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Tailgating shifts into high-tech gear

01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, October 26, 2008

By Buzz McClain

McClatchy Newspapers

For those wanting to dine in style, there’s the four-person backpack for $88.

It’s autumn, the season when our weekends turn to watching little Auggie knock down shots on goal for his soccer team, following Dawn’s cross-country team to fields of dreams far from home and tailgating in a parking lot hours before your favorite football team kicks off.

Some of us are more enthusiastic than others when it comes to the stadium — or not-quite-stadium — experience, but we can all benefit from the latest luxury gear to make watching fall sports more pleasurable.

GCI OUTDOOR FOLDING CHAIRS

Sometimes you find yourself in a stadium that has little more than an aluminum plank upon which to plant your bottom. GCI is here to help. The Bleacherback is a steel-frame seat covered in durable polyester with a 2-inch bottom cushion for maximum comfort, even into overtime. A single-buckle strap secures it to the bleacher. It weighs 3 pounds but can support 300. $25 on Amazon.com.

RIVA FOUR-PERSON BACKPACK

Paper plates are for amateurs. Show your class with plastic! This clever backpack contains everything you need to dine in quasi-luxury in the middle of a parking lot. Unzip the leak-proof textured pack and reveal four place settings — including Melamine dinner plates, polycarbonate stemmed wineglasses, four sets of stainless steel tableware — as well as two insulated wine coolers, two food-storage containers, wooden salt and pepper shakers, a wooden cutting board, a cotton tablecloth, a cheese knife, a dirty plates bag (how thoughtful) and the inevitable corkscrew. In storm blue or woodland green. $88; www.tailgatingpartysupply.com.

TAILGATE TOSS

Action-oriented sports fans such as yourself need something to do while warming up in the parking lot for the game. This self-contained kit comes with two 36-by-24-inch wooden boards bearing your favorite team’s colors and logo, and eight durable bean bags. The idea, as if you’ve never played horseshoes before, is to take turns tossing the bags into the hole, and repeat as many times as necessary until the real game begins. $98.99; www.amazon.com.

THE AVALANCHE LUNCHBOX AND VACUUM FLASK

This is one classy lunchbox. Made of 1680 ballistic nylon and decorated in Southwest-style stitching, the tote is lined with PVC and multiple layers of insulation in two compartments, with a divider to keep the hot away from the cold. $69 for the small; $89 for the large. For store locations, go to www.fishpondusa.com/dealer.cfm.

EXPLORER’S PEAK TRAVEL BLANKET

You’ve always loved wearing Woolrich shirts for those times when you want something soft yet rugged. Now take along the legacy of that plush, tough fabric to the game in the form of a cozy blanket of 100-percent water-repellent polyester. It rolls up for easy carrying and includes a large pocket, ideal for toting binoculars, a camera or a flask. $31.50; www.woolrich.com.

HAMMAKA TRAILER HITCH STAND WITH HAMMOCK CHAIRS

You’ve envied these pickup truck essentials for years, thinking each season, “Man, I got to get me a couple of those.” And why not? You sit suspended above the parking lot, relaxing with your feet propped up, gently rocking in the breeze as if on a throne of air while those about you are stuck in crummy folding lawn chairs. $119.99 for the hitch, $59.99 for each chair or $239.97 for a set of two chairs and the stand; www.everyhammock.com.

GAS-POWERED PARTY BLENDER

This looks like something Tim Allen would have come up with on Home Improvement: a gasoline-powered blender. With handlebars. The two-stroke, variable-speed engine whirs 10 cups of your favorite mixed beverage in an 85-ounce stainless steel pitcher. This might be more fun than the game you came to watch! $275; www.cookware.com.

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