The key to being the real Captain of the Tailgate is having a crew you can believe in.
A sweet vehicle, like the one Brandon talked about last week, is great, but your tailgate will only work if all the members work together. It's no good if Pete, Joe, Tom, and Al all bring chips to the party. One way to go about it is having everyone know their roles. Things go much more smoothly if every week Pete brings the beer, Joe provides the chips, Tom gets the meat, Al has the buns and condiments, and you take care of the grill to bring it all together.
In college, I was Tom. Every week, I'd bring a different selection of brats, burgers, steaks, or other forms of delicious animal products. My version of Pete liked to mix it up, always finding a new six-pack we had never tried before. While Joe and Al might not be as creative with their choices, they're still an integral part of the crew. And that's the important part: a Captain needs to be able to rely on his entire crew to fill their roles to make the ship run smoothly.