What the Tech? Tailgate Tech Tips
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(ABC 6 News) – With football season approaching this weekend, thoughts aren’t only on wins and losses and bragging rights. Tailgate parties can be more fun than the games themselves. Whether it’s in a stadium parking lot or in someone’s backyard, parties that involve food, drinks, and entertainment can use some new portable technology. Gadgets to up your tailgate game and have everyone talking about your pre-game parties.
Not long ago having cold drinks at a tailgate party required coolers and bags of ice. It’s possible now to take refrigerators on the road with you by connecting to a power supply. Or, you can take a portable refrigerator that not only cools drinks but can keep frozen foods frozen and make their own ice.
The Glacier portable fridge from EcoFlow has two compartments. A fridge and a freezer that can go as low as 13 degrees below zero. It’ll run on a battery for up to 40 hours. Another compartment can make 18 ice cubes in about 13 minutes. It also has charging ports for phones and laptops. The Glacier fridge weighs about 50 pounds empty but has wheels and a handle to get it from one place to another.
Big screen TVs are more portable than ever but you’ll need power. Rather than a noisy generator, battery-powered generators like the EcoFlo Delta and Delta 2Max, the Anker Powerhouse, and Goal Zero’s Yeti power stations deliver electricity quietly. Depending on what you need to power, the generators can range in price from about $200 to $1,200.
Plug the TV into a large speaker so everyone can hear pre-game talk or music. The Soundcore Motion Boom has a crazy rich bass for a portable speaker. Some Bluetooth speakers like the JBL Flip series can link or daisy-chain together for sound in all directions. Don’t overcook because you’re distracted. The Weber iGrill3 thermometer uses probes to get the precise temperature and sends a notification to your phone when it’s done. While the Meater+ is a wireless probe that does the same thing. Set the doneness you looking for and get a notification when it’s time to take it off the grill.
Whether you're in the parking lot at the stadium or in someone's backyard, there are a few things that will come in handy and make your football party memorable.
I also suggest a digital meat thermometer like the Thermopen to get accurate temperature readings from multiple cuts of meat.