The tailgate checklist, priced honestly
A tailgate setup is one of those purchases where the total sneaks up on you. Nothing on the list is expensive; all of it together is. Here is the whole list, in the order I'd buy it, with the pieces where quality matters flagged and the pieces where it doesn't.
Buy good: the canopy
E-Z UP Pyramid Instant Shelter Canopy
2 stores · read Sep 12The canopy is the piece that fails in public. A cheap one bends in the first gust and never folds right again. The E-Z UP Pyramid is the sensible middle: a real steel frame, a one-person setup, and a fabric top that survives a season. Prices differ between stores by more than the cost of the sandbags you should also buy.
Buy good: the griddle
Blackstone's 22-inch tabletop is the tailgate griddle. It cooks for eight, runs off a small propane bottle, and fits in a trunk. If you want more, the 28-inch on legs is the upgrade, but it stops fitting in most trunks.
Blackstone Original 28 in XL Griddle with Removable Hard Top and Side ShelfBlackstone$329.99
Buy fine: the chairs
Coleman Queen Size Purple Quad Chair with Cooler Arm
3 stores · read Sep 12Chairs are where I'd spend the least. Coleman's quad chair with the cooler in the armrest is the classic for a reason and costs less than a round of drinks. Buy four, expect to replace one a year.
Buy fine: the small cooler
Igloo Playmate Elite 16 Qt CoolerIgloo$34.99
For a tailgate you want the small, tough cooler that lives in the trunk, not the big one. The Playmate is that cooler. Bring the big one only if you are feeding the section.
The game
American Cornhole League ACL Afterburner Cornhole BagsAmerican Cornhole League$39.97 $59.99
Cornhole boards are the one item where I'd buy the set from a local maker and the bags from a real brand. The bags in the sets are usually terrible. These are not.
The total
Canopy, griddle, four chairs, the small cooler and a set of bags lands in the low four hundreds at today's prices if you buy each at its cheapest store, and closer to six hundred if you buy it all in one place. That gap is the whole reason this site exists. The rows on this page update every morning.
When to buy
Early September is the worst time to buy tailgate gear and the best time to buy the rest of summer. Canopies and griddles drop after the season, in November and again in January. If you can make do this fall, do.