Tailgating Ideas

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.

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

Although we just flipped the calendar to the month of July, football season and more importantly, tailgating, will be here before you know it. In the interest of testing out and reviewing new products and tailgating games prior to the 2013 football season we discovered another new game that is guaranteed to be something nobody has seen in the parking lot. It’s called Power Prop Toss and it combines elements of cornhole, washers and it’s own rules and game play.

At first glance Power Prop Toss looks a lot like washers except the playing surface is not the traditional wooden box. The Power Prop Toss playing surface is actually hard plastic and is actually two pieces that fit together. This makes it easy to transport to the tailgate party and the box it comes in includes a carrying handle to make it even easier. Game play is pretty easy and is well suited for tailgaters of differing ages.

First set up the game base, sometimes called the Boat because of the pointed end on the front and the flat rear. The tossing line is 10 feet from the tip of the pointed end of the base. Each player chooses a set of colored discs called props. There are four props of each color and there are three props with three blades and one with four blades. The four bladed prop is called the “power prop”. Think of the power prop as the money ball in a three-point shooting competition in basketball where the points scored are doubled.

The object of the game is to score 31 points exactly without going over. You score points by tossing your props into the numbered holes and as mentioned previously, the power prop scores double. The first player throws all four of their props before the next player throws. The throwing player can throw their props in any combination they choose and can throw the power prop at any time during their turn. Leave the props where they landed until all players have thrown all their props. Props that are knocked into scoring holes by others players score the same had they landed there by the player tossing them.

If a player throws their prop into a hole and a following player throws their prop into the same hole, the points are canceled. The player that scores the most points in that round will throw first in the next round.

To win the game, a player must score 31 points exactly. A unique scoring aspect of Power Prop Toss is that if you do go over 31, the points you scored in that round will be subtracted from the score you started the round with. Example: Player A has 28 points to start the round and scores five points in that round. This would give Player A 33 points and thus sending them over 31 points. The five points are then subtracted from the score of 28 that they started the round with and they start the next round of tossing with 23 points.

Another unique scoring aspect is that you must score 31 points exactly with no props remaining. If player A needs to score two points to reach 31 and does in fact score two points on their first toss, Player A must hit or land their remaining props on the base or no points will be awarded in that round. Many times in cornhole when a team has reached 21 points and there is no chance the other team can overtake them, their remaining bags are thrown well short of the board to ensure victory. In Power Prop Toss, players must throw accurately enough to hit the base but not score any more points to avoid going over.

After playing with Power Prop Toss a few times we are going to deem it “Tailgate Approved”. The portability is a major factor in this being a great tailgating game. It breaks down easily and sets up quickly as well. I had it out of the box and put together and ready for game play in less than 30 seconds. I also liked the fact that it is a good game for all ages and each player can toss the props in their own unique way. The base is rugged and can withstand a number of seasons of tailgating and is weather resistant. Most wooden cornhole boards or washer toss games if it starts to rain or snow you need to get them out of the weather quickly so they will not warp. Power Prop Toss you can leave out in the rain shower and once it passes go back to playing.

Power Prop Toss is available on Amazon for $90 to $100 depending on which vendor you choose.

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.

No matter what part of the country you come from, cornhole is by far and away the most popular and well recognized tailgating game out there in the parking lots. You would be hard pressed to find any tailgater worth their weight in BBQ sauce that doesn’t enjoy a good game of cornhole. The only problem is that while tailgating, you have to suspend the game due to darkness.

We recently discovered Cornhole Lantern, formerly called Bag-O-Lantern, and wanted to test it out to see if cut the mustard.

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