Tailgating Ideas

Now that the leaves are starting to change and the weather can get somewhat inclement, the added wind gusts can play havoc on your beer pong game. The same folks that thought up MegaPongo have introduced the Windball, designed specifically for beer pong played outdoors.

The WindBall is a 40mm soft PVC ball that is nearly four times heavier than a standard ping-pong ball. The WindBall also features little to no bounce that translates into less chasing after bouncing balls from errant and missed shots.

Keep in mind, the WindBall is not designed for all types of beer pong games. Because the ball is nearly four times heavier than a regular ping pong ball, you should not use the WindBall on a flat regulation beer pong table. Because the WindBall is so much heavier compared to a regular ping pong ball, if used on a standard beer pong table it would wipe out the cups. The WindBall should only be used in conjunction with beer pong games where the cups are recessed like with MegaPongo, Point Pong and Pong Islands.

If you play beer pong while tailgating and are tired of the wind ruining your game, you would be a prime candidate to try out the WindBall. The Windball costs $12 for a 6-pack. Since Windballs are made by the same folks who make MegaPongo, they are sold as an add-on to the MegaPongo game set.

Tailgating games and alcohol consumption. They go hand in hand. Beer pong is a no brainer because it has beer in the game’s name. Polish Horseshoes it is a requirement of the game to have a can or bottle in one hand while playing. Even other games like washers, ladder toss and cornhole most tailgaters integrate beverage consumption into game play because, well, it’s tailgating for crying out loud. We recently discovered a new tailgating game that not only encourages beverage consumption but it part of how the game is played. It is called Hi-Tops.

Hi-Tops is a new tailgating game that combines elements of other popular tailgating games like cornhole and beer pong but puts a new twist on it to make it a fun and unique tailgating game. Hi-Tops was invented by two recent University of Central Florida graduates. They came up with the concept of hi-Tops when they were on a road trip, talking about the tailgating and drinking games that are available on the market now. Both agreed there just wasn’t really anything that satisfied everything they would like to see in a game that was also easy and convenient to play while tailgating. Upon further discussion, a number of prototypes and now a final concept, they launched Hi-Tops two months ago. Take a look at their video of Hi-Tops being played.

Upon learning about Hi-Tops we knew we needed to be the first ones to test out this new game. We requested a sample from the folks at Hi-Tops and they were generous enough to send us a sample game set in time to take tailgating before the San Diego Chargers vs. Indianapolis Colts Monday Night Football game. (Disclaimer: We did receive a sample of Hi-Tops for free. The fact this sample was 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.)

As you can see in the video and the photos, Hi-Tops consists of two towers spaced about 63 inches apart. There is a base to hold it steady and there is a top “table” that has a hole in the middle. Placed around the column is a tray that has seven holes to place plastic or paper cup shot glass sized cups. Hi-Tops also comes with two “footbags” that are thrown at the opposing column. (We used the term Footbag because we don’t want to get a nasty cease and desist letter from the attorneys representing the trademarked footbag that rhymes with “Jackey Back”.) Take a look at the official rule for a better understanding of how the game is played.

After reading the rules you can see it integrates elements of cornhole by making the thrown object into the hole. The cool thing is that retrieval is easy because it drops all the way down to the opening in the column. The aspect of beer pong is that drinking is involved and there is the removal of cups. We would suggest filling the cups down below with beer and not liquor because the game does move quickly and if one team is doing six shots of liquor if they lose, that could make for a messy tailgate afterwards. (Click on images for larger view)

As you can see from the photos above, we took Hi-Tops tailgating with us before an NFL football game. We set it up on a hard surface and got to playing. The game does come with large spikes to anchor the base into a softer surface like grass. We couldn’t use the spikes in the Qualcomm Stadium parking lot so when the wind picked up, the towers would sway a little. Neither one of the towers ever fell over from the wind and we were getting gusts in the 15-20 MPH range. I would suggest if you plan on taking Hi-Tops tailgating on a hard surface to bring along some hand weights and place them on the bases. (Your wife is probably just letting those weights collect dust in the closet after attend just one Pilates class so you might as well put them to good use.)

The set up of the Hi-Tops game towers took literally seconds and we were up and running and playing our first game in less than two minutes. It took us longer to read the rules than it did to set the game up which was a nice change because we tailgaters value our time in the parking lot. Break down before heading into the game was just as easy and everything fit nicely into the included carrying case.

Hi-Tops Carrying Bag

The game was fun and exciting. Not too hard but not too easy either. Plus you have to drink as part of the game and who can argue with that? The fun and the fact that this is a brand new game and will help make your tailgate party stand out and be unique, Hi-Tops get the Tailgating Ideas “Tailgate Approved” stamp.

Hi-Tops comes in a multitude of color options including Black and Gold, Orange and Blue, Garnet and Gold, Black and Blue, Orange and Gold and Garnet and Blue. This way you can support your favorite team even with your game towers.

Hi-Tops is priced at $129.99 and that includes two official Hi-Tops Towers, two official Hi-Tops Playing Balls (foot bags), six stakes and one package of Hi-Tops playing cups. For a very limited time, Hi-Tops is offering with the purchase of at least one game set a free carrying case which they say is a $15 value.

For more information or to buy a Hi-Tops game set of your own, visit: playhitops.com

You may recall a few weeks ago we introduced you to MegaPongo. (If you don’t remember, you can refresh your memory by reading our product review HERE.)

Earlier this month out in Las Vegas, the National Hardware Show gave the “Game Ball Award” to MegaPongo as the best tailgate game at the expo based upon its novelty, originality and versatility.

MegaPongo was among more than 80 manufacturers that showcased their outdoor, tailgate and recreation products at the annual home improvement show. MegaPongo’s innovative design includes two round, free-standing game boards that also serve as the carrying case for all of the game parts – target cups, legs backboards, collection cups and balls. Each game also features clear plastic backboards and ball collection nets to corral balls – another first for pong game designs.

Truly an open source concept of the 19-hole game board allow players to place ball cups in a variety of configurations. They can create their own games or set up traditional game formats, such as Around the World, Chaos, Ring of Fire and 10-Cup.

Designed for portability, MegaPongo weighs less than 11.5 pounds and measures 23 inches in diameter – similar in size and weight to a case of beer.

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 $15 shipping and to learn more or buy a game set for yourself, click: HERE.

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.