Tailgating Ideas – Don't Just Tailgate, Tailgate Better

I still remember the crick in my arm. Driving down to the Wells Fargo Center to tailgate before a concert, my friend and I were trying to secure a large plywood board on the roof by sticking our hands out the windows and holding it down. We weren’t all that confident with our tie-job, and as we picked up speed, the wind was threatening to blow the plywood right down the middle of Broad Street. It was a stressful drive, and we kept hoping for red lights so we could relax our arms. Eventually we made it to the parking lot, lugged a bunch of cinder blocks out of the trunk, and placed our table on top. By the time we had the cups set up, I was sweaty and ready to just relax. Beer Pong shouldn’t be this hard.

I kept having flashbacks to that day the first time I broke out MegaPongo, the portable beer pong set. With a last minute ticket offer to the Phillies game, I headed straight to the stadium without the normal planning that goes into a tailgate. But with MegaPongo, that didn’t matter. The entire kit fits in your trunk as easily as a set of washers or bocce balls, so I had the set all ready to go. I ended up parking a few lots away from my friends, but the design is so light, there was no issue carrying it around with me. The portability of MegaPongo makes it worth the money alone, but there are some really great features in addition to its convenient packaging. (Click images for larger view)

As I made my way through the parking lot full of cornhole and ladder golf set-ups, I was enjoying the quizzical looks I was getting. What is that? I heard a few people ask. By the time my friends and I had set it up (which is an extremely easy process), we were getting a lot more than just curious glances. “That is the greatest thing I have ever seen,” proclaimed one enthusiastic Phillies fan. Many stopped for an admiring glance or to ask me where I got this sweet game from. And a few took pictures of the game, along with a few shots of us in action (I hope my form was okay!).
MegaPongo makes bringing beer pong to the party extremely easy. No more tying down plywood or storing cinder blocks in your trunk. You can have a game going minutes after arriving at the beach or barbecue. But other than the convenience of transporting it, MegaPongo has some other great features that any beer pong fan will enjoy. The carrying case doubles as the “table,” and the holes for the cups make sure that the wind will not blow them away. If you have ever chased a red cup down a parking lot aisle or tried to wipe off all the grains of sand when it falls at the beach, you will appreciate this feature. Also, since there is no actual table, you don’t have to worry about the playing surface being covered in beer after a few rounds.

The funnel system is also pretty fantastic. Most shots that do not end up in a cup will bounce around, Plinko-style, until they fall down one of the holes, through a mesh net, and into a large cup just waiting for it. This is true even for shots a little off-the-mark, as the backboard is able to corral a lot of the wayward shots. At one point, my partner and I moved away from the game to catch the last of the remaining sunlight. We casually sipped our beers and watched our opponents shoot – and miss. Instead of chasing the balls around the parking lot, we simply walked back to the game and collected them from the cup underneath the board, actions that would be unheard of in any normal outdoor beer pong game.

When playing MegaPongo, you can tell its inventors are fans of beer pong. The playing surface is large enough to allow for multiple types of racks and re-racks, there is a place for your water cup, and the instructions come with tons of fantastic twists to traditional beer pong. I have to say, I was very impressed with MegaPongo and did not find many negatives. The backboard and funnel system do prevent a majority of the balls from bouncing away, but there are still going to be shots that get away from you. I found it to be much less than in a normal game. While the lack of a table does prevent bouncing, there are plenty of other ways to add variety and individuality to the game. Some unique games, like “Around the World” are possible, and it will be up to you to decide if bank shots are allowed. The price is a little on the high end for portable beer pong, but in my opinion it is definitely worth it. The playing surface is very stable, the game is extremely lightweight and easy to set up and break down, and you will feel very good about yourself knowing you have a game of beer pong ready to go at anytime. Just add beer!

MegaPongo costs $135.00 plus shipping and to learn more or buy a game set for yourself, visit: MegaPongo.com.

As the years go by, it seems as though the game of beer pong is evolving and is changing quite rapidly to meet the insatiable demand for new ways to play the game. Other tailgating games like cornhole and washers have remained pretty stagnant in developing new ways to play those games but beer pong is changing constantly. When we discovered Pong Islands we were intrigued and knew we needed to test them out for ourselves.

