The Great Plate

Check out the Great Plate, a plate with an integrated drink holder in the center to keep a hand free.  The drink holder is large enough to handle most cans and bottles (including coozies!), as well as most disposable cups.

 

We've all done the awkward clutching of our drink at the tailgate lot when holding a plate of food, trapping the drink between your arm and chest.  The Great Plate hopes to end this nonsense once and for all.

Made from flexible and durable polypropylene, the Great Plate is dishwasher safe, recyclable and proudly made in the USA. They also stack on top of one another to save space when not in use.

The center of the Great Plate is for storing your beverage, while the outer rim is deep enough and wide enough to hold just about any food item you like.

The Great Plate also floats, flies like a frisbee, and works well as a coaster on uneven surfaces, such as furniture or grass.

You can pick up the Great Plate from their website.

To find out more about the Great Plate, check them out at:
Website: http://www.greatplate.net
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/greatplate
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/1GreatPlate

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Grill Easy Natural Lump Charcoal In A Box

Grilling at the Tailgate Lot can be an issue for the unprepared.  Some bring smokers, some bring small propane grills, some bring full size webers, and some have hitch mounted grills.  We've done reviews on portable grilling in the past, but there is another option out there.

Purists of the grill will sing the praises of lump charcoal.  The flavor off lump charcoal can't be beat, and it burns hotter than normal coals.  Not to mention all the chemicals that some of the preformed briquettes have in them...

 

Say hello to Grill Easy, which gives you the great taste and performances of lump charcoal in a easy to transport package.

Grill Easy comes in a cardboard box that you simply light and wait.  In 15 minutes, the box will have burned away leaving you with a nice bed of hot natural lump charcoal to grill over.

 

The construction of the box helps keep airflow around the coals, ensuring a great burn.  No having to pack a chimney, no packing lighter fluid. And man will this stuff perform.  using a air temp probe, I measured the temperature at 575 degrees!

 

The Grill Easy solves a great problem.  No more garbage bags / styrofoam coolers / burn in bag containers full of briquets.  No bringing lighter fluid.  No bringing a chimney.  This package flat out works.  Great long lasting heat for all your grilling.  Going to the local park?  No problem.  Just pack a Grill Easy and you are set.

The Grill Easy can be found in at certain brick and mortar stores on the east coast right now, or on their website (http://grill-easy.com/buy.asp)

You can read more about Grill Easy at their website: http://grill-easy.com
You can also check out their social media sites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrillEasy
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrillEasy 

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B.O.B (Bottle Opener Board) Cutting Board & Bottle Opener

Here's another great kickstarter project for the tailgater who likes to have multi-purpose items.

The Bottle Opener Board, or BOB, is a cutting board product by Pablo Baquero and Josh Lochner.  Made of sustainable bamboo, the BOB comes in two sizes: the standard size and the travel size.  Both would work great in a tailgating situation where space can come at a premium when packing up a vehicle.

 Here's how the BOB came to be.

B.O.B was dreamt up over 2 years ago at one of our frequent visits to Chipotle. We ordered beer to complement our lunch, but unfortunately they were still capped. Josh quickly reached for a beer and popped the top off with the tray the food was on. Pablo was intrigued by this, but knew there had to be a better way. The rest of lunch consisted of ideation with high-tech napkin sketches. We don’t know if it was the delicious burritos or the cold beer, but something just clicked that day and from then on we both knew the Bottle Opener Board must become a reality.

First thing was first, we searched the web for days to see if anyone has ever attempted to merge a cutting board and bottle opener into one. What we found were sandals, sunglass and other novelty items that had built in openers, but nothing that merited practical everyday use. Next came the design process, our first concept featured a bottle opener that was removable from the cutting board itself. This was a failure as it scarified the strength of the cutting surface and quickly found that this would be impossible to manufacture in bamboo. Our next concept was closer to the bottle opener you see today, consisting of a metal plate that would be mended between the layers of bamboo and secured in place with fasteners. What we ended up with was clunky and not aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

Months and multiple concepts later we added another material to our line-up, ABS plastic. With this we were able to finally design the bottle opener around the board, while having a minimal impact on functionality and integrity. The bottle opener component consists of three parts, the two outer rings and metal insert. Both rings thread together, clamping the metal insert in place (like an Oreo). Since we designed the outer rings to thread into each other it only requires a tiny drop of adhesive to keep them from coming undone. This design allowed us to place the opener virtually anywhere. The results are simply extraordinary, especially when compared to other cutting boards on the market.

So check out the BOB board on Kickstarter campaign, which runs until Sunday, March 30th: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/992718955/bob-bottle-opener-board-cutting-board-bottle-opene

Check out the BOB Board: http://www.bob-board.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bottle.opener.board
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/BottleOpenerBOB

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Bevometer, The Can Cooler That Counts

Have you ever wondered just how many cold ones you've tipped at the tailgating lots?  I know I have, and now there is a solution to this age old question.  Bevometer!

The Bevometer is currently in a Kickstarter campaign (click here!) with hopes to launch spring of 2014.

Created by Justin and Jenny Richmond, the Bevometer does 3 things:

• Keeps drinks cold
• Counts drinks "this time"
• Counts drinks over the lifetime of the koozie

The inspiration for this project came from Justin's father.  Noticing the old ancient koozie he had, conversation turned to how many drinks has been in it over the lifetime, and that sparked a fire to create the Bevometer.

As you can see, the inspiration and the prototypes that came from it.  Progress indeed!

This is one of those products that just screams awesome.  Having a way to see how many shastas have been had, reminising about all the good times.  Can't beat it!  Join in while you can.  The campaign runs until 10:30 AM on March 15.  You can get it plain, or with the Bevometer logo on it.  Plans have been made to allow custom logos as well.

