Tailgating In Your RV

Autumn is upon us and for many sports enthusiasts, the change of season means only one thing: it’s time for football. Football games are the perfect opportunity for tailgating parties, although you can certainly have one for any sport throughout the year. While most people use their cars or trucks for tailgating, we’d like to offer you a better alternative: use your RV as your tailgating headquarters! 

Your RV provides you with a kitchen, a bathroom and a place for your guests to relax indoors, which makes tailgating more enjoyable, particularly in rainy or cool weather.

Not sure how to go about preparing for an RV tailgating party? Don’t worry. Sumner RV, with two locations in western Washington State, is your local RV dealer. As such, we’ve provided the following tips for hosting a great tailgating party in your recreational vehicle so you can enjoy every game all season long.

Prep & Decorate Your RV

First things first: you’ll want to make your RV look the part. This is pretty easy to do. Obviously, you should tidy things up if you haven’t, and make sure you have plenty of space for people to sit and converse if they wish to be indoors. You’ll also want to have your fresh water tank full and have a supply of propane to keep the power on since you won’t have access to hook-ups in a parking lot or field.

You can then string up some paper garlands and put up your favorite team’s flag. Get paper plates, napkins, balloons and whatever else you like in your team’s colors.

Plan The Menu

Next, you’ll need to plan the food. You can opt to cook some food in advance and then do a little prep work as your guests arrive, or you could have everyone bring a potluck dish and then you’ll just have to set out the plates and cutlery on a folding table with space for everything.

Some great food options include fresh fruit and vegetable trays, sausages in a slow cooker, chips and chili con queso/salsa/guacamole, and of course the classic grill options like hot dogs, veggie kebabs, hamburgers, chicken breasts and anything else your guests might like to nosh on. You’ll want to provide all the fixings for these, which means washing lettuce, slicing onions and tomatoes, then opening up relish, mayo, ketchup and mustard. Have coolers filled with ice and stocked with cans of beer, soda, sparkling water and juice boxes for the kids.

Take Safety Precautions

Your RV should always have up-to-date safety gear in it, including more than one fire extinguisher and a well-stocked first-aid kit with bandages, ointments, antacids and painkillers. Check your smoke detectors to make sure they function. You may want to have sunscreen and bug spray or citronella candles on hand, too. Make sure you have blankets and jackets in case it gets chilly. Lock up any cleaners or other dangerous items if you’ll have kids coming aboard your RV.

Make Clean-Up Easier

Keep trash bags and a recycling receptacle handy so your guests can dispose of dirty paper plates and cans without creating a huge mess in the rig. To reduce foot traffic in the RV, you can set up a mobile handwashing station outside with a water cooler on a table, a soap pump and a bucket to catch the run-off. Have lots of paper towels available for sticky hands and cleaning up spills and other messes.

With some thoughtful preparation, you can have a successful and enjoyable tailgating party in your RV that your friends and family won’t soon forget. Seeking RVs for sale near the Puget Sound? Visit one of our locations in Sumner or Bremerton to see our full stock of new and used RVs for sale. Sumner RV proudly welcomes all our Washington State customers in Silverdale and the greater Seattle area.