For the past few years, we here at TailgatingIdeas.com have offered up some holiday gift giving ideas for the tailgaters on your list. (Here is the Holiday Gift Guide 2011 and the Holiday Gift Guide 2010 in case you missed them.) We also do a Stocking Stuffer Guide for those tailgaters in your life as well. This year’s edition is scheduled for later this week so come back for that. Now if you are still searching for that perfect gift for a tailgater in your life, read on because this is the Tailgating Ideas Holiday Gift Guide 2012 edition.
BasketPong
Beer pong at the tailgate party getting a little dull and predictable? Try BasketPong. BasketPong has taken the concept of beer pong and improved upon it by taking it vertical and introducing basketball elements into the game. Some tailgaters will play the traditional way with beer in the cups while others have chosen to put in the rings different colored cups and one team has to toss the ball and try to eliminate only a certain color. Others have taken a marker and assigned points to each cup and played to 21 like cornhole or horseshoes. The possibilities are endless and priced at around $100, BasketPong is bound to make any tailgater on your list smile. You can find BasketPong HERE.
Smack Hat
Tailgaters will dress in jerseys, paint their face 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 $88.50 and comes in all 32 NFL teams and many NCAA football schools. To get the Smack Hat, visit smackhat.com.
RoboCup
While tailgating, you can never have enough places to put your drink. The problem is, the normal places you can set down your drink is hazardous to getting spilled or knocked over. The RoboCup is a sturdy drink holder that clamps itself to any pole or other type of surface. Tailgaters can clamp it to the legs of their pop-up tent or on an umbrella pole. Another tailgating use would be to clamp it to a tailgating chair if it doesn’t already have a cup holder. Priced at $20, the RoboCup is a great gift for the tailgater in your life. You can buy the RoboCup HERE.
Shotgun Mug
No matter what kind of a tailgater you are, a Shotgun Mug can always come in handy. It can be used as a regular mug that holds around 32 oz. but when you are ready to finish your beer strong, just detach the tube and you are chugging like a boss. Whether it is to finish that last bit of your beer before it goes warm or you just want to kick off the tailgate party with style, the Shotgun Mug is the perfect addition. Seeing how traditional beer bongs normally require a second person to hold the funnel above the drinker’s head, the Shotgun Mug allows the partier to hold it up by themselves. Of course we have to encourage you to drink responsibly but also encourage you to party like a rock star as well. The Shotgun Mug is $15.99 and can be purchased HERE.
Cornhole Lantern
For those tailgaters that love cornholing at night, the Cornhole Lantern is ideal to keep the game going after the sun has gone down. December is a perfect time to get a pair of Cornhole Lanterns because the days are getting shorter and it is getting darker earlier. No need to call a game of cornhole on account of darkness. Just switch on the battery power on these light rings and they will illuminate the cornhole making it easier to aim and land bags. The best part is the Cornhole Lantern does not decrease the size of the cornhole on standard six inch holed boards. The Cornhole Lantern comes in five different colors including red, blue, green, amber and white. Priced at $34.99 they come as a set of two and include all the hardware needed to install them. All you need to do is provide the 9V battery. Corhole Lanterns can be purchased HERE.
Point Pong
Beer Pong has come a long way since just putting out some Solo Cups on a ping pong table in a triangle and throwing some ping pong balls at them. Point Pong is that evolution in that the game now does not need to take up that much room and especially in a tailgating parking lot, space can be at a premium. Point Pong comes with free standing posts and bases and can be easily set up and broken down in minutes. Many tailgaters like the aspect that the space between the playing surface is open and eliminates the bounce which many beer pong purists believe bouncing is cheating and has no place in the game. Also for those beer pong purists, you can measure the exact length of an eight foot table by attaching the string to the fronts of the playing triangles and stretching it tight. Now when your opponent complains they are not shooting well because the stands are not regulation distance, shut them up by breaking out the pre-measured string. Point Pong will run you about $120 and that includes everything. You can purchase Point Pong HERE.
EZ Fan Feet
The pop-up tent is the most common form of shelter out in the tailgating parking lot. You would think sheltering tailgaters from the sun in the hot months and precipitation in the colder months, the pop-up tent would have no enemies. But that assumption is wrong and wind is the biggest enemy of your tent while out tailgating. EZ Fan Feet are hollow, football shaped weights you fill with sand or landscaping pebbles to anchor your tent legs to the ground. Each EZ Fan Foot can hold up to about 10 to 12 pounds of sand or gravel. That translates to having 40 to 48 pounds at the base of your tent legs holding it steady and grounded even if there is a big gust of wind. No more hanging hand weights from the frame or putting the legs through the handles of a cooler to keep the tent from moving. EZ Fan Feet are $49.99 for a set of four that includes all necessary hardware to attach the feet to the base of a pop-up tent. You can get a set of EZ Fan Feet HERE
Frost Boss
Having a cold beverage at a tailgate party is essential. No one likes a warm can of soda or beer but it never fails that someone will show up with a room temperature box of cans to the tailgate party but not want to wait the requisite hour it takes to get them cold. Bring in the Frost Boss which will spin a canned beverage in ice for two minutes and take a room temperature can down to about 42 degrees. That’s the same temperature as if you took it out of your fridge. The best part is that since the aluminum can is lighter than the liquid inside, the contents never get shaken up and won’t fizz or explode when you open up the can after it is done spinning. I was skeptical too but after thoroughly testing the Frost Boss I am a true believer. The Frost Boss will run you $40 and can be purchased HERE.