10 Items You Need for the Ultimate Tailgating Season This Year

Tackle tailgating season effortlessly with these essentials.

By Alexa Erickson | Published Sep 8, 2022 1:45 PM

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Everything You Need to Tailgate and Grill Before a Football Game

Photo: istockphoto.com

One of the prime signs fall has arrived is the commencement of football season. Across the country, people pile into parking lots for pre-game fun. Tailgating brings together excited fans to watch their favorite teams play live. Truck beds turn into portable kitchens, while the areas around the stadium transform into living rooms and playgrounds.

To get the most out of the experience, you’ll want to acquire the essentials—a portable grill, cooler, shade, and seating, to name a few.

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Whether you’re new to the tailgating game or you just want to up your (pre)game this year, we’ve got you covered with a great list of essentials and clever products to add to your list.

1. Portable Grill

Tailgating Essentials 2022: Portable Grill

Photo: bbqguys.com

What’s tailgating without firing up the grill? A portable option is the way to go for game day, and the Weber Traveler is a prime choice. The 13,000 BTU grill ignites with the push of a button, while the infinite control burner valve ensures you find the right temperature with ease. The grill features 320-square-inches of cooking space, and comes with a side work table and three convenient tool hooks.

Get the Weber Traveler Portable Propane Gas Grill at BBQGuys for $399

2. Camping Chair

Tailgating Essentials 2022: Camping Chair

Photo: amazon.com

A solid seating option is necessary to enjoy a cold one between flipping burgers. The Oniva Fusion Camping Chair is loaded with features—including a comfortably padded 19-1/2 inch-wide seat and backrest, side table, and soft cooler—so you can enjoy your food and keep your brews cold without moving a muscle.

Get the Oniva Fusion Camping Chair with Side Table and Soft Cooler on Amazon for $141.99

3. Wheeled Cooler

Tailgating Essentials 2022: Wheeled Cooler

Photo: amazon.com

This heavy-duty Coleman makes carrying food and drink a breeze—we liked it so much when testing coolers that it’s our recommendation for a budget wheeled cooler. Its 50-quart capacity is capable of holding up to 84 cans, while the insulated lid and walls retain ice for 5 full days. The telescoping handle and durable wheels are ideal for easy transportation. When not in use, the cup holders molded into the lid of the cooler allow you to easily access beverages.

Get the Coleman Xtreme Wheeled Cooler on Amazon for $52.20

4. Grill Utensils Set

Tailgating Essentials 2022: Grill Utensils Set

Photo: amazon.com

A quality, portable grilling utensils set will ensure your barbecue game is as strong on the go as it is at home. This 22-piece stainless steel set comes with everything you need to show off your skills, including a spatula, grill tongs, barbecue fork, meat knife, four skewers, eight corn holders, salt and pepper shaker, silicone basting brush, grill cleaning brush, replaceable head of grill brush, and even an aluminum storage case.

Get the Poligo 22-Piece Grill Utensils Set on Amazon for $32.99 (Save an extra 5% off with coupon at checkout)

5. Bean Bag Toss

Tailgating Essentials 2022: Bean Bag Toss

Photo: amazon.com

Keep the competition going strong off the field with a friendly game of bean bag toss. This portable option is great for tailgating with its lightweight design (weighing just 5.5 pounds) and compactness (measuring just 3 feet by 2 feet). Fold the boards up, place them in the carrying case, and stow the pieces after your victory.

Get the Himal Portable PVC Framed Cornhole Game Set on Amazon for $35.99

6. Foldable Grilling Cart

Tailgating Essentials 2022: Foldable Grilling Cart

Photo: amazon.com

A savvy grilling station is the trick to keeping the food prep as stress-free as possible. This foldable cart transforms into a portable kitchen setup to hold your tabletop grill, condiments, marinades, burgers, and more. The additional built-in hooks and paper towel holder ensure the essentials remain in reach. Reviewers especially love this grill for tailgating because it’s lightweight and extremely easy to set up and break down.

Get the Giantex Folding Grill Table on Amazon for $92.99 

7. Canopy Tent

Tailgating Essentials 2022: Canopy Tent

Photo: amazon.com

Grilling and playing games can work up a sweat, especially in the sun. Keep the party going without worrying too much about heat exhaustion or a sunburn using a portable canopy tent. This adjustable tent, which can be positioned between three leg heights, blocks 99 percent of ultraviolet rays, while the heat-sealed seams provide good waterproofness for when a rain shower hits. The pop up tent comes with a carrying bag and four sand bags as well.

Get the Adjustable Canopy Tent with Portable Bag, 4 Sand Bags on Amazon for $59.99

8. Yeti Drinkware

Tailgating Essentials 2022: Yeti Drinkware

Photo: yeti.com

After putting in all the effort to keep beverages chilled in the cooler, make sure it stays that way with Yeti’s drinkware. The 1o-ounce lowball rambler, which just so happens to be on sale right now for 25 percent off, is a versatile option for holding any type of drink. Its double-wall vacuum insulation keeps your cold beverages cold and your hot beverages hot.

Get the Yeti 10-Ounce Lowball Rambler at Yeti for $15

9. Bluetooth Speaker

Tailgating Essentials 2022: Bluetooth Speaker

Photo: amazon.com

Set the tone with great pump-up music and even better sound quality. Small but mighty, the SoundLink (our favorite outdoor Bluetooth speaker) features supreme sound thanks to a custom-engineered transducer that pumps out deep, clear, and immersive audio. A major plus for tailgating, this portable speaker is built to resist water, dust, debris, and corrosion from UV light.

Get the Bose SoundLink Flex Bluetooth Portable Speaker on Amazon for $149

10. Portable Power Station

Tailgating Essentials 2022: Portable Power Station

Photo: amazon.com

Avoid turning on the car to power up your phone, speaker, and more by bringing along a portable power station to the tailgate party. Our pick for the best solar portable power station, the Jackery Explorer 240 has more than 16,000 ratings on Amazon, with 85 percent of people giving it five stars for its compact, lightweight design and dependability. Great for travel, the station weighs just 6.6 pounds, features a solid handle for easy carrying, and is equipped with a 240Wh lithium-ion battery pack.

Get the Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 240 on Amazon for $219.99 (Save an extra $20 with coupon at checkout)