5 Pieces of Gear That Will Transform Your Winter Tailgating

A lot of people assume tailgating is a warm-weather endeavor, but some of my favorite parking-lot festivities have happened in the dead of winter—either after skiing powder all day or while gearing up for a football game. The beauty of tailgating is that you don’t need much to have a good time. I’ve hosted pre- and post-event parties for concerts, football games, and long bike rides with nothing more than a cheap camp chair, a bucket of grocery-store fried chicken, and a double-layered plastic bag packed with ice and beer.

I respect the minimalist approach, but—like most pursuits—better gear leads to a better experience. I consider myself a bit of a tailgating connoisseur, throwing small parking-lot gatherings for everything from Widespread Panic shows to professional horse races.

Here, I highlight the five pieces of tailgating gear that are defining my tailgate setup as we head into winter. Some items have been with me for years, while others are new additions, but all of them have helped me seriously elevate my game—and I can’t wait to put them to work during ski-season après.

Turtlebox Speaker

$430 at Turtlebox

$430 at Dick’s

The Turtlebox isn’t cheap, but you get what you pay for. This burly bluetooth speaker (it weighs a whopping 10 pounds) has 120 decibels of sound, so it’s basically like having a live concert pumping out of the back of your car. The sound is crisp, and the thing is indestructible. You can drop it, you can drag it through the dirt, you can dump an entire pitcher of beer on it, and it will keep on pulsing. That’s key when you’re jamming out in a snowy parking lot. The Turtlebox sounds great, and the durability factor is a plus, but what really won me over is the 25 hours of play time. The robust battery life means I rarely have to scramble to charge the speaker before an outing. It’s also allowed me to use the Turtlebox as my main source of audio, whether I’m in my office or hanging out on the back of my truck.

ENO Parklite Hammock Chair Stand

$140 at ENO

Hammocks are the ultimate lounge flex, but they’re tough to deploy in a typical tailgating setup—there are no trees in parking lots, after all. The Parklite solves that by turning any standard hammock into a freestanding system that delivers hammock-level relaxation with camp-chair portability. Its aluminum frame snaps together quickly and lets you configure a standard-size camping hammock in multiple positions so you can dial in your perfect lounge angle. It’s so comfortable that my kids now use the Parklite as a living-room chair during movie nights. Now you can hammock anywhere.

Ignik Skullet Deluxe Heater Stove Cook Set

$500 at Ignik

Tailgating in the winter takes a little more preparation. The last thing you want to do after skiing fresh powder all day is stand around in the cold and shiver. Ignik makes some of my favorite portable heating gear and the Skullet might be their masterpiece—it will allow you to tailgate comfortably all winter long.

The Skullet is a propane-fueled heat source that pumps out a piping hot flame that is completely contained within the stainless steel cube. The fire produces plenty of heat, but the lack of open flames makes it safer and more suitable for tailgating situations. Crank the fire to high and you can huddle around the 48,000 BTUs of radiating heat. As if providing a solid source of heat wasn’t enough, the Skullet also doubles as a cook system with the addition of the large, cast iron skillet that fits over the top of the flame.

I originally thought I would only use the Skullet as a heat source during winter tailgating sessions, but I’ve actually started using it with the cast iron skillet and enjoy the variety the new cooktop brings to my tailgating sessions. One thing to consider: the Skullet uses a lot of propane to deliver all that heat, so you’ll need at least a 5-pound gas tank to run it.

Rux Soft Cooler Bag

$160 at Backcountry

$160 at Rux

You could tailgate without a cooler, but why bother if you can’t keep fresh food and cold drinks on hand? There’s no shortage of options out there—I could make a case for a giant hard-sided model with more room than your family fridge—but if your vehicle is already packed with gear, this is your chance to streamline.

The Rux Soft Cooler delivers 25 liters of space—plenty for a 12-pack and snacks—while its soft-sided build, tote handles, and optional shoulder strap make it easy to haul around. The memory foam walls and base give the soft cooler enough structure that it can stand upright on its own while in use, but also allow it to fold flat for storage. My favorite detail: the roll-top closure, which eliminates the usual wrestling match with a stiff, waterproof zipper.

Weber Traveler Portable Gas Grill

$449 at Weber

Burgers, dogs, ribs, wings—cooking a good meal is the centerpiece of your tailgating experience, and Weber’s Traveler is the ideal tool for the job. With 320 inches of grilling space and 13,000 BTUs of power, it’s robust enough to work as your daily backyard burner, but it also folds flat to fit in the back of a standard trunk and has wheels and a handle so you can tote it around the parking lot without help.

My favorite aspect of the Traveler is that it can work with a standard 20-pound propane tank, or the smaller, green Coleman tanks that are ubiquitous in car camping kits. I have a lot of portable grills at my disposal, but I’ve been using the Traveler consistently for two years now, mostly because it’s easy to transport and set up, yet still big enough to cook for a small army.