Can you paint a satellite dish? YES!

A lot of tailgaters bring either DirecTV or Dish Network dishes to the tailgate, and they are almost always the same dull gray that the factory puts on them. 

In researching, people say that you shouldn't paint them, and to never use a gloss paint.  When we started our tailgating, we used the factory dish.  Not long after, we painted the dish with a flat red, and it worked fine.

When we had our tailgate truck painted, we opted to have the dish painted with the same paint as the truck; a dark red with a clear coat put over it.  We then applied vinyl decals to it.  

Did it still work?  Sure did.  No noticable loss in signal.  So can you paint your dish and have it still work?  Absolutely.

Even with the gloss paint, we've never had a problem with a reflection melting the LNBs like some say can happen.

So get out there an paint your dishes!

 Picture from www.tailgatetruck.com

Scorzie. Keeping score in style!

Hello fellow tailgaters!

Today I got my hands on a great new product: The Scorzie.

The Scorzie incorporates a can coozie with a dual score keeper for your favorite tailgating game.  As you can see, there are two bands to keep track with.

My first concern when seeing pictures of the Scorzie was how easily it would be to accidentally change score during the REAL game (drinking).  

Don't worry, as there are positive steps for each number on the coozie.  Just enough friction to keep the numbers in place, but still easy enough to move.

I was really impressed with the quality of this unit.  They have done a great job with this.

You can get your own by going to the Scorzie website at http://www.scorzie.com/

Home Run Koozie

Created by Roy Henning and David Bauman, the Home Run Koozie Kit is a great product, even more so during the colder tailgating months.

The Home Run Koozie Kit started as an idea in the basement with supplies gotten at Menards, and after numerous prototypes, a production version was finalized.

The current theme of the koozies are baseball themed, though football should be coming in the future.

The velcro on the koozie is even strong enough to hold its weight if you were to apply velcro to a tailgating vehicle, wall, etc.  I've tested this out with great success, as you can see in the photo gallery below.

Roy is open to doing custom orders if the need arises.  You can find out more about the Home Run Koozie by emailing Roy or visiting their Facebook page here.

Stay tuned, as Tailgate Lot will be running a contest this fall to give away a Home Run Koozie Kit!

Go Big on Beer Pong

If you've mastered beer pong, and are looking to take on something a little bigger, you need to check out BEARPONG ($65).

BEARPONG is an oversized portable Beer Pong set that can be played anywhere. This set is great to thrown down at the beach, tailgates, poolside, cookouts, and yards.

My first thought when I saw this product was, you're going to need a helluva lotta beer to hold those cups down. Actually, they use a patent pending weighted system to hold down the cups...err...buckets. The deluxe set comes complete with 12 buckets, 3 balls, ball pump, and a unique carrying case to get you started.

You can check them out for more information at BearPong.com.

Weber Ranch Kettle Grill

With a cooking area clocking in at just over 1,100 square inches, The Ranch ($1,100) is the Weber Kettle Grill on steroids. This mammoth of a grill is able to accommodate multiple turkeys, roasts, chickens, or up to 19 Cornish hens! Originally designed for caterers and country club chefs, the Ranch Kettle is perfect for extremely large tailgate crowds.

Rugged, yet easy to use, this 37-1/2-inch-diameter grill features a patented tuck-away lid that slides conveniently into its holder. Two weather-resistant thermoplastic handles remain cool to the touch when you move the lid. A hinged cooking grate gives you easy access to coals and a removable ash catcher assures easy cleanup. With the same solid construction of all Weber grills, the Ranch Kettle has locking casters that allow for easy movement and the porcelain-enameled coating to prevent rust.

Best of all, the massive cooking area lets you have any number of different heating combinations, such as high heat for searing meat, a medium area for cooking it, and a low area for keeping food warm on the grill.

Track Down Tailgates With This Handy New Mobile App

Tailgate Scout is a new mobile web application developed by tailgaters to help you track down your friend’s tailgating location, and other tailgates nearby on game day. The app was mainly developed to help tailgaters find a single spot located amongst the vast area of tents and grills. It works great if you are trying to host a public tailgate, and want to get the word out, or if you just need friends to find where you parked.

