Essential Tailgate Gear

Summer is ending soon and that’s not such a bad thing. If you’re anything like us, you already got the most out of the hottest, sunniest season of the year. Perhaps you went on some camping trips, a few road trips to iconic, memorable destinations (a National Park or giant bottle of twine), and a day floating at a beach, lake, or large pond. While autumn is the gateway to winter, it brings a handful of great things and events (and we don’t mean the deluge of pumpkin-spiced nonsense). We’re talking about an increase in apple-centric foods, tons of warm sweaters, and the beginning of tailgate season. And while the idea of tailgating might seem simple, it’s much more complicated than driving into a parking lot, opening a lawn chair, and cracking a frosty, refreshing beer. To do it right, you need essential items like coolers, grills, canopies for inclement weather, yard games, and a great football or two for tossing while you wait for kickoff. RELATED: Essential Camping Gear for Beginners Fear not, you don’t have to worry about tailgating essentials, as we did the work for you. Below, you’ll find out picks for the best chairs, tables, coolers, and everything else you’ll need for an outstanding tailgate season. You just have to pick the drinks, meats, veggies, and snacks — we can’t do that for you. YETI Roadie 60 Wheeled Cooler If you’re anything like us, you’ll need a big cooler to fit all that beer, various other drinks, and food. The YETI Roadie 60 Wheeled Cooler is well-suited for tailgating. For one thing, it’s massive and will fit as many as 98 cans (if you don’t add ice or any steaks, burgers, or other eats). Also, it’s on wheels so it will easily move with you if you manage to find yourself invited to another tailgate party. Lastly, it’s made by YETI so you know it’s durable and will still be ready for you during the playoffs. $450 at YETI.com  Camp Chef Mesa Aluminum Camp Table Unless you’re in Buffalo, you should be using your table for eating or tabletop grilling as opposed to launching your body through it from the top of a minivan. One of our favorite tailgating tables is the Camp Chef Mesa Aluminum Camp Table. Easy to carry to your tailgate, this collapsible table is made of lightweight aluminum. It even comes with a carry bag to stow it away in your car and bring it out when the tailgate begins. Don’t try to jump through this table; save that for the cheap plastic tables instead — or better yet, don’t do it at all. $139.99 at CampChef.com  OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Grilling Tool Set If you plan to grill at your tailgate and you don’t want to burn your fingers while taking sizzling steaks and scorching sausages off the grill, you’re going to need a decent set of grilling tools. And no, you don’t need a ridiculous set with 10 tools that you’ll never use. We always like to keep tailgating simple. That’s why we bring along the OXO Good Grips 3-Piece Grilling Tool Set. This easily portable set includes grilling tongs (with scalloped edges and a nifty bottle opener), a stainless-steel grilling turner, and a silicone surface to rest your meats on before cutting into them. $29.99 at OXO.com  REI Co-Op Wonderland Chair Never underestimate the importance of a comfortable, sturdy chair. This is especially true when it comes to tailgating. You’re going to be lounging in this chair from the early morning hours until kickoff, so it had better be high-quality. Our go-to tailgate chair is the REI Co-Op Wonderland Chair. This surprisingly well-priced chair is made with a 100% recycled polyester seat that’s treated with a water-repellant finish to ensure you never have to sit on a puddle. One of the most comfortable tailgating chairs, it also has a mesh bottle holder, a carry strap for moving between tailgates, and a weight capacity of up to 300 pounds. $99.95 at REI.com  Yaheetech Pop-Up Canopy Tent You never know what mother nature will throw at you during tailgate season. It’s always best to be prepared with a durable, well-made canopy. One of our favorites is the Yaheetech Pop-Up Canopy Tent. This 10X10 pop-up canopy is heavy-duty, surprisingly easy to move from site to site, and easy to put up. It features a waterproof, adjustable canopy and even comes in a wheeled carry bag. Using the telescopic legs, you can decide the proper height for you and your tailgate party. What better way to ward off that random autumnal rain? $139.99 at Yaheetech.com  CornholeAce ACE Red Zone – Cornhole Board Set No tailgate is complete without a yard game or two. And no yard game is better for parking lot use than classic corn hole. And while you could easily grab a cheap plastic version that might last a month into the season, your best bet is to get a heavy duty set to use year after year. We love the CornholeAce ACE Red Zone – Cornhole Board Set. This is the kind of corn hole set professionals use and it’s made to the same standards, using ¾ inch Baltic Birch plywood and a combination of UV-activated ink and clear coat paint to guarantee it won’t fade in the sun, even if you play every week during the season. From $199.99 at CornholeAce.com  Blackstone Omnivore Stainless Front Panel Tabletop Griddle There’s no tailgate without food. If you’re attending (or throwing) a proper tailgate, you’re going to need something to grill the burgers, steaks, sausages, ribs, and veggies on. We love the Blackstone Omnivore Stainless Front Panel Tabletop Griddle. With 22” of cooking space, you’ll have more than enough room for everyone’s favorite grilled meats. To add to that, there are two independently controlled cooking zones cranking out a whopping 21,000 BTUs. It’s the perfect, portable tabletop grill for the fall tailgate season. $199.99 at BlackstoneProducts.com  YETI Rambler 12 Oz Colster Can Cooler While some of the items on our list take up more space in your car and seem like essentials, it’s difficult to underplay the importance of a well-made beer (or soda) can koozie. And while the traditional foam or neoprene novelty koozies are great, we need something with a little more substance and durability. That’s why we love the YETI Rambler 12 Oz Colster Can Cooler for tailgate season. This heavy-duty, durable can cooler is made with kitchen-grade stainless steel, is double wall-vacuum insulated, has a quick turn gasket to guarantee your drink stays snug and cool, and comes in a variety of colors to suit any personality or taste. $25 at YETI.com  Nike Official Tournament Football While corn hole (and simply sitting in lawn chairs while you eat snacks and drink beer) is all well and good, sometimes you want something that is not only fun, but a little more laid back while you tailgate. In between meaty dishes and frosty brews, we like to toss a football around and pretend that we have a fraction of the talent of the players we’ll be watching later. You can grab a random football at a sporting goods store at the checkout (that might pop by mid-season) or you can buy a high-quality ball you’ll want to throw around all season long. We prefer the Nike Official Tournament Football. It’s made of high-grade composite leather, so you’ll feel like Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes as you sling it around the parking lot with your friends. $45 at DicksSportingGoods.com  You Might Also Dig: 25 Products That Could Last 25 Years or MoreThe Best Carabiners to Upgrade Your EDCBest Backpacks for Men