Here we are once again, with football season in full swing. It’s time to break out chicken wing recipes, play cornhole, and find other ways to stretch a three-hour game into a ten-hour venture. To help you prepare for the season and beyond, we’ve (fondly) looked back on our favorite tailgate experiences and considered the gear that made their preparation so seamless and fun.
Our crew at Gumption Gear has tested the following products and consider them to be some of the best tailgating essentials available. So whether it’s College game day, NFL Sunday, or a rowdy kids soccer weekend, it’s time to pack up the car, put your jersey on, and get ready to crack open a beer before noon in a stadium parking lot. We don’t get to do it often enough.
Stanley Easy Carry 50qt Hard-Sided Cooler
A day of tailgating with friends requires something a lot bigger than your old lunchpail-sized cooler. The new Stanley Easy Carry 50qt Hard-Sided Cooler isn’t just excessively durable, but it has plenty of space, and is easy to haul. Not to mention it doubles as a chair or step stool when needed.
Our team has long appreciated the exceptional temperature retention that Stanley is known for but it’s the easy going size of this new cooler from Stanley that instantly won us over. Not too big, not too small, instead this Goldilocks of coolers is the perfect fit for any adventure. Not only does it keep items chilled for up to four days, it’s perfect size ensures that you’ll still have room for those cornhole tables in the back of your car.
The 50-quart Cold-For-Days Outdoor Cooler fits up to 82 cans of your favorite 12-ounce beverage. Simply grab a cold one with the easy-open latch and lock set. Atop the lid, the bungee system can secure party supplies or serve as a snack tray, complete with four cup holders, for your next getaway. This one has already gotten more than its fair share of use, and we promise you will never once question whether you got your money’s worth.
STANLEY Everyday Can Cooler Cup
Where your tailgate session lasts 30 minutes or three hours, there is one mandatory requirement: Cold drinks stay cold and hot food stays hot. Towards those ends, no tailgate session is complete with out the STANLEY Everyday Can Cooler Cup.
Seriously, your drink stands no chance of warming up with this little necessity. Just drop in your can, crack open your beverage, and enjoy! The Everyday Can Cooler Cup is just the right size for a 12-ounce standard-can beverage. Double-wall vacuum insulation keeps your drink at the perfect temperature, so the last sip is just as refreshing as the first.
Cold beer isn’t quite your jam? Fear not my friends, because this gem doubles up as a tumbler. Just fill it up with your favorite adult beverage, close the lid, and sip away. Prefer to sip from a straw? A reusable Tritan™ straw is included and works with or without the Press-in Drink Thru lid, while the Hold-Tight™ tabs ensure your drink stays secure.
Stanley Classic Easy Pour Growler
Over 100 years ago inventor William Stanley Jr. forever changed the game when he fused vacuum insulation and the strength of steel in one portable bottle. In the century since, his vacuum bottle evolved from concept to icon and has become an essential part of tailgate parties, road trips, and outdoor adventures. The Barware line-up from STANLEY follows in that impressive lineage and offers plenty of options for your Sunday celebrations.
The design of the Stanley Classic Easy Pour Growler is not only handsomely rugged like your favorite jersey, but it is also the ultimate option for serving up cold beer. The design of the Stanley Classic Easy Pour Growler beautifully blends old-school aesthetics with modern vacuum insulation technology. Not only is this stainless steel bottle easy on the eyes (and available in a veritable cornucopia of colors), it features an innovative clamp system that’s a modern take on a classic growler top. And that satisfying ‘pop’ you hear when you open the steel-lined lid is a sure sign your beer is still fresh and bubbly.
Pair the Easy Pour Growler with a set of Adventure Stacking pints and you’ll be the hit of any tailgate party. The Stay Chill Stacking Pints have double-wall vacuum insulation to keep your favorite brew or beverage icy cold for hours. They won’t break, crack or rust, and when you’re done, stack them up for space-saving storage until tomorrow.
Stanley Stay Hot Camp Mug 24oz
Last but not least, we offer a little bonus suggestion knowing that not everyone’s tailgate experience takes place at Levi Stadium on a 75 degree day. Whether it’s a Sunday Tailgate in Chicago, or just a Saturday soccer game in a drizzling rain, there’s another addition to your adventure stash you will be needing.
The Stanley Stay Hot Camp Mug ensures that you can have 24oz of glorious caffeinated warmth at your beck and call. Backed by a secure press-fit Tritain drink-thru lid that helps guard against spills, you can take it just about anywhere without worry. Made from double wall vacuum insulated stainless steel that keeps your drinks hot or cold for hours, it’s a reliable way to intake some hot caffeine right before heading into the stands, or right before you head home after the game. Sure… you can also load it up with hot chocolate for the kids to reward them for a job well done at their soccer game. Either way, at 24 ounces, the Stay-Hot Camp Mug is the perfect size for fall.