Tailgating Ideas

As tailgaters, we all seek out tailgating gear that is convenient. How else can you explain the proliferation of zipper lock plastic bags and the wide use of single use and disposable items taken to tailgate parties? Convenience and portability are two huge factors when deciding what to buy and bring tailgating. Unfortunately the way charcoal and particular, lump charcoal, is packaged and sold, there really is no single-use charcoal for tailgating. That’s what we thought until we discovered Grill Easy™ Natural Lump Charcoal.

Grill Easy™ Natural Lump Charcoal is a single-use, recycled cardboard container with an internal vent system that allows tailgaters to prepare charcoal without the hassle and the chemicals traditionally associated with lighting charcoal. The container is placed into the grill and a wick is lit from the front. The cardboard box container burns off while igniting the lump charcoal leaving them ready to use in under 15 minutes. We were sent a sample of Grill Easy and of course we tested it out while tailgating. (Click on the images below to see larger and more detailed views.)

To use the Grill Easy Lump Charcoal box, it just takes three steps. Tear off the bottom strip of the box. Place it in your grill. Light the wick located on the bottom. That’s it. And if you are not smart enough to remember those three easy steps, they even have the instructions written on the box to remind you.

As you can see from the photo gallery we shot while out tailgating, the box burned away in less than 10 minutes and within 15 minutes the coals were hot enough to cook our tailgating grub. We even had a few fellow tailgaters come over and check it out and commented on how they liked the compact size and ease of transporting it all in one container.

If you love the taste of grilled food on lump charcoal but hate buying the big bags, starter sticks or worse, lighter fluid, Grill Easy Lump Charcoal is for you. After bringing it tailgating and discovering the ease of transportation, the convenience of lighting it and checking the price, the Grill Easy Lump Charcoal is definitely “Tailgate Approved”.

Grill Easy Lump Charcoal will run you about $6 per box and you can buy it online. For more information or to buy a box or two for yourself, visit: www.grill-easy.com

Back in October of last year we posted a video and wrote a commentary, Video: Tailgaters, This Is Why The NFL Hates You Part 2. In a nutshell, it was a bunch of idiots getting into a fight in the parking lot of Qualcomm Stadium and one guy decided to break a glass bottle over one of the other combatants heads. Here is the video.
(Warning: The video does contain swear words, blood and violence. NOT safe for work and best not shown with kids in the room.)

UPDATE: The guy who smashed the beer bottle pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon. He is scheduled to be sentenced May 9 in San Diego Superior Court.

For the full story from the San Diego Union-Tribune, read: Fan pleads guilty in stadium bottle attack

Even though the calendar has turned to March, that doesn’t mean that winter is over. Because winter is not over, that means it is still getting dark earlier and you will need some lighting for those tailgates that last until the evening games start.

We recently had the opportunity to test out Fanatic Lights. Fanatic Lights are high-grade, custom, super bright, alternating (or single) colored, gumball shaped, LED bulb strands of lights. The color combinations are endless and as you can see in the photos, the color combination we chose to test while tailgating represented the blue and orange colors of Cal State Fullerton. We chose to display them on our pop-up tent on the opening night of the college baseball season. You can see it helped illuminate our tailgating space nicely after it got dark.

Fanatic lights are battery operated so you don’t have to worry about pulling out a generator or even getting a 12V converter and pulling power from your car battery to run these little lights. Because they are LED bulbs they do not consume a lot of energy and will be not burn out anytime soon. They were bright and added that something special to our tailgate that nobody else in the parking lot had. If the flags and banners weren’t enough, there was no doubt by anyone that parked in sight of us which team we were there to support.

Fanatic Lights color options

In order to attach the Fanatic Lights string to our tent, all we needed were a few small binder clips. We wanted attach them to the canopy portion of the tent so that they would run along the bottom line of the tent. We could have used zip ties and run them along the metal frame of the tent but that would have illuminated the inside of the tent and we preferred to use them like Christmas decoration lights. The string measures about 24 feet total but about 20 feet total from the bulb on one end to the bulb on the other end. To decorate the four sides of a 10 x 10 pop-up tent, I would suggest buying two strands to ensure full coverage.

Fanatic lights aren’t just for tailgating. You could definitely use them to decorate your Christmas tree if you are that big of a fan of your team. Decorate dorm rooms or fraternity houses to your school colors. You could even use them to decorate in the holiday theme you are currently celebrating. St. Patrick’s Day is coming up and a string or two of green and white Fanatic Lights would make for a great addition to your St. Patty’s celebration.

For the price, the portability and the sheer outpouring of fan pride in the parking lot, Fanatic Lights are definitely “Tailgate Approved“.

Fanatic Lights come in a battery operated string and also in a 110 AC plug powered version. No matter if you choose plug or battery operated, a full string will cost you $29.95. To learn more about Fanatic Lights or to buy a string of your own, visit: fanaticlights.com

Most tailgaters have heard the tailgating anthem by Toby Keith, Red Solo Cup. The red Solo cup is a staple at tailgate parties whether to drink out of or to play beer pong. We recently discovered stainless steel party cups from King of Beer Pong and decided to put them to the test in a real tailgating environment.

As you can see in the photos, these 16 oz. cups are an exact replica of the red party cups you have come to know and love but in a stainless steel form. Being stainless steel, they give your game of beer pong an element of class and style over those regular old plastic cups. And because they are stainless steel, they are food grade quality and are safe to drink from them.

The King of Beer Pong stainless steel beer pong cups come in a package of six (6) along with six balls. Upon opening the package I noticed the weight of these cups. I wasn’t expecting them to be lightweight and flimsy like plastic party cups but the sturdiness was one of the qualities I noticed right off the bat. This added weight translated into improved beer pong game play in that there are less tips and spills compared to plastic party cups. The day we tested the King of Beer Pong stainless steel cups it was windy. Not huge gusts but definitely breezy enough that normal plastic party cups would have been blowing over and tipping from the wind.

While testing the King of Beer Pong set we wanted to see if it would work well, just like plastic party cups, with some of the other beer pong accessories like the freezable beer pong rack, the N-Ice Rack. Being that these stainless steel beer pong cups are the exact size and specifications of a plastic party cup, the stainless steel version fits nicely with all of the other beer pong accessories you can think of that would compliment your game.

After thoroughly testing the King of Beer Pong Stainless Steel beer pong cups, we here at Tailgating Ideas will give them the “Tailgate Approved” stamp of approval. These cups are not cheap. The six-pack with six balls costs $49.99 and the 12-pack with 12 balls will set you back $79.99. If you are interested in purchasing a set for yourself or for a friend, Tailgating Ideas readers are encouraged to use the exclusive coupon code “ideas20″ for a limited time and take $20 off your first order.

These cups are definitely not disposable and you will need to bring them home after the game to wash them out. They are dishwasher safe and if you take good care of them, they will last for a very long time.

For more information or to buy a set for your next tailgate party, visit: kingofbeerpong.com