The aroma of hot dogs and hamburgers filled the air as fan after anxious fan walked past me donning their favorite jersey. Quickly, I became just as excited for the night’s game as they were. But I wasn’t in the stadium yet—I was still in the parking lot—and the game between the South Florida Bulls and the West Virginia Mountaineers wasn’t set to kickoff for another three hours.

I was on my way to meet up with avid tailgaters, Joe and Donna Moretti, to find out a little more about the tailgating scene from a football loving RVers’ perspective. The Morettis drive their RV, a 2010 Forest River Georgetown, to the Bulls home games in Tampa and so far this year, haven’t missed a game. They even made the trip up to Tallahassee in September to see Joe’s alma mater, University of South Florida, take on Florida State for the first time.

When I entered the RV lot, I walked past coach after coach occupied by tailgaters young and old. When I reached the Morettis’ shiny new Georgetown, I saw they had already started the festivities with several of their friends. I was eager to join in and learn a little more about the RV lifestyle.

Joe and I started talking and he told me about his personal love of the pregame tradition. “The great thing about tailgating is that it really gives us and our friends a chance to get together,” he said. “It’s the only time we really do.” The ’85 USF alum and his wife had been shopping around for an RV for about three years and finally bit the bullet three months ago. “It was really the right place and right time,” he said. “It’s like a new world to us,” Joe said. Donna chimed in, saying, “This really is a lifestyle.”

Right after they bought the RV, they started equipping it with gear for tailgating. A gas grill and grilling accessories, camping chairs, hanging lights for night games and tons of other items. Just days before the game, Joe hooked up a bracket to the outside of the coach to mount a flat-screen TV so he can watch other games before they head into the stadium. The key is buying things that fold to make storing them easier. Plus, it only takes Joe 10 to 15 minutes to pack up everything following a tailgate.

The Georgetown makes it even easier for Joe and Donna because it has ample storage room. The storage compartments in the RV go straight through from one side to the other, allowing more space for the Morettis to pack enough tables and chairs for their crowd.

Tailgating in an RV just doesn’t compare to tailgating out of a car or pickup truck or under a canopy. “We did it the other way for so long,” Joe said with a smile. “A lot of the college kids tell us that one day they hope to ‘graduate’ up to this.”

“One of the great things about tailgating in an RV is that you still have your personal space,” says Joe. Donna then pointed over to the line at the nearby port-a-potties. For her, the best part about tailgating in an RV is having access to her own bathroom. Their coach has a bath and a half, which allows them to open the guest bathroom to their friends while keeping their master bathroom private.

Their game day obsession led them to start planning other types of trips to campsites throughout the state. “We started out just tailgating—that’s the main reason we got it,” Joe said. “But it’s much more than just tailgating now.” Living in Florida, there are “literally hundreds of places to go,” Joe added. Most of the non-tailgating trips they’ve gone on were planned with RVers they befriended while tailgating.

By the time I left their RV, the size of the crowd around it had tripled. The Morettis have shown that you don’t have to stay overnight to enjoy your coach. For these new RVers, a short trip, a little money—$20 for parking—and good friends scores a lot of fun.

Paul Peluso is a Tampa, Fla.-based journalist. He has covered topics ranging from travel, sports and entertainment to politics, law and public safety issues. BRV