Father’s Day is June 16th this year. That means if you are as big of slacker as most of us, you probably have not gotten him his gift yet.
Have no fear because if your dad is a tailgater, sports fan or just a plain old cool guy that likes fun stuff, we have compiled another edition of the Tailgating Ideas Father’s Day Gift Guide. (Click HERE for last year’s Father’s Day Gift Guide that also included some pretty cool gadgets and gizmos.)
Whether you want to spoil dad with an expensive gift or you are a broke tailgater yourself with a tight budget, we have a Father’s Day gift idea to fit every need and every budget. So without further introduction, here is the Tailgating Ideas Father’s Day Gift Giving Guide for 2013.
Frost Boss – Is your dad always asking you to go to the fridge and get him a cold one? If so, get him a Frost Boss. In short, this is a battery operated canned beverage spinning machine that will take a can that has been sitting out in the sun down to 42 degrees in about 2 minutes. The internal timer shuts off after two minutes and because the can is rotating around the liquid inside and it is never moving, dad doesn’t have to wait to open up the can. Once the Frost Boss spins and shuts off, simply take the can out and open it up and enjoy a cold one that was room temperature two minutes ago. The Frost Boss sells for $40 and you get one for dad HERE.
Heat Shield BBQ Tools – Dad probably loves to grill. One thing he probably doesn’t love is getting the hair on his arms singed off from the heat coming off his grill while turning steaks. These are the barbecue tools with built-in shields that protect hands from heat and flame flare-ups. The included spatula, fork, and tongs each have a stainless steel guard under the handle that swivels to always face the grill regardless of the tool’s position, providing protection when reaching over the cooking surface. The tools telescope from 18 1/4″ to 24″ long and lock into place at any length in between. The spatula and tongs have oversized heads that allow cooks to easily grip and turn large steaks or flip large burgers. Priced at $80 these are a bit more expensive than cheap grill tools but cheaper than a trip to the emergency room. The Heat Shield BBQ Tools are available through Hammacher Schlemmer.
Pong Islands – Dads are getting more and more cool as the years go by. With each passing year we see more and more older guys playing beer pong out in the parking lots than ever before. Why not give dad a cool gift that you can enjoy too? They always say, “People tend to give gifts they would like to receive themselves”. This one falls directly into that category. Pong Islands are beer pong racks that quickly mount and are easily removed from the tops of tripod stands. The set up is a breeze and the space it takes up in dad’s tailgating vehicle is minimal. Plus dad will be the coolest tailgater in the parking lot or the backyard BBQ when he breaks out these bad boys that no one has ever seen before. Pong Islands cost $80 for the set and can be purchased HERE.
EZ Fan Feet – When dad is out tailgating, he probably goes to great lengths to make sure his pop-up tent does not lift up and relocate with a strong breeze. We all have seen what a gust of wind can do to a canopy and your shade tent can become a kite in a matter of seconds. EZ Fan Feet are football shaped weights that dad can place at the bottom of each tent leg to ensure the tent canopy stays put. Each weight is hollow and when filled with either playground sand or landscape pebble, adds 10 to 12 pounds of weight to each tent leg. The additional weight is great but an added bonus is EZ Fan Feet add an additional six inches of height to the tent for those taller tailgaters that bump their heads. EZ Fan Feet run $50 for a set of four and can be found HERE.
Scorzie – Dads love to play tossing games that score to 21, like horseshoes, darts, cornhole, washers, bocce ball, ladder toss, etc. Dads love playing those games but most of the time struggle remembering the score after having a few adult beverages. If that is the case with your dad, you need to get him a Scorzie. The Scorzie is a drink koozie that not only keeps your canned beverage cold but has two separate scoring bands to keep track of your game. The bands move around the Scorzie so your dad will never have to ask who remembers the score. A single Scorzie is $12.99 plus shipping or buy two for $24.00 plus shipping. Get your dad his own Scorzie HERE.
