we. do. this. tailgaters.

Lot's of great opportunities this year to go all out. Early season night games, 7 home games, 8 if you include @ WF.






GET DRUNK GO STATE

8/23/2011 10:59:55 AM

haven't been to a game in a few years

where are the best places to park without a pass?

8/23/2011 11:11:32 AM

iop1

Quote :

"7 home games, 8 if you include @ WF"

aha!

8/23/2011 11:17:20 AM

Quote :

"where are the best places to park without a pass?"

how many times will this question be asked this year?

8/23/2011 11:21:29 AM

Quote :

"where are the best places to park without a pass?"

probably your couch.

cannot even think of where general pay parking is, i'm sure its far away.

*seriously just look on craigslist before the game...you can get a parking pass

[Edited on August 23, 2011 at 11:25 AM. Reason : .]

8/23/2011 11:25:25 AM

One of the best things that's happened to me over the past year is becoming best friends with a couple of faculty members. We split season tickets at the 50 yard line and now will be parking in the shade.

8/23/2011 11:28:31 AM

I'll move my question from the season thread to here since it will probably have some more answers and ideas.

Need to power a 36 inch or so around that size flat screen at the tailgate this year. Suggestions on best way to do that without having to spend to much money? I know I could run it off the car battery but was feeling like that would drain it really fast but maybe not.

8/23/2011 11:53:08 AM

^^^i've parked on hillsborough street before (in fact, we tailgated there once several years ago). Also on the side road beside hillsborough street. It's not too bad of a walk.

[Edited on August 23, 2011 at 12:16 PM. Reason : ]

8/23/2011 12:16:06 PM

Several times I've just parked in the parking lot in front of the entrance to the flea market building that is right there on the corner(the parking lot right behind where that big light up sign is on the corner, where the indoor area of the state fair is). I'm guessing you aren't suppose to but nobody bothered me and I just walked right into the fair grounds.

8/23/2011 12:26:59 PM

^ yeah, we did that a couple of times and hopped the fence to the fairground lots (with coolers ). But near the end of the season they started closing the entrances off, so we had to go elsewhere. (except for the FSU, Thursday night game).

[Edited on August 23, 2011 at 12:51 PM. Reason : .]

8/23/2011 12:51:05 PM

Quote :

"how many times will this question be asked this year?"

probably a lot if people don't actually answer the question

8/23/2011 1:00:01 PM

Pretty sure you can pay to park in the big grass lot on the corner of hillsborough and blue ridge? The vet school lot

8/23/2011 1:01:32 PM

Quote :

"Need to power a 36 inch or so around that size flat screen at the tailgate this year. Suggestions on best way to do that without having to spend to much money? I know I could run it off the car battery but was feeling like that would drain it really fast but maybe not."

Generator, an inverter might work, check the power specs on the tv and post them and i can tell you what you will need. If you go the inverter route, you may have to turn the car on to charge the battery on occasion. This is not an easy or cheap proposition if you are wondering, especially if you want to do it right.

8/23/2011 1:05:01 PM

Quote :

""where are the best places to park without a pass?""

You can park on campus (no passes required on weekends) and ride the red terror to the games. Not the best option unless you are super cheap.

8/23/2011 1:23:20 PM

Wear comfortable shoes and park at kmart

8/23/2011 1:26:23 PM

^park on the side road beside hillsborough and be at least a 1/2 mile closer than k-mart.

8/23/2011 1:34:58 PM

have some of you ever been to a football game at Carter-Finley before?

8/23/2011 1:41:49 PM

not since I've graduated (and had access to student parking passes)

I don't mind paying for a spot either, I've just never had to look for one before

8/23/2011 1:43:17 PM

i have been to dozens. cool?

8/23/2011 1:49:46 PM

Quote :

"Need to power a 36 inch or so around that size flat screen at the tailgate this year. Suggestions on best way to do that without having to spend to much money? I know I could run it off the car battery but was feeling like that would drain it really fast but maybe not."

Just to elaborate on what specialkay said...

Get one of these for ~$15:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bravo-View-250-Power-Inverter-with-USB-Port/15529721

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bravo-View-150-Watt-Lighter-Inverter/9729856

Apparently those have low car battery alarms and auto-shutdowns. As mentioned before, bring jumper cables and see how long you can go. Power consumption will depend upon the type of TV. What's the worst that could happen, right? Better to try the easiest and cheapest method, then upgrade if/when necessary.

8/23/2011 1:51:02 PM

no, dont get one of those. Cheap crap, waste of money. Please dont recommend something like that without knowing what you are talking about. You want him to plug up a ~$700 tv to a $15 inverter from Walmart. Sounds like that will work well.

