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A football and beer at a tailgate

Tailgate Basics: Tents, Grills, and Electronics

Are you excited about football season? Me too! Or tailgate season, as I call it. If you’re a newbie tailgate host, you and your friends are in for a great time this fall. There is some preparation you’ll need to do to ensure that your football tailgate runs smoothly, and the three main items you need to worry about first are tailgate tents, tailgate grills, and tailgate electronics. Here are some tailgating tips to help you choose the best equipment for your tailgating needs, and after you nail those down, then you can worry about the fun stuff: food, drinks, friends, and last but not least, football!

Tents

There are several different styles of tents you can buy, and tailgate tents can vary in price from $100 all the way up to $300 or more. The most popular style of tent is the pop-up tent (about $175), which you can find at your favorite team’s shop or even at Walmart. A cheaper alternative is the the hitch tailgate tent, which is about $100, but it doesn’t provide as much room (available online or at sports stores). 

There are also frame and pavilion tents that can be used, but if you’re just starting out, it is probably in your best interest to stick to one of the cheaper options. Once you build up your hosting confidence and a good base of fellow tailgaters, you can upgrade to one of those, if you want. Or, you can stick with a pop-up or hitch tent for your entire tailgating career because they will work just fine. 

Grills

The grill is going to be your best friend at the tailgate party because you will be cooking the majority of your tailgate recipes on it, including burgers, hot dogs, ribs, and anything else you can imagine (because everything tastes better grilled). While charcoal grills do provide a smokey flavor that cannot be matched, it may not be the best idea for a tailgate. Charcoal grills take longer to heat up than propane ones, and they have more components to them, so if you’re trying to feed fifty people, you should probably opt for a propane grill instead of a charcoal one. 

When you’re trying to decide how big of a grill to bring, it all depends on how much food you intend to cook. Most people who host tailgates don’t haul their huge, 6-burner grills because it’s a hassle, so they’ll bring smaller standalone ones or tabletop ones to save space. You can find a tabletop grill for as cheap as $25, but if you’ll be feeding more than just you and a few friends, you’ll probably want to opt for a standalone, double burner grill that you can find for as low as $90-$100.

Electronics

If you and your fellow tailgaters aren’t planning on attending the game itself, you’ll still want to keep up with the action while the party keeps going. So, in that case, you will need to bring a television and possibly some speakers. A small, 32” flatscreen is ideal because it is portable and still large enough for several people to comfortably watch. You can bring speakers as well so you can easily hear what’s going on during the game, and they’re great for blasting your favorite tunes beforehand. 

To set up these electronics, you will also need to bring a generator with you. The type will depend on your electronics, but the most popular generator to bring to these kinds of events is a 2000 watt generator. With these, you can also have a cell phone charging station, and you will have the option of plugging up other items, such as slow cookers to keep the cheese dip or chili nice and toasty for the entire evening.

Last Updated: August 27, 2015