As parking lots reduce the areas where you can grill and set out your tailgate party, the need for cooking space grows. A space-saving tailgate party table should fit easily in your parking lot space and give you more square footage than the footprint of the table (in other words, design is important). And it must be light enough to transport. But no need to panic as there are many clever gadgets on the market that can help you. The good news is that they are not expensive. They also fold into almost nothing as many double as camping accessories.
The Coleman Pack-Away Kitchen Tailgate Party Table
Coleman Pack-Away Kitchen for Tailgate Parties
Weighing in at 11.6 pounds including its 32″ carry-bag, the Coleman Pack-Away Kitchen gives you 32″ x 24″ of cooking space and yet takes up little space or weight. It’s designed as a space-saving tailgate party table or camping table. Perfect for outdoors. That’s pretty important for Tailgate Parties. It also has a lower (not as sturdy) shelf where you can stash things like foil, pot-grabbers and utensils while you are cooking, or your plates etc.. It’s aluminum frame is tough but folds easily and the surfaces snap on. This is a very inexpensive version of the camping style kitchen counter tops you crave when cooking in the outdoors. Ms. Rawhide is addicted to those grill cook-offs on TV and I always warn her that they have an entire art department to set up their rig. Tailgate partiers have to pack and go and the Coleman Pack-Away Kitchen is exactly that. Ticks all boxes. Plus it has that stellar Coleman name and won’t collapse on you mid-grill. These are made to fit most Coleman cookers which are modular in design. Oh and it has a great hook for hanging a lantern for those gloomy afternoons. Or you could hang a team pennant on it.
Coleman Pack-Away Kitchen in use
Quick Read Features for the Coleman Pack Away Kitchen
Holds up to 100 pounds in weight.
Compact
Comes with a bag
Flexible mesh shelf to hold gadgets
Large cooking surface
Lightweight
Quick to set up and demount.
1 year warranty (limited by conditions – you can ask Coleman Customer service for a copy prior to buying but it is the usual stuff)
Nifty lantern hook
From reputable company known for good outdoor design
Fixed leg length but the rest is adjustable for your stove
Stove holder is separate from the table and can be clipped on.
Low price
GCI Outdoor Slim Fold Cook Station for your big Tailgate Party
GCI Outdoor Slim Fold Cook Station
GCI Outdoor Slim Fold Cook Station in use
Going up in the size and price range is the GCI Outdoor Slim Fold Cook Station.
A bit heavier than the Coleman, the GCI has a tough powder coated steel frame and the cook prep area is aluminum and quite static. It folds flat but weighs 20.8 pounds but you may decide that it is worth this extra poundage. It has 6 actual surfaces to stash your food gear – 4 fold-out side tables, a strong wire rack and the aluminum top. You can safely place glasses, bottles, carve that leg of lamb or rack of pork ribs, and it will take a real beating in the outdoors. This is a great unit also for people who are renting an apartment and have only a small open air space and still like to grill outdoors – the GCI gives you so many cooking options and has a space for trash as well as all your gear.
Note that it is quite important for health and safety to store any food at least 6″ off the ground and this is perfectly designed for that.
Quick Read Features for GCI Outdoor Slim Fold Cook Station
Heavy – over 20 pounds
All the cooking, serving, cleaning space you need for a tailgate party
Long lasting, space-saving tailgate party table- engineered in steel and aluminum
Slim folding for transporting
Holds 203 pounds of tailgate party food and drinks
Medium price.
Built-in beverage holders
World Outdoor Products Professional Portable Folding Bartenders’ Table with Umbrella
World Outdoor Products Professional Portable Folding Bartenders’ Table
Again, going up in price (but greatly discounted at the moment here), the World Outdoor Products Professional Portable Folding Bartenders’ Table comes with a wrap around granite styled (MDF) counter top on three sides. Masses of space for serving food and drinks.
This space-saving tailgate party table frame is manufactured from black anodized strong aluminum and comes folded into a suitcase shape which easily pop out to reveal a 48″ counter in the center and 2 13″ x 32″ side tables. This is really designed for the tailgate party animal who makes ita weekly event and invites his buds over to his site for a grill and brewski event prior to games of all conferences. The additional space is very appreciated by the chef and bartender!
There’s a wrap-around skirt to clip on which hides all your bits of gear neatly.
I think this top of the range version is very worthwhile and again, you can use it for pre-gaming in your man-cave or yard tailgate party. It has heaps of applications and won’t let you down. Nice that it has the UV resistant umbrella built-in plus a lot of drink holders, six bottle holders and other accessories designed as part of the the system.
You can put your cooler or grill on the center tray which reverses according to your preference.
This is a sturdy, well-designed article that will enhance your tailgate party experience.
Quick Read Features for World Outdoor Products Professional Portable Folding Bartenders’ Table
More than 3 times larger than normal serving spaces
Fully portable and folds very compactly and fast
Anodized aluminum frame so weight is low proportional to functionality at 33 pounds for 32″ x 72″ space
Built in UV resistant umbrella
Sellers guarantee one-day delivery or money back.
Bottle holders and many shelves for coolers, grill, eating and cooking utensils.
Comes with skirt and storage bag
Attractive looking MDF granite-laminated surfaces
Multitude of uses outside tailgate parties ! But perfect space-saving tailgate party table for you parties indoor and out.
Table is 32″ tall which is lower than bar height but is good for table height and cooking. You may want to buy some table risers such as these but check it out before purchasing extra gear.
SUNVP Ultralight and Portable Folding Camping Table with Carrying Bag for Tailgate Party Cooking
Ultralight Aluminum Frame Table
OK so here’s one for the very budget conscious. You can’t get much cheaper than this and at the price, you can always just buy an additional table as need dictates. It’s not every high tech but the simplicity and lack of weight here is probably the biggest selling point apart from the low, low price.
There’s a massive discount of MSRP here. But I wouldn’t have paid the high price anyway as there’s not much to it.
The makeers say it only weighs as much as a bottle of water – hmmm, which size bottle would that be? Ahhhh, I see where you are going with that. 2.4 pounds in weight but it can hold up to 33 pounds. So don’t go putting your cooler or grill on it. The ultralight aluminum frame and cloth top just may cave in. However, it is HANDY to have one or more of these to use as side tables and the waterproof Oxford cloth top flexes enough to place drinks on.
Quick Read Features for SUNVP Ultralight and Portable Folding Camping Table
Comes with its own carry bag
Light – 2.4 pounds.
29.5 x 21.6 x 20.8 inches
Anti-slip feet.
Ultra portable and versatile
Aluminum tube (like birds’ bones!) construction for lack of weight
Rods stay rigid so the table does not collapse
22″ high
A few different color options
In summary
I have deliberately restricted this post to 4 of the most logical buys in tables. This is not to ignore all those great portable bars
But the abovementioned are for the cook – a wide price range and size option.
Keep reading – I will add anything that rivals these four in value and function.
Happy tailgating!