Tailgate Scout currently carries the following features:

• Facebook sign on to leverage your existing social network
• Access on both Android and iPhone devices through the built in browser
• Maps and lists to pinpoint your friends and their tailgates
• Display all public tailgates nearby sorted by distance
• Location sharing through tailgate creation, check in, tweet button, and the mark your spot functionality
• Tailgate check in to earn points for your team
• Leader boards to track top teams, tailgates, and scouts for that day

You can check out the app by visiting http://www.TailgateScout.com on your iPhone, Android phone, or Google Chrome.

Campfire In A Can is Guaranteed to Heat Up Your Tailgate

With late fall and early winter peeking around the corner, it’s never too early to start to get ready for some cold weather tailgating. So, we know that taking down swigs of Jack will help you stay all warm and fuzzy inside, but to truly beat that cold chill you need to check out the Campfire In A Can ($240), the portable propane fire pit.

The Gas Can’s precision craftsmanship and 3-spoke burner design produces a good old-fashioned, roaring fire. Certified and tested to CSA standards, it produces up to 64,000 BTUs; it is literally the hottest campfire on the market. The product’s high-efficiency propane regulator and adjustable shut off valve allow easy control of desired fire size. Safe to burn on a wood deck or patio carpet, The Gas Can is the only campfire with a certified zero clearance to combustibles underneath it.

The Gas Can’s innovative pedestal style base provides safe and easy internal storage of the 10-foot propane hose and regulator. A realistic ceramic one-piece log set with super glow ceramic woodchips gives the fire an authentic wood burning appearance. The Gas Can’s aluminum canister top functions as a stand and a protective carrying case, and its collapsible handle folds flush for easy storage. It has a removable cooking grate that is perfect to throw down a skillet for those morning tailgate omelets.

Tap Boards Keeps Your Beer Organized

Variety is a good thing. If you are extremely loyal to one type of beer, you can stop reading here. However, if you are a promoter of assortment, and can appreciate the difference between a Belgian Trippel and Belgian Dubbel, you will soon find yourself buried alive in a pile of beer tap handles. To keep your beer organized, check out Tap Boards ($40). These handcrafted walnut-finished beer taps hold a chalkboard inserts that you let you erase and re-label your brew every time you switch out a keg. They work great for the home bar with kegerators.

Steak Station: Monitor Four Steaks At Once

As far as I’m concerned, you can split “grill masters” into two categories. Those that love gadgets, and those that really love gadgets. The Steak Station ($23) is a great little device that any “grill master” will love. It can monitor four steaks at the same time, allowing those commanding the grill to confidently cook multiple steaks, and attend to more pressing matters, like taking down a cold beer. The colorful Steak Station probes measure from 115°F to 170°F, indicating a complete spectrum of doneness while helping you remember whose steak is whose. The adjustable foldout kickstand on the back pops out into various positions, and it feels very sturdy when sitting on the grill.

Designed for cooking in the trenches during a hectic tailgate when the crowd is clamoring for steaks of all different doneness, the no-nonsense interface makes grilling them about as easy as it can be.

The only feature that we would like to see in the future is a numerical read out of the current internal temperature.

Rawlings Inks Multi-Year Deal with NFL for Tailgating Products

Rawlings Sporting Goods® is reporting that they’ve signed an exclusive multi-year deal with the National Football League for NFL-branded tailgating products, including tent canopies, grills, and chairs.

This will basically consolidate the NFL’s tailgate rights landscape under such quality brands such as Coleman®, Rawlings®, Bicycle® and Shakespeare®. The new tailgate collection, which in addition to canopies, grills and chairs will include a number of non-exclusive tailgate products, including coolers, stadium seats and footballs, will merchandise under the new TLG8™ brand umbrella and its “Real Brands for Real Fans™” tagline. The collection is set to launch April 2011, aimed at creating a “one-stop shop” for all NFL tailgating needs.

Although this could be a great thing for tailgaters, it could potential put an end to many Ma and Pa tailgating shops. I guess we’ll have to see how it all plays out when the deal kicks into play in 2011.