Winter is officially here, and for sports fans, the chill in the air means only one thing: peak football season is in full swing. While most fans resort to tailgating out of the frozen trunk of a car or truck, there is a much warmer, more comfortable alternative: using your RV as your ultimate tailgating headquarters!
Hosting from an RV gives your guests an indoor oasis to relax, a private bathroom, and a fully equipped kitchen to keep the game-day food piping hot. If you are ready to elevate your hosting game for the big matchups this season, follow our essential RV tailgating checklist.
1. Prep and Decorate Your Rig
Before your guests arrive, a little proactive preparation goes a long way toward setting the perfect game-day mood.
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Maximize Your Space: Tidy up the interior and arrange your seating so people can easily move around and socialize indoors if the weather gets messy.
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Stock Up on Utilities: Fill your fresh water tank and ensure you have plenty of propane. Remember, you won’t have standard utility hook-ups in a stadium parking lot or open field, so your rig needs to be entirely self-sufficient.
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Show Your Team Spirit: String up team-colored paper garlands, fly your favorite team’s flag from the awning, and stock up on coordinating paper plates, napkins, and balloons.
2. Plan a Crowd-Pleasing Menu
The best part of any tailgate is the food. Save yourself stress on game day by mixing pre-prepped bites with classic warm comfort foods.
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Easy Finger Foods: Set out fresh fruit and vegetable trays, alongside chips paired with chili con queso, salsa, and fresh guacamole.
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Slow Cooker Favorites: Use your kitchen outlets to keep slow cookers running with warm sausages, pulled pork, or chili.
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Fire Up the Grill: Prep your burgers, hot dogs, chicken breasts, or veggie kebabs in advance so they are ready to hit the grill as soon as the crowd gets hungry.
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Stock the Coolers: Keep outdoor coolers packed with ice and loaded with canned beers, sodas, sparkling waters, and juice boxes for the kids.
3. Keep Safety Top of Mind
Because tailgating involves tight spaces, grills, and lots of activity, don’t skimp on your safety checklist.
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Fire Safety: Check that your smoke detectors are functional and ensure you have multiple up-to-date fire extinguishers on hand.
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First-Aid Prep: Keep a well-stocked first-aid kit accessible, complete with bandages, ointments, antacids, and pain relievers.
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Weather and Comfort: Pack extra blankets and jackets for your guests as the temperature drops, and safely lock away any chemicals or cleaning supplies out of reach of children.
4. Streamline the Clean-Up
No one wants to spend the fourth quarter scrubbing down an RV. Set up your space to make cleaning up effortless.
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Strategic Waste Bins: Place labeled trash and recycling bags both inside and outside the rig so guests can clean up after themselves.
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Outdoor Handwashing Station: Set up a water cooler, a liquid soap pump, and a catch bucket on an outdoor folding table. This keeps muddy boots and sticky hands outside, drastically reducing foot traffic inside your RV coach.
Find Your Game Day Rig at Sumner RV
With a little bit of thoughtful planning, your RV will easily become the most popular spot in the stadium parking lot. If you are looking for the perfect new or used RV to host your next legendary tailgate, the team at Sumner RV is here to help.
We proudly welcome all our Washington State customers. Stop by our locations in Sumner or Bremerton to explore our active inventory, or visit us online if you are traveling from Seattle, Silverdale, or anywhere across the Puget Sound region!
