Although modern tailgating started out as a pre-game activity where football fans congregated in parking lots outside stadiums, the activity is really just one part of a social tapestry that includes everything from old fashioned block parties to pot lucks and everything in between. Today, you don’t have to be a football fan—or even wait for football season—to tailgate. Whether you choose to pre-game at your non-football sport of choice, or just get together with your friends at a park, beach, or anywhere else, tailgating is the perfect excuse to get outside, grill up some great food, maybe have a drink or two, and enjoy yourself. But what does one bring to a tailgating party? Well, for a lot of years the basics included things like a portable grill, cooler, for various meats and libations, and, of course, a tailgate. If you want to move beyond the basics, then here are our top 10 tailgating gadgets and technologies: Of course, not all power inverters are created equal, and dinky little cigarette lighter inverters are probably the least equal of all. Unless you want to sit around in the dark like a caveman, make sure to pick up an inverter that’s capable of meeting all your electricity needs. If you want to make sure you don’t run out of juice, make sure to check out our full guide to estimating inverter output requirements. You can help mitigate that by starting and running your engine, which will help keep the battery charged, but who wants to sit around in a cloud of exhaust? If you get an extra deep cycle battery to run all of your electronics, then you’ll never have to deal with the dreaded dead-battery-click when it’s time to head home. Most portable power backs are only suitable for small electronics, but larger jump boxes that are primarily designed to jump start cars can provide a whole lot more juice. Some of them even have built-in inverters. If you’re feeling adventurous, or even go whole hog with a built-in mobile video system with multiple video monitors, multiple video sources, and maybe even a projector if you’re feeling adventurous. For more information that will help you keep up with all the other games while you’re tailgating, check out our guide to watching TV in your car. HD radio is a free option that allows you to listen to a lot of extra content in most major cities, and satellite is a subscription service that has something for everyone. Internet radio is another great option if you have some kind of mobile internet available. A lot of newer head units have apps for services like Spotify and Pandora built right in. If you’re tailgating the old-fashioned way, then satellite radio is also a great way to keep up with all of the other football games that you aren’t currently at. If you’re not, then it’s a lot easier than carting around a bunch of mixtape CDs. If you’re on the fence about what kind of radio to get, check out our guide to choosing between HD and satellite radio. If you’re not sure about the best way to share internet access at your next tailgating party, check out our guide to getting Wi-Fi in your car. If your battery and inverter can handle it, then throw a portable can cooler, or even a mini fridge, in the bed of your truck and stock them to the nines. We’re not talking about your old dorm fridge here, since that would probably drain your battery faster than you’d like, which leads us into the subject of tailgating food prep. Of course, your options for portable car cookers don’t stop there. And, if we’re being honest, you might as well bring along a grill too. While there are some pretty great high-tech portable grills out there, any small charcoal or gas grill will get the job done just fine. Luckily, some decidedly old-fashioned tech has come around again in the form of swamp coolers, which are also referred to as evaporative coolers and misting fans. These are some great, low-cost ways to stay cool if you live in a relatively dry environment. For more information about how swamp coolers work, check out our guide to cheap alternatives to broken car A/C. For instance, if you want to make sure that you can actually find your friends in the sea of all the other tailgaters, then grab a GPS locator app that lets you do just that.
