Tailgating Ideas – Don't Just Tailgate, Tailgate Better

When the opportunity to review the ScoreBand was presented to me I was pretty ecstatic. Regardless if the product was any good I was getting myself a free watch.

The product review turned out to be a win-win for me. A free watch that was actually really useful. In my opinion I think that the watch is also quite stylish. Take a look at their video to see what the Scoreband is all about.

I tested the ScoreBand on two separate occasions… one tailgating related, the other non-tailgating related (though there was still beer involved).

The first test was last weekend when I wore the Scoreband when my buddies and I went golfing. The ScoreBand has as “Golf Mode” that allows the user to keep track of each hole stroke with the simple touch of a button. Hit a shot, hit the top button of the watch to record the stroke. Sadly, with my golf game I was forced to hit the top button more often than I would have liked. Once the hole was completed all you had to do was hit and hold the bottom button to add the hole score to your overall score. The simplicity of the watch allows the user to keep accurate scores. Shots that would have been missed while the scorecard was in the golf cart are now captured. And for those folks whose math skills plummet after a few beers, the overall score feature of the ScoreBand allows for accurate score taking. The lightweight design (made of flexible and durable silicone material; snug fit) makes for a very comfortable wear that had no impact on my golf swing.

The second test was this weekend during my Eagles game tailgate. During the tailgate I was able to use the “All Score Mode” on the ScoreBand. Unlike the “Golf Mode” where only a single player’s scores can be tracked, the “All Score Mode” allows you to keep the scores of two players or teams. I used the ScoreBand to track the score of our Cornhole games. The top and bottom buttons allow you to keep score for the different players. Every time that I would score I would hit the top button. Every time my buddy would score I would hit the bottom button. Keeping score on the ScoreBand eliminates the need to manually track scoring or track scoring on the counter attached to the Cornhole board. No bending down means no spilling of beer. Also, if your tailgating games are like mine accurate scoring means the correct person or team is taking their penalty for losing. In our case that is chugging a beer or two. For giggles I also tested the ability of the watch to withstand spilling of beer on the LCD display… it passed!

Sure you can get by without a ScoreBand but for under thirty bucks why not simplify score keeping? Once the games are done there is no need to remove the watch as it can be worn for standard time keeping (hour and minute display). And with the watch always being worn there is no reason not to make new games in everyday activities. During a recent business meeting my colleagues and I made a game of shooting paper clips into an empty coffee mug. I was able to use the ScoreBand to keep score and earn myself a free lunch.

Head over to www.scoreband.net for further product details, including the “Tennis Mode” feature. The product comes in multiple colors and includes a printable size guide.

A week ago we told you that GoPong was branching out from making just beer pong tables with the introduction of the GoPong Ladder Toss game. No longer focused on just beer pong, GoPong is now bringing their brand of high quality games to the tossing games and lawn games space at affordable prices. They have brought out the Ladder Toss game and have also introduced a single hole Washer Toss game to the market. We have a sample of the GoPong Washer Toss and put it to the test to see if it comes out “tailgate approved”.

Many of the washer toss games you see in the parking lot are the DIY types that someone put together by going to Home Depot and buying all the parts and pieces and constructing it in their garage. Two problems with this approach. 1) The time invested in doing the research on how to do it, what types of materials you will need, not to mention the actual time it takes to put a game together on your own. Who has all that time to do all that? 2) The uniformity issue of not having all the pieces and parts being exactly the size and dimensions you prefer. More than likely cutting PVC pipe yourself with a hacksaw can lead to uneven cuts and uneven playing surfaces. Unless you are a better carpenter than Jesus, a homemade washers game will not be as professional as, … well, one that is professionally made. The upside is you may save a few dollars on doing it yourself but when you factor in your time, you may end up paying more for your DIY washers game than had you purchased a professional one.

Now that we shown you the benefits of buying a washers game rather than attempting to make one of your own, why get a GoPong Washer Toss game over some of the other sets on the market? We thought we would put the GoPong set to the test and compare it to others we have played on in the past.

The first thing we noticed about the GoPong Washer Toss game was craftsmanship. The wooden boxes were well constructed and contained carrying handles and the latches that hold it together were of high quality. When you opened it up, the next thing we noticed was the uniformity of the lines and the way it was put together. Most people tout how “homemade” is always better. That is not the case when you want things to match perfectly. Machines do a much better job of doing the same job over and over without deviating from the pattern much better than human hands. Based on that criteria, the GoPong Washer Toss game was top notch.

On other criteria of craftsmanship, the GoPong Washer Toss was on the same level if not better quality compared to other washer games we have played on. The portability and the ease of being able to pack it away in a tightly packed tailgating vehicle was also a plus. High quality powder coated washers that come with it are also a selling point.

After putting it through the paces and comparing it to other washer toss games on the market, we can confidently label the GoPong Washer Toss “Tailgate Approved”. As we do with all of the products produced by GoPong, we highly recommend this product to any tailgaters looking to save some time while having a high quality washer toss game at their next tailgate party. That is why we have chosen to add the GoPong Washer Toss game to our online tailgating gear store.

The GoPong Washer Toss is $59.99 plus $15 flat rate shipping to anywhere in the continental United States. To get one of your own, click HERE.

We wish we could turn back the hands of time and go back to a few years ago when Freedom Grill was still manufacturing the Freedom Grill FG-50. Unfortunately for tailgaters, the Freedom Grill FG-50 was turned into the Margaritaville Tailgating Grill in 2009 and that company has chosen to cease manufacturing those grills for the foreseeable fututre. (We wrote all about it last spring in the Margaritaville Tailgating Grill Eulogy.)