As you can see in the above photo, Pong Islands are free standing beer pong platforms that can be set up on any flat surface. You can also see in the photo that Pong Islands take up about 10% of the space a traditional 8′ x 2′ beer pong table requires. And as you can imagine, once Pong Islands are broken down, they take up 10% of the space in your tailgating vehicle on the way to the venue or after the tailgate is over. Take a look at the gallery below to see more examples of Pong Islands in use.

Pong Islands consist of two tripod stands and two bi-level trays. The bottom tray attaches to the clear acrylic using spacers, long screws and wingnuts. The trays are very easy to assemble and do not require any tools. You could use a phillips screwdriver to hold the screw steady while you hand tighten the wing nut but it is not necessary. The acrylic top has holes perfectly sized for beer pong cups and hold them in place and steady, avoiding the dreaded “sloppy rack”. Also by keeping the cups tightly racked and held tightly, this completely eliminates the tips, spills and sliding of cups that occurs on a traditional beer pong table that gets wet. A metal piece attaches to the underside of the bottom tray via those long screws and wingnuts to allow the fully assembled trays to screw onto the tops of the tripods stands. Also included are hooks with clips that clamp onto the rim of an extra party cup for the wash cup that hangs on one of the tightening screws of the stand.

The versatility of Pong Islands allows you to raise or lower the cups as high or low as you like. I would suggest raising the Pong Islands side by side to compare the level that all players can agree on. It is not imperative to have the height be the standard 27.5″ off the ground. If you are a stickler for playing on “official” playing dimensions, (27.5″ is the height the World Series of Beer Pong has agreed upon for their annual competition.) the first time you assemble Pong Islands, use a white or silver Sharpie or Magic marker to mark points on the black stands where the exact level is to achieve the desired height. That way you won’t have to measure each time you play.

While testing and reviewing Pong islands, we fell in love with a few features right away. We loved how Pong Islands take up minimal space when set up and when packed away, take up even less space in your tailgating vehicle. We also loved the aspect of the tight rack and the elimination of tips and spills. Another feature we liked was the fact that the clear acrylic top that holds the cups allows for you to see the whole cup. For some players that is a huge deal and only seeing the top of the cup of the rim throws off their aim. A comparable product we reviewed back during football season, Point Pong, is similar but the cups are recessed and the shooter can not see the entire cup.

Some people may argue that the rigid racking system make it difficult for unique re-rack configuration, notably the straight line re-rack. If that is your preferred configuration, simply turn the Pong Island slightly until the cups line up in a straight line. Another argument against using Pong Islands is that you can not use other beer pong accessories like the N-Ice Rack to keep the cups cold or Spin Pong that rotates the cups to add an element of challenge to the game. The counter argument would be these are accessories and you could modify the Pong Islands by simply unscrewing the top tray and placing these accessories directly on the bottom tray.

We mentioned earlier how we reviewed Point Pong back in September 2012. It received a positive review from us but unfortunately the price of Point Pong was a bit higher than what some tailgaters were willing to pay. We liked the fact that Pong Islands are affordably priced at $80 for a set of two. That is cheaper than most standard, portable beer pong tables.

After thoroughly testing and reviewing Pong Islands, we are going to deem Pong Islands “Tailgate Approved”. It is lightweight yet sturdy enough to handle the rigors of a tailgating parking lot game of beer pong. The ability to transport it to the parking lot with minimal space required in your vehicle leaves room for a bigger cooler or more chairs. The space it requires when fully set up in your parking space is also minimal and you could even get a game of beer pong going between two parked cars. On top of all those attractive features, we liked the fact that it costs less than most beer pong tables.

In review, Pong Islands are lightweight yet sturdy and durable, take up less space during transport and require less space during game play, eliminates tips and spills and is highly affordable. Sounds like a winner to us.

As you can tell, we thought so highly of Pong Islands we believe it would be a great product to add to our online Tailgating Gear store. Pong Islands are priced at $80 for the set and can be purchased HERE.

You may be the best beer pong player in the parking lot. You may dominate every game and be the king of “bring backs”. So it stands to reason you may need a little more of a challenge while playing beer pong. If your opponent can’t challenge you, why not make the game itself a little more challenging and a little more fun at the same time?

We recently discovered Spin Pong and thought we would test it out and see if it could stand up to the rigors of a tailgate party.

