The Cosby Sweaters family loves a good tailgate. The brisk morning air giving way to the warm sun of the afternoon or, perhaps, the cold morning air giving way to the still cold afternoon, or the all day rainfall that accompanies the hours leading up to gametime. While the weather might change, the list of necessary tailgating supplies does not.
To further celebrate the most wonderful time of the year, Cosby Sweaters, Yardbarker, and Prilosec OTC have teamed up for the Prilosec OTC Wild American Flavor Tour, already is in full swing. Since the Tour centers around some of the greatest tailgates in the country, we decided to assemble a list of the top ten items you should absolutely not be without at your tailgate:
- ICE – Ice is the cornerstone of any decent tailgate. You’re going to need it for a multitude of things, the least of which is not keeping our various beverages cold throughout the day. Sure, you may be in a climate that actually has winter (not a problem for us here in Southern California) but you’ll still need ice. Ice is so important, in fact, that as latecomers call and ask what they can bring, tell them to bring ice. You can never have too much and if you have extra it just turns into water if you leave it behind.
- BEVERAGES – Now that you have all that ice, you’re going to need something to put it in. That’s where the beverages come in handy. There are various beverages you can choose from, of course, but if you like to have adult bevvies at our tailgate you must remember to bring some juices and sodas for your guests who prefer to stay on the sober side. Also, water. All the water you can carry. It’s going to be a long day.
- FOOD – Like the first two, this is kind of a no-brainer. I could go into all the classic tailgating treats but I don’t feel it’s necessary. You’ll want to be sure and sock plenty of snacks as well as some main/big items, such as brats or carne asada, which brings us to…
- BIG COOLER – You’ll need a giant cooler, and probably more than one. These will be used to keep you ice frozen, your beverages cold, and your perishable foodstuffs from perishing. Being in a winter climate has advantages here, because you can just shovel yourself a pile of snow and stick cans in there. Still, a cooler is an absolute must. The more the merrier.
- GAS GRILL – The flavor debate of charcoal vs. gas aside, you have to go with gas for a tailgate. First of all, it’s easier to transport. It’s faster and you don’t have to worry about where to dump a bunch of burned coals at the end of the day. Gas is also cleaner and keeps you from polluting your other tailgaters with smoke other than that of the delicious meats you’ll be firing up. And don’t limit yourself to just meats. Put down some foil and grill up some veggies as well. They’re for your health! Speaking of foil…
- KITCHEN SUPPLIES – You’re going to need a lot of brick-a-brack in order to keep your tailgate afloat. You need plastic cups, plates, utensils, plastic trash bags, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, sandwich bags, paper towels, and napkins. The more of it you can find that’s disposable the better, because once you lug all of this out there you won’t want to bring it back. On top of that, you never know how many people you might end up entertaining so it’s best to grab some bulk sets of these things and be ready.
- TELEVISION – If you tailgate the way we do, you’ll need a television because you’ll have about ten hours before gametime during which you need to stay entertained. Nowadays you can get yourself a portable stand for a satellite dish and flat screen TVs are pretty easy to carry around. The problem becomes powering it which is why you need a…
- GENERATOR – These are easily rented at your local hardware store and can actually be remarkably quiet. Get yourself a gas-powered generator and use it to keep football on the television all day long. If you have a receiver and some speakers, bring them along so you can pump some tunes, but remember to keep your fellow tailgaters in mind in regards to the volume. Don’t forget the power strip and extension cords!
- CANOPY/CHAIRS/TABLE – These rolled into one category because it’s all “living room” stuff. You’ll want to bring a canopy to provide some shaded area for your guests (as well as to keep the TV under) and then you’re going to need chairs. Like the canopy, they should be collapsible and easy to lug about. The table goes without saying, because you’re going to need to put he TV and those snacks on something, after all.
- A FOOTBALL – It doesn’t HAVE to be a football, but a football is the easiest thing to bring. A Frisbee works as well but can be a bit harder to control. Regardless, you’re going to want to stretch your legs and play some games. If you have a cornhole set then more power to you, but we stand by a football.
There you have it! We never travel to a tailgate without making sure we have every single one of these bases covered.
Let us know what your must have tailgating items are, and don’t forget to join Cosby Sweaters, Yardbarker, and Prilosec OTC for the rest of the Prilosec OTC Wild American Flavor Tour!