Need the power specs to figure out what you need.

read up on inverters, you get what you pay for. You should also run it off a deep cycle battery if you dont want to mess up your car battery. Starting batteries were not designed to be fully drained and will significantly reduce the life of your battery.

This is not as simple as you think. At best you will drain your battery and need a jump, at worst you will fuck up your electronics, blow fuses in your car, melt wires, and ruin your car battery and run the risk of starting a fire.

[Edited on August 23, 2011 at 2:21 PM. Reason : inverters]

8/23/2011 2:16:26 PM

A 36" LCD TV shouldn't require more than 200W. I've used one of those cheap ones for a whole season for ~150W consistent load. Plus, if it craps out, who cares, it's $15.

^I have used one of those before. It's not the best way to do it, of course. But the guy said he wanted a cheap way to do it. God forbid we give the guy an option that isn't ideal.

Most of those have a built-in fuse, plus the 12V power outlet is most likely on an independent fuse. What exactly is the failure mode that you're worried about? Granted, you don't want to drain your battery and re-charge consistently, but it's not all gloom and doom if you use an inexpensive (<$50) inverter.

[Edited on August 23, 2011 at 2:32 PM. Reason : .]

8/23/2011 2:26:47 PM

has anyone made a grill / smoker out of a 55 gallon drum? BigT716 and i have access to quite a few empty drums and were intrigued.

8/23/2011 2:32:00 PM

200W/12V = 16.6A, Efficiency of an inverter ranges from 50% to 80% depending on several factors. The wattages of inverters are also often overstated. Even at 80% efficiency you are still going to pull somewhere in the 20A range and 30A at 50%. Is your cigarette outlet rated for 20A? And you should only run a battery down to half power, so you would only get about an 2.5 hours out of a 100 Ah battery before you should recharge it or switch batteries.

like i said

Quote :

"Please dont recommend something like that without knowing what you are talking about."

8/23/2011 2:39:37 PM

I never said he shouldn't figure out the power consumption. I also said shouldn't run MORE than 200W, I was being very conservative. Re run your numbers at 100W which is more than most 40" and smaller LCD tv's consume (most 36" LCD from major brands are 50-75W).

Quote :

"Is your cigarette outlet rated for 20A?"

Yes, it is.

Get off your high horse.

Now back to what this thread is designed for.... What do y'all think, low country boil or pork shoulders for the first game?

8/23/2011 2:50:18 PM

RIBS

8/23/2011 2:58:43 PM

one time i was pretty drunk and decided the best way to heat up my BBQ at the tailgate without bringing a grill was to bring a microwave and plug it into my inverter.

yea.

it blew.

8/23/2011 3:19:03 PM

Quote :

"Get off your high horse."

You dont know what you are talking about and you obviously have no idea how inverters work.

Im trying to give him correct advise about how to safely run an expensive TV from his car.

Im glad that you have lucked out with your setup and have not damaged your electronics.

Dont go spewing advice out your ass if you dont know what you are talking about. And i would suggest you carry some spare fuses if you plan to use a TV rated for 100W through a 150W inverter. Do you know how many watts the TV uses when it turns on? The 100W rating is the operating wattage of the TV, it pulls more on startup. Many many factors involved that all cause drop in voltage and extra current to be pulled.

8/23/2011 3:21:56 PM

OK, my bad. I relent, I just want to see this thread get back to what it should be. I retract all previous recommendations. It's a recipe for disaster if you try to do it the inexpensive way. Every one of the hundreds of people that use inexpensive inverters at Carter Finley every year are car fires waiting to happen and if you go down that path you and your electronics are sure to perish. Jeez, i'm sorry I ever tried to give the guy an el-cheapo alternative that might blow a fuse.

8/23/2011 3:42:26 PM

I'll post the specs on the TV tomorrow and we can all work together and go from there =)

I don't mind spending a few dollars, I just don't have the money/need for some quiet honda generator I'll use a few times a year.

I'll take a look at the tv at work tomorrow and post.

8/23/2011 4:33:15 PM

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_400-Watt-Tailgate-Inverter-Max-Peak_10051546-P_N3076_A|GRP2021_____

Just picked this one up the other day. Found a code to get $10 off $30 so I added a cheap filler and ended up getting it for ~$20

8/23/2011 6:10:39 PM

Has anyone ever made an ugly drum smoker?