Outcast Jr – You may not always agree with dad’s taste in music but you can both agree that having a killer sound system for outdoors is a key for entertaining. Whether dad is a tailgater or just likes to have some tunes while grilling in the backyard, the Outcast Jr wireless speaker system is pretty damn cool. The Outcast Jr is an outdoor wireless stereo speaker designed to work with Soundcast audio transmitters and can receive signals up to 300 feet outdoors. That’s the length of a football field between the transmitter and the speaker. Also, the speaker has a long-life internal battery. That means if your tailgating neighbors half way down the row invite you down to try their atomic chicken wings, you can bring your tunes with you. Just pick up the Outcast Jr, leave your iPod docked in the iCast Transmitter, and you won’t miss a beat. As you might expect, a high quality product that puts out some high quality sound is not going to be cheap. We looked around the internet and found the $700 price range to be pretty standard and if you want to get dad one this year, check out the ones they have for sale on Amazon.
Shower Beer Buddy – Who doesn’t love having a beer in the shower before going out for the night? We are sure dad would love to have a beer before your mom drags him out to dinner with his in-laws. In that case he may want to have a few beers in the shower. The Shower Beer Buddy is a cup holder with a heavy duty suction cup that can hold a full 16 oz. can of beer against any flat surface. Originally designed to go on the inside of a shower or the shower door, the Shower Beer Buddy attaches beautifully on the side of a car or the car’s window while out tailgating. It keeps dad’s beverage up and out of the way of potential spills while saving space. Mom might not be too keen on this cup holder looking like a busty bikini babe but your dad will probably appreciate it. The Shower Beer Buddy sells for $10 and you can pick one up for dad HERE.
Smack Hat – Tailgaters will dress in jerseys, paint their faces and even their whole bodies but when it comes to the tailgating vehicle, that seems to get neglected. The Smack Hat is a full sized football helmet that attaches to the roof of your vehicle via non-marking magnets. You can drive with the Smack Hat on the roof of your car at full highways speeds up to 80 MPH. While packing up the tailgate party to head inside, simply remove the Smack Hat from the top of the car and lock it up inside the vehicle where nobody can steal it. After the game, place it back on the top of the car and drive home sporting your team’s helmet. The Smack Hat sells for $110.00 and comes in all 32 NFL teams and many NCAA football schools. To get the Smack Hat, visit smackhat.com.
Ryobi RYI2200 Generator – When it comes to tailgating, electrical power is scarce. After all, it is a parking lot. Although portable generators are the power source of choice for tailgaters to run their electronics while tailgating, most generators are either too big, too bulky and most importantly, too loud. Dad could use a break from the loud grinding of a normal generator while he is trying to watch the early games while tailgating. The Ryobi RYI2200 Generator pumps out a maximum of 2200 watts but is as quiet as a Honda EU series generator, widely regarded as the gold standard to which generators are compared for power, fuel efficiency and quietness. Sold exclusively through Home Depot, the Ryobi RYI2200 Generator is terribly affordable at around $600. Compare that to the Honda EU 2000 that normally costs twice that and you can give dad some portable power for the tailgate or for severe weather storms.
Trip to Omaha, Nebraska – You may be thinking, “Omaha, Nebraska?!?” Hear me out. A trip to Omaha on Father’s Day weekend is a tailgater’s dream come true. The College World Series is held every year in Omaha and is home to some of the best tailgating you will ever find. Even if you want to go to soak up some of the best college baseball, the College world Series is the college baseball equivalent of the NCAA March Madness Final Four or BCS Championship Game. With traditional college baseball powerhouses like LSU, Cal State Fullerton, Florida State, Rice amongst others still alive in the Super Regionals and having a good shot at advancing to Omaha, this year’s field in Omaha looks to be the best in years. A little road trip for you and dad to see some baseball the way it is supposed to be played just might be the perfect gift.