Every year I make a run out to Wal-Mart to pick up some tailgating items. Tailgating at WVU is unlike any other anywhere in the country. If you don’t believe me, then you haven’t been. These are what I consider the most essential items that every Mountaineer tailgater must have with them on Saturday.

1) Duct Tape
You never know when you’ll need this stuff. When you fall down and scrape your knees and face up, it makes a great bandage. You can tape a 12 pack to your back before walking into the stadium (tip: the West entrance is the easiest to sneak beer into). The uses for this stuff is never ending.

2) The Ring Thing, bottle opener:
Last year during the Cincinnati vs. WVU tailgate, the worst thing happened. My friend and I were all ready to drink a nice cold bottle of Sierra Nevada when BAM!, no bottle opener. I suck at knocking the top off on a brick or using my teeth, so I had to go bum a bottle opener off some fellow ‘Eers. The next day I found this: It’s the best $7.99 you’ll ever spend.

3) A Styrofoam cooler
They might look like something you’d find at a trailer part down in Hookersville, WV (real place, look it up), but they have a lot of advantages than the standard plastic cooler, especially when at a rowdy tailgate. First, they are dirt cheap: $2.29 at Kroger’s or Giant Eagle. Second, they keep ice longer than the expensive coolers, and cold beer is priceless. Third, you can put your “good” beers in them, because the perception is that this cooler only holds Schiltz. Last but not least, they are totally disposable. After having my “off-road-4 wheel drive” cooler stolen last year, I’m going back to the good ol’ stand-by (they suck for the environment but I have my priorities).

4) SPF
This one is self explanatory but when you are a pale redhead like me, you have to have some SPF-50 with you to make it through the first 3 or 4 weeks. I don’t want to look like this guy at the end of the day.

5) Beer
My current favs:
Every Day Beer: Dogfish Head 60Min IPA
Tailgate Beer: Miller Lite
Nuff Said.