
Alain Gagnon
Tailgater Tire Table
By Alain Gagnon
Instagram: @Al_Gagnon
Email: rawimage@me.com
How many of you fellow off-roaders/overlanders have ever been caught in similar situation? You find a beautiful tranquil spot, normally in the middle of nowhere, and since you’ve been driving/mudding most of the day, you stop for a break to enjoy the views and have a bite to eat. Sitting there with your food on your lap, drink in one hand (or on the rig’s tailgate, which is normally quite high), and then (if you’re like me), you’re wearing your drink and part of your lunch.
Let me introduce you to this real simple but ingenious product that I came upon at the last Overland Expo.
The Tailgater Tire Table is a steel travel table that uses your vehicle tire as its main support. It offers a surprisingly large flat surface and easily deploys no matter the terrain around you. It is sturdy and only requires you to unfold a retractable front leg and slide the back out to fit snuggly around your rig’s tire (or around your mounted spare tire). And it literally does this in a few seconds. It is not vehicle specific, therefore it can be used on any type of automotive/trailer or RV out there (as long as it has tires….). Once you’re finished with it, you only have to fold the front leg back in it’s travel position, lift the table from around your tire, slide back the portion that fits around your tire and store it back in your rig.
I have used this table since the Overland Expo in various off–the-grid situations, first as a simple table to eat and drink on, and second, as a cooking surface with either my grill or cooking stove on it. I’ve seen it used on various YouTube videos as a flat surface to review topographical maps, as a flat area to put tools on, and even as a surface to wash a dog after it had strolled in the mud all afternoon. The Tailgater Tire Table is now a part of my “must bring” kit when I’m either off-road or simply travelling longer distances on paved highways, I can easily stop anywhere (normally off -road), pull out the table with a couple of folding chairs, cook/eat/drink, pack up and go.
The table is made of durable powder-coated steel, weighs in at around 5.4kg (12 lbs) and measures 58.4cm wide x 73.6cm long x 4cm thick (23”x 29”x1.5”). Don’t use it as a seat though as the maximum weight is 22.7 kg (50lbs).
Retails at $140 - www.tailgatertiretable.com