Charlotte, North Carolina — It’s football season. That means it’s also tailgate party season. Tailgating is a favorite with fans of all soccer games, including pee leagues, high school, college, and professional games. If you haven’t walked through a stadium parking lot in the last few years, let me tell you that tailgate parties are more elaborate than they were 20 years ago.
Whether you’re at a gaming tailgate party or in your backyard, there are tech gadgets to spice up your pregame game.
TVs are lighter, thinner, and cheaper than they were just five seasons ago, making them popular at tailgate parties. Powering these TVs is the only challenge. Luckily, there are options for generators that don’t use gas.
The EcoFlow Delta portable generator or power station is an excellent choice to power any gadget you bring into your game. These power stations have multiple AC plugs and USB and USB-C ports to power TVs, mini-fridges, smartphones, tablets, and computers. They are virtually silent and a great upgrade from the old noisy and smelly gas generators. Simply charge the power station using your standard home AC outlet before you take it on the go. EcoFlow holds a charge for months, so it’s also a good backup power source in case the lights go out in your home.
Small and light enough to carry from car to tailgate location. How well does it work? To test it, I plugged it into an old refrigerator and let it run for 13 hours. I also hooked up a big screen TV, phone, and computer and was able to easily run 3+ games. It may be the most important piece of the tailgate party puzzle.
Speaking of TVs, if you only buy them on game days, save the box. Thin and light TVs are very fragile.
Today’s TVs also have tiny speakers that can’t produce enough sound for even a small group of people. Taking the soundbar with you will increase the volume so fans can hear the announcer.
A portable Bluetooth speaker that does not require a power supply is also available. His one of the best (and loudest) speakers I’ve tried is the Soundcore Rave Mini. Although there is no “mini” when it comes to size or sound. This speaker has impressive bass for a Bluetooth speaker and is loud enough to be heard by a large group of fans. It’s a fairly large speaker, so it can be difficult to carry around with other things. Of course, there are handles and options for adding even more bass to the out-of-the-box stuff. It connects wirelessly to your phone or computer, but it also has an auxiliary input. Plus, it charges your smartphone via the USB port.
If you don’t need something that big, the best small Bluetooth speaker I’ve tested is the Bose SoundLink Flex. The light speakers sound incredible (Bose, of course). Battery lasts up to 12 hours. Even if it rains, you don’t have to worry about damaging the speaker because it is dustproof and waterproof. I even threw it in the pool. It submerged and floated to the top with music playing. By the way, one of my buddies had to find out if it’s possible to hear music underwater (he could). It’s small and light, so you can throw it in your bag to carry it to the stadium parking lot.
At most tailgate and backyard parties, someone stands around the grill flipping burgers and chicken. Overheating can make a difference. Meater+ is a digital thermometer probe that you insert into what you are cooking. Choose what to cook and how to cook it using the companion smartphone app. The Meater+ then monitors the internal temperature of the meat and the ambient temperature under the grill hood. The Meater+ will send a notification to your smartphone when you’re nearing a suitable and safe temperature, so you can be notified when you need to step away from the grill and remove it from the heat.
https://www.weber.com/US/en/accessories/accessories-by-category/smart-gadgets/ The thermometer is similar except you get two probes connected by wires to the display hub. I’m here. It also has a companion app that sends notifications when food is ready.
Although I like the Meater+ and iGrill devices, I recommend using a meat thermometer such as Thermapen Pro. help.