8/23/2011 7:29:54 PM

Quote :

"Pretty sure you can pay to park in the big grass lot on the corner of hillsborough and blue ridge? The vet school lot"

It's a free lot. Or at least it was last year and definitely in 2009.

Or park on the side of the road of Hillsborough or along the railroad tracks.

8/24/2011 12:41:02 AM

Bawitdaba da bang a dang diggy diggy diggy said the boogy said up jump the boogy
Bawitdaba da bang a dang diggy diggy diggy said the boogy said up jump the boogy
Bawitdaba da bang a dang diggy diggy diggy said the boogy said up jump the boogy
Bawitdaba da bang a dang diggy diggy diggy said the boogy said up jump the boogy
Bawitdaba da bang a dang diggy diggy diggy said the boogy said up jump the boogy
Bawitdaba da bang a dang diggy diggy diggy said the boogy said up jump the boogy
Bawitdaba da bang a dang diggy diggy diggy said the boogy said up jump the boogy

8/24/2011 2:45:29 AM

Quote :

"RIBS"

8/24/2011 5:50:56 AM

Quote :

"has anyone made a grill / smoker out of a 55 gallon drum?"

I've helped make a pig cooker out of an old heating oil tank. A 55 gallon drum would be a bit small for a whole pig cooker, but just fine for a basic grill/smoker. We did propane, and it's not very difficult, but once we tallied up the cost of the angle iron (for trim, shelves, & burner deflector), tube (for the burner), axle + leaf springs, tires, tongue, propane parts, etc, it ended up being almost cheaper to just buy one. We didn't go for fancy, but we wanted to do it up right.

There's a bunch of how-to's available online for 55 gallon drum grill/smoker projects, here are a few I found:

Basic vertical drum smoker, really simple, little or no welding:
http://www.bbqrevolution.com/55-gallon-drum-smoker-project/

T-shaped smoker (2 drums), lots of welding, but pretty awesome end result (IMO):
http://jmillerid.com/wordpress/2009/12/55-gallon-drum-smoker/

PS - be careful about drum selection, you should try to stay away from toxic chemicals and whatnot. To clean/prep it, you'll want in inferno in there for a few hours to make sure it's all burned out; you'll want the whole thing red hot for awhile.

[Edited on August 24, 2011 at 10:16 AM. Reason : clean/burn]

8/24/2011 10:13:20 AM

BEER, YARD GAMES, AIRPLANE BOTTLES, AND SOME GOOD OLE PORK.

8/24/2011 10:28:52 AM

Red Bud Light cans are back. Saw some at the Teet the other day. Bud Light really has the market cornered for tailgating.

8/28/2011 7:48:23 PM

i don't know if it was just the set i saw last night but man they looked like more orange/pink

8/28/2011 8:43:20 PM

^yeah do they look orange-red this year but just focus more on the red

8/28/2011 9:01:29 PM

8/30/2011 11:53:37 AM

Ok so trying to have a non-crappy tailgate this year.

Got a tv going, gonna try to power it off the car the first game and see how that goes, tent, chairs, fold out table, I'm not in charge of food but hopefully someone will take care of that, corn hole, and coolers full of beer.

Going to be a fun season.

8/30/2011 1:45:30 PM

I'm thinking I might just go with hamburgers, nothing fancy. Or maybe chicken kabobs. Miller Lite, so I can drink for 6+ hours before the game. Cornhole, ladder golf, and tossing the pigskin. Probably a little trees too.

Right now they're predicting partly sunny, high 87, low 67. Should be nice.

8/30/2011 1:49:40 PM

So pumped!

8/31/2011 10:46:11 AM

Quote :

"I'm not in charge of food but hopefully someone will take care of that"

Recipe for disaster. Food and drink is priority number 1. If either of those are fucked, the tailgate is fucked. Don't leave them in the hands of an amateur.

8/31/2011 10:48:29 AM

I cannot fucking wait for this Saturday. It's been entirely too long since I've played cornhole.

8/31/2011 10:50:03 AM

^^Agreed. I really don't care about having a TV. Truck radio is fine for other local games or music. But the food and drink is the essential. Makes it or breaks it. Of course, some boxes of Bojangles ain't bad. But grilling just makes it so much more enjoyable.

8/31/2011 10:56:19 AM

^Yep, and its pretty easy just to walk up to another tailgate, meet people and catch some of the games on TV. It's much harder to walk up on a tailgate and get free food and beer. That should always be your number one priority.

8/31/2011 11:31:40 AM

can anyone confirm where I can get some of the red/white cans?

9/1/2011 10:15:35 AM

^ any store that sells Budweiser?

9/1/2011 10:39:58 AM