
Senior Director of Ticket Sales and Services

To anyone who has gotten a speeding ticket or rolled a stop sign, this “Fan Conduct Class” sounds a lot like traffic school. I wonder if they have the stand-up comedy version of the NFL Conduct Class like many traffic schools offer?

In all seriousness, this addition to the fan code of conduct seems like a bit overkill in my opinion. The major motivating factor to complete this conduct course is that you will not be allowed back to another game unless you show your certificate of completion. Basically, the season ticket holders are the only ones affected by this new policy because the bar codes on their tickets could get flagged at the gate. But what about the drunken idiots that buy their tickets from third party vendors or just a scalper wandering around the tailgate party lots? Those fans can act like idiots and there is no way of tracking down where they got their tickets. I have never seen anyone get checked for an ID either in the security pat down or at the ticket scanning sections of the stadium gates. So how does the NFL plan to rid itself of these unsavory characters that are not season ticket holders?

Let’s face it, the NFL is not terribly concerned with the fan that drinks too much, nudes up and runs out on the field. Although that is a security and a safety concern we can all pretty much agree that the NFL is concerned with the foul language and more importantly the violent altercations that occur in the stands. Dropping numerous F-bombs and cursing out the opposing team’s best player because the home team’s quarterback just was sacked for the fifth time is annoying and a product of bad manners. Typically this behavior does not get one ejected from the stadium. Two fans engaging in fisticuffs, that’s immediate cause for an arrest and ejection. And this my fellow tailgaters is what the NFL is trying to nip in the bud.

Being a Chargers season ticket holder since 2004, I have attended my fair share of NFL games. In that time, I have seen a few fights break out in the stands. Luckily, no fights have happened in my particular section where my seats are located but I have been privy to a seeing a few fights occur one or two sections over. Of course this is my personal observation but rarely have I seen a fight break out between fans of the same team. Normally fights happen when an opposing fan gets a little too mouthy and a home team fan has had enough and it escalates into violence.

Assuming that the home team fan is a season ticket holder, what about the other combatant? Surely we are not to believe he too is a season ticket holder and attended this one game and sold off the remaining bulk of his tickets. Of course not. The opposing fan must have bought his seat online or from a scalper. By making the season ticket holder take a conduct course as his punishment is not solving the problem. The other fan gets ejected and possibly arrested but the punitive aspect of making the fans complete a code of conduct course before they can attend another game only punishes the season ticket holder. The visiting team fan can attend another game in the future by merely purchasing a ticket elsewhere.

This may backfire on the NFL and this code of conduct course requirement may embolden visiting fans to antagonize home fans even more. The threat of being ejected and possibly arrested for engaging in a fight at an NFL game was apparently not discouraging fans from fighting. Why else would have thought up and implemented this conduct course?

Look at it this way. You are a visiting fan who is complete jackass and wants to antagonize the home fans. Knowing full well that season ticket holders will get their tickets flagged and will not be able to enter the stadium for a future game unless this course is completed, do you think the home fans will be more or less inclined to engage in a possible altercation? I would compare it to a dog fight where one dog can harass the other one while the original dog is on a leash. Now NFL stadiums may be full of visiting fans who feel they can mouth off knowing the season ticket holders may not solve the problems on their own before calling the ushers.

Let me be clear, I am not in favor of fights in the stands and violence at football games. It just seems a bit unfair that the fans who are typically not the ones that start these altercations are the ones who are getting the additional punishment. I am not suggesting mob rule and that the home team fans should “protect their turf” but there is something to be said about not giving the visiting team’s fans more of an incentive to mouth off.

There has to be a better way but unfortunately the NFL has already implemented this policy and it looks as though it is here to stay.