There are still a few Margaritaville Grills for sale floating around out there on the internet but just based on basic supply and demand, the prices being asked for these few remaining grills are upwards of an arm and a leg and maybe a first born child.

Because of this turn of events, those who were lucky enough to get an FG-50 or a Margaritaville Grill in the past have been searching for replacement parts for their grills. Nothing last forever especially a grill when put through the rigors of multiple tailgating seasons. Sometimes things wear out or break and because these grills are so scarce, many tailgaters are looking to repair and replace the broken parts rather than buy a new grill. As a result of us discussing the Freedom Grill and the Margaritaville Grill on this tailgating blog for years, we tend to come up a lot on Google and other search engine results when people are looking for information on these grills. Lately we have been getting a number of emails from people asking us where they can buy replacement parts for their grills. The simple answer to those questions is, “we have a very limited supply of replacement parts that we would be willing to part with them”.

The reason why we have some of the parts that fit the Freedom Grill FG-50 and the Margaritaville Tailgating Grill is because for a few years we would customize these grills to specific teams colors and logo emblems. Over the course of doing these custom jobs, we somehow ended up with left over parts that were removed from grills that were either damaged, scratched or for whatever reason, not suitable for customization. So the parts that were salvaged from these grills were still working perfectly but were attached to a grill that was not-so-perfect.

With all of that said, we have a number of spare parts that we are not making available if some of those FG-50 and Margaritaville Grill owners out there are in need of some replacement parts. Some of the replacement parts we have available are: temperature gauges for the grill lid, side panels, tilt out condiment trays, side handles, propane regulators, legs, fold out tables, grill grates, grease vaporizers, burners and front lid handles. We even have the patented swing arms that made these grills so popular in that it transports the grill on the rear of your car via the 2″ tow hitch and swings away from your vehicle when in use.

If you are in need of replacement parts, please use the Contact form and send us an email. In your email, please tell us what part you are in need of replacing and we will see if we have something that can help. Even if you don’t know the correct name of the part you need, describe it the best you can and we will try and figure it out what exactly it is that you need. Based on what parts you need and shipping, we will then offer you a price quote on what you can expect to pay for the parts and shipping. Please include your zip code in your email so we can best estimate the shipping costs to your specific location.

As mentioned above, we have a very small and limited supply of these replacement parts. Some parts we only have one of a quantity while others we have three or four. It just all depends on what parts you may need and if we happen to have one.

The most popular games out in the parking lots are typically the “tossing games”. Games like cornhole, beer pong and washers can be seen sprinkled all across parking lots everywhere. One of the more popular and fun tailgating game is Ladder Toss. You may call it something different like Ladder Ball, Ladder Golf, Blongo Ball, Hillbilly Golf among others but no matter what you call this game, Ladder Toss is a lot of fun while tailgating.

The guys at GoPong, well known for beer pong tables and recently cornhole games, have expanded to include another tossing game, Ladder Toss. We took a look at the GoPong Ladder Toss set and compared it to other sets on the market and even compare it to making one by doing it yourself.

In order to do a proper comparison and review, you first need to know what the GoPong Ladder Toss set includes. The whole thing comes in its own carrying bag with handles and includes all the tubing, bolos and instructions to get the game going. Assembly is rather quick and all the pipes fit into the joints easily and quickly.

Two aspects of the GoPong Ladder Toss that struck me when first breaking it out was the higher quality of the PVC pipe they use along with the golf ball bolos. First we’ll focus on the type of piping GoPong used to construct the game.

You’ll see the side-by-side comparison photo above of the two different thicknesses of pipe that can be used to make this game. Most reasonably priced Ladder Toss sets use a 1 mm pipe while the GoPong Ladder Toss uses the 2.5 mm PVC pipe. This thicker pipe makes the game more sturdy and less likely to tip over during game play. Also, the thicker pipe makes the set less prone to breaking or shattering when taking the pieces apart and packing them away. In comparison to other Ladder Toss games we have used, the thicker pipe does not significantly add more weight to the game when transporting it in the included carrying bag.

The other aspect we liked about the GoPong Ladder Toss game was the fact they used real golf balls on the ends of their bolos. Real golf balls are key in that they not only add the proper amount of weight needed for making an accurate toss but also allow for bouncing if the player prefers that method. Some of the cheaper ladder toss games will have foam balls on the ends which kills the weight and do not bounce as well. Also, after hitting the ground a number of times, the foam ends can come apart if played on a hard surface like asphalt or concrete. Golf ball bolos will not fall apart when they hit the ground.

Comparing the GoPong set to a DIY ladder toss set, the biggest problem with doing a game on your own is the uniformity problem. By going out to a home improvement store and buying your own PVC pipe and cutting them to length yourself, the amount of cuts you have to make will probably result in a number of cuts that are irregular and slightly different lengths. Human error comes into play and most homemade ladder toss games tend to lean because of the mismatched lengths can affect the way the game is put together. Factor in the time and expense of driving to the home improvement store, the gas and the time cutting PVC pipes with a hacksaw, the money you save by doing it yourself is lost and basically because a wash if you buy the GoPong set.

By comparison to other ladder toss games out there on the market and compared to a homemade ladder toss game, you are probably better off getting a GoPong Ladder Toss set based on price and time saved. By this criteria we are going to deem the GoPong Ladder Toss game “Tailgate Approved”.

We thought so highly of the GoPong Ladder Toss set that we have chosen to add it to our online tailgating gear store, Shop.TailgatingIdeas.com. The GoPong Ladder Toss set is priced $59.99 plus $15 flat rate shipping to anywhere in the continental United States. To buy one of your own, click HERE.