First of all, an explanation: Spin Pong is a motorized beer pong rack that rotates clockwise in a steady and even motion. It takes two AA batteries and will spin the cups for about four to five hours. The rack itself has small depressions so the cups fit snugly into the rack so they do not fall out while the rack is rotating or when a ball hits the cups. Take a look at this video we found on YouTube of someone who has a Spin Pong rack and filmed it doing it’s thing.

Pretty simple to understand but as you can imagine, makes the game of beer pong just a little more challenging. If you are playing with people who are not great beer pong players, this could extend the game a bit longer so make sure you have a chill cup on the side to keep yourself hydrated.

After testing out the Spin Pong racks, we will deem them “Tailgate Approved”. They are easy to transport with each rack coming in it’s own box. They are durable in that after one set of batteries run out, just replace them with fresh ones and start playing some more. We would suggest not throwing the Spin Pong racks around because they are made of plastic and do have an electric motor inside but they will fit nicely in your vehicle’s cargo space. Priced at around $30 for the pair, we definitely like that aspect that it won’t break the bank.

We thought so highly of the Spin Pong that we have chosen to carry it in our online tailgating gear store. You can buy just one Spin Pong rack for $17 or two, one Spin Pong for each end of the table, for $30. To get one or a pair of Spin Pong racks, click HERE.

Tailgating games have come a long way since the tailgate party lifestyle really starting to gain popularity. It seems as though many tailgating games were originally backyard, lawn games brought to the parking lots. But all of that has changed in that people are inventing new tailgating games and combining elements of already established games with the new one. We recently discovered Pong-O and it certainly appears to be a nice combination of two different tailgating games.

Back when we started this tailgating blog in 2007, we discovered the first “hybrid” tailgating game, Sholf. Sholf took elements of shuffleboard and golf and combined them. Shuffleboard + Golf = Sholf. Although Pong-O doesn’t combine the names of the two games it has combined, it certainly melds the two together in a fun and exciting new tailgating game. Take a look at their intro video for an explanation and display of how Pong-O is played.

As you can see from the video, the tossing elements of Pong-O are identical with beer pong (although the configuration of the cups is not in a traditional triangle) and the defensive element is a lot like Polish Horseshoes. Most everyone knows beer pong and how it is played so no need to explain that. Not everyone is familiar with Polish Horseshoes. In Polish Horseshoes, if the flying disc knocks off the can or bottle, the defending team can catch it to score defensive points. Much like in Pong-O, if you catch a missed ping pong ball, that team earns points. So for all means and purposes, this is a lot like beer pong but with defensive scoring much like Polish Horseshoes.

As you can see in the above photos, I took Pong-O to the parking lot and set it up while tailgating. A lot of people saw it and commented that they liked it and how it was a new twist on the game of beer pong. It wasn’t until I started explaining the defensive rules to the game that they realized it was not just a free-standing beer pong stand that eliminated the need for a table. Many people remarked that it was similar to Point Pong in that the cups have their own stand and can be placed at varying distances. Most people also like the fact that Pong-O eliminated the opportunity to bounce the ball into the cups.

Although it was not created or invented to be a free-standing beer pong game, you can certainly use it that way. Get two of the Pong-O stands, set them up at your next tailgate party and you are playing beer pong without the table and without the bounces. (If you really like to bounce, you can easily insert a card table in the middle to still allow for bouncing.)

The craftsmanship of the Pong-O game is top notch. After all, the same guys that created Bog Toss and make those cornhole boards are also the same guys who came up with Pong-O. It comes smartly packaged and there is some assembly required once it arrives. Not to worry. This isn’t “some assembly required” like you are putting together a kid’s toy on Christmas Eve until dawn. If you can hand tighten a few wing nuts and follow a few instructions, you will be playing Pong-O in minutes.

Because Pong-O is brand new, because it is truly a unique game that combines two different tailgating games and because of the high quality of the game, we are definitely going to deem it “Tailgate Approved”. We liked this product so much that we decided to offer it for sale in our own online tailgating gear store, shop.tailgatingideas.com.

Pong-O normally sells for $49.99 per unit but we are offering a limited sale price of $44.99 for one + $9.99 shipping. If you want to buy two units and play Pong-O like beer pong, we’ll ship the second one for free. We are not sure how long the guys at Pong-O will allow us to offer these sale prices so if you think this would be a great game to play at your next tailgate, we would suggest picking up one or two because we don’t know when the sale prices will no longer be valid. You can buy Pong-O by clicking HERE.

