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College football season started last weekend and the NFL opens its season on Thursday. For the past month leading up to tailgating season, the guys over at NationalTailgate.com had been revealing their list of tailgating tips on Twitter. Each day they would reveal two or three tips that will make your tailgating experience more enjoyable and worry free. It really is a solid list and I won’t steal their thunder by publishing the whole thing. (you’ll need to head over THERE to view all 60 tailgating tips) I will however, list a few of the ones that I believe are the most important for having a successful tailgate.
National Tailgate’s Tips
- Stock up on ice – you can never have enough ice. (Plus any extra ice can be used for cocktails and mixed drinks.)
- Leave enough time before the start of the event to clean up and pack up your tailgating equipment. (I hate missing kick-off because I lost track of time while tailgating.)
- Come up with a unique identifier to make your tailgate stand out from the others. This way your arriving guests will find you a lot faster. Flagpoles and tents usually do the trick. (This gives your late arriving tailgaters more time to tailgate rather than driving around looking for you down each row.)
- Not only should you use a checklist to ensure that you pack everything before the tailgate, but use that checklist to make sure you are not leaving anything behind after the tailgate. (I fell victim to this and ended up leaving my flag pole mount at Qualcomm Stadium. Never again.)
- Don’t forget to bring some cash for parking. (Sounds like a no brainer but you would not believe the amount of people trying to pay to park with a debit card.)
- Keep in mind that cooking equipment (grills, stoves, etc…) need sufficient time to cool off before you pack them away. (Don’t be like this douchebag and think putting a grill under your car is a safe thing.)
- Upon arriving home, make sure you clean out your tailgate vehicle right away…the longer you wait, the more you’ll regret it. (This is a big one for me and even if it is late after a Monday Night game, I always unpack as soon as I return home.)
- If you’ve been drinking, make sure you have a designated driver or you designate enough time after the event to sober up. (Another no brainer but so important that I had to include it here.)
- Don’t be afraid to duplicate other tailgaters’ techniques. If they’ve come up with a great idea, use it. (That’s why you are here reading this right? To get some tailgating ideas.)
- Check tailgating blogs or fan websites online to connect with other tailgaters. (Tailgate Haven is an excellent resource for this)
For the complete list head on over to NationalTailgate.com. Also, make sure to follow them on Twitter too.
