Perfect coolers and 10 more summer tailgating essentials

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Tailgating — partying in a parking lot before a sporting event, concert or other major get-together — is a favorite pastime. Gathering around the tail-end of an automobile, firing up a grill, chilling some drinks and playing some games — it’s about as American as it gets.

Planning often requires more thought than your typical backyard barbecue, in part because power sources in parking lots aren’t always a guarantee. However, with the right items — including a portable grill, feature-heavy coolers and compact Bluetooth speakers — you can show up to the next event with everything needed to throw the best tailgate party ever.

CBS Essentials has sourced out everything you need for your next summer tailgate party.

Weber Smokey Joe portable grill

No tailgating extravaganza is complete without good eats. With Weber’s portable charcoal grill, you don’t have to haul a full-sized BBQ to the parking lot. This 9.8-pound compact cooking device is constructed with porcelain enamel and features a grilling space big enough to fit five burgers.

Want to make transporting the grill even easier? Weber sells a version that includes a cover with an adjustable, padded shoulder strap.

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Yeti Tundra Haul wheeled cooler

Over the past just 15 years, Yeti has become the gold standard in the beverage-cooling business, manufacturing high-quality and durable coolers, ice chests and drink holders. The Yeti Tundra Haul is a large cooler (28.25-by-18.63-by-19.5 inches) built to keep all of your food and drinks chilled for extended periods of time. Like all of the brand’s coolers, this model is constructed out of their signature rotomolded polyethylene, a virtually indestructible type of plastic, and insulated with two inches of pressure-injected commercial-grade polyurethane foam, to keep food and beverages cold for days. It is also the brand’s first cooler on wheels, making it easy to roll it around the parking lot for easy tailgate-hopping.

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Personalizable collapsible party cooler

If your pre-game party involves going straight from the parking lot to the game, a collapsible party cooler is the way to go. This leak-proof and insulated cooler holds up to 28 cans. Then, oOnce empty, it collapses into a neat and compact 13-by-3 inch circle, small enough to fit into most backpacks. Added bonus: It can be embroidered in your color choice.

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Coolbox entertainment cooler with speakers and power supply

Coolbox is an entertainment system, charging station and cooler all in one. Constructed with a polypropylene outer shell and the commercial-grade polyurethane inner foam, it promises to keep food and drinks cold and fresh for up to five days, while also serving as a Bluetooth stereo system and double USB charging station, with an internal four-hour lithium battery. It rolls like a suitcase and has added features such as a water-resistant storage compartment, integrated bottle opener and digital clock display.

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A beverage sling: Nixon Wizard

The Nixon Wizard simplifies tailgate party hopping, serving as an insulated beverage sling that keeps up to six 12-ounce cans chilled while keeping your hands free. Shaped as a stick with a convenient cross strap, it can be thrown over the shoulder like a shoulder bag or sling for easy wearing. And you can feel good about yourself while wearing it: It is constructed out of recycled plastics.

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A bar in a backpack

Serve up mixed drinks at any tailgate party with Legacy’s clever bar in a backpack, which includes everything needed to craft cocktails anytime, anyplace. The insulated backpack keeps up to three large bottles cool and is equipped with 16 essential bar tools, including six cocktail picks, a strainer, tongs, cocktail spoon with hammer, muddler, one double-sided jigger, corkscrew, two-piece shaker, a serrated paring knife, a bottle/can opener, and even an acacia cutting board.

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A portable blender: BlendJet 2

This lightweight, cordless blender is perfect for concocting your favorite blended drinks or smoothies anywhere — including a tailgate party. It fully charges via a USB-C port in less than an hour, providing 15-plus blends with three modes.

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Music in your pocket: Sonos Roam

Sonos is known for superior sound quality speakers. Their most compact offering, the Roam, is no exception. Weighing less than one pound and slender enough to fit in a purse, it packs a major sound-quality punch and will fill a parking lot party with all your favorite fight songs.

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A koozie can cooler: BrüMate Hopsulator Slim

Tailgating in the sweltering hot heat? A double-walled insulated koozie, BrüMate’s Hopsulator Slim fits all 12-ounce slim cans of beer or another beverage (minus Heineken) and keeps them 20 times cooler longer than the average neoprene koozie.

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A portable fan: Jisulife neck fan

When the temperatures are scorching, Jisulife’s hands-free neck fan offers a little reprieve from the heat. It features 78 air outlets and no wings, so you don’t have to worry about hairs getting tangled. It is battery powered, and depending on desired speed, can provide up to 16 hours of cool air during tailgating festivities.