We’ve been blogging about tailgating since 2007 and we have seen trends within the industry come and go. One aspect of tailgating that continues to grow is the increase in popularity in the game of beer pong. Not only are more people playing it in the tailgate lots but more and more manufacturers and companies are coming out with new products to satisfy that insatiable demand.

We recently had the opportunity to test and review Point Pong, a highly versatile beer pong game that is a unique, patent pending Beer Pong table that is multifunctional in use. Take a look at some photos we snapped while out tailgating with Point Pong before a San Diego Chargers game along with other photos showcasing the versatility of Point Pong.

As you can see in the photos, Point Pong is just as at home in a tailgating parking lot as it is in a pool. To make the transition off of the free standing posts and stands, take the racks off, install the cups holders, turn a few party cups upside down and trap air underneath them. You now have a floating beer pong rack and the game can continue in the water. That is an additional feature to Point Pong but when we tested the product, we did it in a parking lot before a football game. We knew this would be the environment you the tailgaters would want to know how it performed in more than how it works in a pool. Here is what we found.

When the sample Point Pong arrived, we noticed at first how compact the entire set was. It comes in its own carrying bag complete with handles and a removable shoulder strap. Obviously portability is a huge determining factor whether a product is tailgate approved and Point Pong passed this initial test easily. The carrying bag itself measures 23″ x 7.5″ x 20.5″ and weighs just 11 pounds. This compact size and weight makes it ideal for tailgating and tailgate parties and saves valuable room in your car for other tailgating gear. Portability and space consciousness were both passed with flying colors.

Next test was craftsmanship and durability. We all know we as tailgaters demand our tailgating gear to withstand some serious abuse of getting packed up and put away multiple times during the course of a season. And we don’t just want a product that will last one tailgating season. We want them to last for years when subjected to normal use in a tailgating lot. Although Point Pong is lightweight does not mean the quality and craftsmanship is not there. The bases and posts are very sturdy without being too heavy and the racks can withstand some pressures as well. Durability test was passed as well.

While out tailgating we all know that set up and break down time is critical. Tailgaters do not want to be spending half their time in the parking lot setting something up or taking it down because that cuts into their pre-game partying time. I didn’t put a stop watch on setting up the Point Pong but I estimate it took about 90 seconds to get the bases, posts and racks set up properly. Placing the party cups in each rack took about 30 seconds and filling the cups with beer about another minute. So within about three to five minutes at the most, we had a beer pong game up and running in the parking lot. The set up and tear down test was passed easily.

Versatility test included being able to play beer pong the “traditional” way but also modifying the game to meet unique needs. Standard beer pong tables are 8′ long and 2′ wide. Point Pong includes a string that attaches to the front of each Point Pong rack. When extended and stretched to the point the line is taught, the two bases are exactly eight feet apart. If you prefer a faster game or don’t have that much room in your tailgating spot, just move the bases closer together. And for those who prefer to bounce the balls, simply place a card table in the middle for those who like to bounce their balls. We already mentioned the ability to play it in the pool so honestly, this product passes the versatility test with ease.

Last test was the uniqueness and the “wow” factor. Once we were done playing a game and snapping photos of the Point Pong set, we left it up next to our tailgating space. This was done in case we wanted to play another game but also to get people’s reactions as they would walk by. We spent a lot of time answering questions about what it is and where to find one and many people remarked how they had never seen anything like it. Based on those reactions, Point Pong definitely got high marks on the uniqueness of it’s look and play.

Overall, in regards to tailgating, we found the versatility of Point Pong to be its greatest asset. The convenient carrying case does not take up much space in your tailgating vehicle which leaves more room for other tailgating items, i.e. a bigger cooler for extra beer. When set it up in our tailgating space, Point Pong also was a winner in that tailgaters do not have to carve out a 8′ x 2′ space in order to play beer pong. And after the tailgate and the game or concert is over, you can continue the fun by putting Point Pong in the pool and have a game of floating beer pong.

Based on all these factors we can say with the highest confidence that Point Pong is “Tailgate Approved”. We thought so highly of this game and its uniqueness, versatility and game play, that we have chosen to add it to our online tailgating gear store. Point Pong sells for $125 plus $16 shipping and handling and you can get one of your own by clicking HERE