Check out their website at: http://bevometer.com/

Check out their campaign at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jrichmond/bevometer-i-count-your-beverages-for-fun-health

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Benny's Bloody Mary Beef Straws

What is the best cure for a hangover, or just a good old time?  The bloody mary of course!  But why stop with the status quo of maybe throwing a stick of celery in your drink?

Two words: BEEF STRAW!

Benny's Bloody Mary Beef Straws are a great American made product, and comes in packs of 5.  As you can see, there is a hallowed out center to the beef stick, allowing easy drinking of your bloody mary.

The meat gives the bloody marys a extra kick that I wasn't expecting.  The smokey flavor of the beef was quite nice!  Everyone who tried them also agreed, this is a fan favorite!

The Benny's Bloody Mary Beef Straws can be had for $11.95 for two packs of 5 from their site http://bennysbloodymarybeefstraw.com.

You can check them out on Facebook as well: https://www.facebook.com/bennysbloodymarybeefstraw

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SmackHat: Halloween Modification Complete

We've said it before, we love the SmackHat.  After having some pops, we thought the SmackHat needed the Halloween treatment.  Check it out:

Can't wait for gameday!

Check out www.SmackHat.com.

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SmackHat: A Helmet For Your Ride

When heading to the tailgating lot, the SmackHat is one of the greatest ways to show your team pride on your ride.  We've seen flags and magnets, which are a good entry level.  We've seen the newer products like WindowFanz that are getting to the next level.

But the SmackHat is a HELMET that attaches to your car with rubberized magnets to stay in place while going down the road.

The SmackHat is a youth sized helmet with real team colors and authentic logos on it.  It also comes with a youth size football jersey that makes a great storage bag.

The magnets do a great job of holding the SmackHat in place while going down the road.  Our test vehicle is about as un-aerodynamic as they come, which would put a bit more strain on the magnets than normal, yet we topped out at 76 MPH at one point, and upon arrival, the SmackHat had not moved an inch!

 

We tend to get a lot of traffic past our tailgate, and almost everyone made comment about how cool it was to see a helmet mounted on a car.  It is simply not something you see every day!  Many wanted to see that it was really just magnets holding it on.  Although it requires a stiff yank, you can get the SmackHat off and back on with ease.

There was no noticable road noise from the SmackHat, which was nice.  Some times flags can get a bit loud when you get to higher speeds.

When sitting out in the open like it does, you are bound to smash some bugs.  Cleaning the SmackHat is as simple as mild soap and a microfiber cloth. 

We are very pleased with the SmackHat.  This is something that is certainly raising your tailgating to the next level.  Right now the SmackHat sells for $110. Check them out at http://www.smackhat.com now!
You can also follow them on:
Twitter - https://twitter.com/smackhat
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SmackHat

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JamCooler Keeps The Party Rockin'

Check out the JamCooler.  This is a perfect party on the go.  Holding up to 100 cans of beverage, this bad boy will crank out tunes with 600 watts of power to the JBL speakers.  Everything in it is marine grade, so no worries of shorting anything out.

The JamCooler has a battery life of 10 hours, provided by two deep cycle batteries.  You can charge the batteries with any standard car battery charger, which, with 10 hours of life, isn't a big deal.

To get the tunes, you can use any Bluetooth audio device (iPhone, iPod, Android phone, etc), or plug into the standard 3.5mm jack.

This cooler is Made in the USA via Orlando, FL and Chicago, IL.  Custom designs are also available.

Here's how to contact JamCooler for more information:
Web: http://jamcooler.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejamcooler
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JamCooler

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WindowFanz

There are a handful of ways to show your team pride while driving to your favorite tailgate lot to cheer on your team.  We've all seen the magnets on the doors and flags stuck in the windows.  But what most haven't seen is a new product called the WindowFanz.

The WindowFanz is a half mini helmet that sticks to your window as you drive down the road.  As you can see, it is held in place by three suction cups, and also a tether strap that mounts inside the car.  This great design allows you to put your window down partially while driving without having to worry about the helmet falling off your ride.  If this were a flag, it would be laying on the side of the road!

If you choose, you can also remove the tether strap and place it almost any flat, smooth surface, be it a home window or an RV window.  As you can see in the pictures, I have even attached it to the side of a bookcase!  You can also see how shiny the helmet is.  The construction of the helmet and tether are both very solid.  I have no worries about it failing anytime soon.

 

  
 

Driving down the road, there is no vibration or wind noise generated by the WindowFanz.  You will, however, get a lot of looks from others in traffic.  I had multiple people ask about it while driving around town.

Currently, there are a number of college and high school teams available for $29.99.  And it is worth mentioning that the WindowFanz is made and assembled right here in the USA!

You can find out more about WindowFanz at: http://www.windowfanz.com/
You can also follow them on Twitter: https://twitter.com/windowfanz

EZ Grill - Portable Grilling Made Easy

Sometimes, you want great grilled foods, but don't have access to a grill.  The EZ Grill is a portable, disposable grill that is fully recyclable. When you open the package, you will fina a foil pan, stand, grill grate and all natural instance charcoal.

Simply unpackage the grill and light the bag with a match, and you are good to go in about 10-15 minutes.  The amount of sustained heat from such a small package was impressive.  We were able to grill 4 thick burgers without issue, and still had heat to spare.  It should produce usable heat for 1-1.5 hours.  We've also run hotdogs and beer brats on this grill, simmering the brats on the EZ Grill for 15 minutes before grilling them.

   

 

I never thought a portable grill would be as handy as this unit. It is as easy as can be. Grilling is easy, clean up is easy, and the cost is down right cheap.

I keep a spare EZ Grill around for those terrible times when you are grilling on a propane grill, and you run out of gas (we've all had it happen).  The EZ Grill is certainly a winner!