Iowa Nice Guy. Punting is Un-American

Punting is Un-American, so says the Iowa Nice Guy:

Iowa Nice Guy: Halloween

Oh man, he's back!  This is too good:

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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Know of a great product, tailgating crew or rig?  Please let us know and Submit a Story!

The ATM: Ames Tailgate Machine

Check out the The ATM: Ames Tailgate Machine owned by Aaron Nelson. Here's his story:

I started to attend Iowa State Cyclones games in Ames, Iowa starting in 2007.  The first year was just going up with some buddies just to sit in the parking lot and tailgate.  In 2008, I attended my first ISU game and I was hooked after that.  In 2009, I became a season ticket holder and went to every game.  Everything was great until one game day, after an ISU win against Baylor, someone borrowed with the intent of not returning our cooler that was in the back of my buddy’s truck.  On the way home, I decided that I would look to find vehicle that would stop this from happening.  I looked at buses, RV’s, and box trucks that would be able to be locked with all of our gear inside.  Then I saw someone driving around with a used ambulance and that is when I knew I found what I was looking for.  After a few years of saving (and a lot of jokes from my buddies saying that I was never going to pull the trigger on buying an ambulance), I finally had enough to pursue my idea. 

After doing some searching over 9 Mid-West states, I was able to find this gem sitting in Tripp, SD.   On February 29th, 2013, the Ames Tailgate Machine (or ATM for short) was purchased and it has been fun ever since.  The ATM is a 1992 E350 Ambulance that was still in service the day that I purchased it. Once purchased, there were a few mechanical updates that had to be made. For the 2012 season, I added ISU stickers from Skin-It to get me through the year as I also had a purchase the necessary equipment to make any tailgate fun.  It is now equipped with a 32” LED TV, mobile satellite, four 7” marine speakers mounted to the back doors (thanks to Ford and Garland in Des Moines), stereo receiver, two 25 ft tall flag poles, portable grill, 10x10 ft tent, Coors Light LED sign, and the best part, a stretcher with an IV pole to hang the Cy-V from (this is a bad full of adult beverage goodness that I call Cy-Juice).  I also have a rotating food menu so that we are not eating the same thing twice in a given football year.  The favorite food day so far is when we make the ATM sandwich.  The ATM sandwich is a fried tenderloin, topped with smoked pork, topped with smoked ham, queso cheese, and BBQ sauce with a side of bacon wrapped tator-tots. 

2012 was a great first season for the ATM but the 2013 with be even better.  Over the summer, I had purchased an ISU designed wrap to cover up the old blue and gray stripes from its past with cardinal and gold colors.  I have replaced the cheaper Skin-It stickers with the new vinyl wrap. I have installed astro-turf carpet in the back of the ambulance.  I have a few other ideas in mind (new interior, bigger tv, etcc.) but those will have to be looked at next off season.  On any given game day, there will be anywhere from 3 to 30 people attending a tailgate so if you are in Ames on game day, stop by and visit us in the Vet Med parking lot and you might just get a custom ATM koozie.  You can also like the Ames Tailgate Machine on facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AmesTailgateMachine) to view past tailgating photos and know more about future events. 

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Know of a great tailgating crew or tailgating rig?  Please let us know and Submit a Story!

Iowa State University Opens Stadium for a Movie Night

What a cool idea!  Families are allowed to watch a movie (Wreck-It Ralph) from the football field.  True family style tailgating!

Iowa State Van: The Suck

Here is the story of the Iowa State van known as "The Suck".

The owners are Gregg & Connie Horsman, Doug Johnson, and Tim Johnson. They bought the 1987 turtle top Dodge van on ebay from a Dallas, TX, couple in March of 2007.

Work began by removing the stove, refrigerator, and rearranging the bench seats so shelves could be added to hold our tents, chairs, coolers, etc... We use our ipod to provide tuneage through the upgraded tuner, amp, & speakers.

The self designed vinyl wrap was applied in August, 2008. Tailgating is huge at ISU and we love being a part of it. The family that tailgates next to us, liked our set up so much they got their own vinyl wrapped tailgating van.

If you're in Ames for a football game, stop by C6 for cold beverages!

The Iowa State Cyclones Tailgate Van

Charley Bogwill and Jeff Burdick's passion for tailgating was evident way before the idea to build a tailgate van came along. They have been hosting tailgates for many years, which have included items such as gas-powered blenders, tents with construction heaters (for the ladies, of course), custom ISU helmet hitch-mounted grill, and an ISU Scoreboard replica portable bar with TV and running water! These are not your average tailgaters.

Click to read more ...

TailgateLot.com's First APB Officially Posted

So here it is, TailgateLot.com has officially put out its first "All Points Bulletin (APB)" for this absolutely monstrous tailgate machine. Watch the video, and right after about 10 seconds you will catch a glimpse of what looks likes the Holy Grail of electronically equipped tailgate vehicles. It would be a crime if we do not feature this truck on our website. Iowa State Fans, you of course, can help us the most when it comes to capturing this wicked, and probably mythical machine. However, we do have to say the best part of this video comes at about 22 seconds. The guy shooting the film, in an attempt at being as inconspicuous of possible, pulls a move from the 1930's, and whistles to make himself blend in with the crowd. Classic!

Leave a comment if you know the whereabouts of this ISU tailgating powerhouse.