1. Size of Your Backyard
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The size and shape of your backyard is the most important factor to consider. While inflatable slides are generally larger in size, they do come in a variety of lengths, widths and heights, depending on their features.
Since slides need to be set up on flat, grassy areas (read: NEVER concrete) that are free from rocks and sticks, you’ll want to measure the available space you have in your yard.
While your slide should be at least 10 feet away from your house, garage, fence, tree or any other free-standing structure, you’ll still want to keep in mind how far away your garden hose hookup and electrical outlet are from this space, since you’ll need both for setup.
2. Special Features
Once you’ve figured out the size of slide that can fit into your backyard, you’ll want to look into the special features your kids will like.
Bestway inflatable water slides can have features ranging from water spray cannons, climbing walls and water sprayers/sprinklers to bounce houses, basketball hoops (and balls), surprise soak buckets, reusable Sponge Soakers™, multiple slides (for racing friends!), obstacle courses and crawl-through tunnels.
One Bestway® slide even has a shaded canopy area with a cup holder and a Built-in Point ‘n Spray Water Cannon, so parents can relax comfortably (or join in on the fun!) while they watch their kids play.
The best part is – all Bestway slides have a splash pool, so your kids are ready for a splashin’ good time! While every kid is different, you’re sure to find something they love with so many features to choose from!
4. Durability & Setup
Lastly, another very important factor to consider is the durability of the material and ease of setup.
Our inflatable water slides are constructed with a high-quality, durable, double-stitched material, and include stakes to secure the slide to the ground and a heavy-duty blower that inflates the entire slide in less than 2 minutes, so you can feel confident you have everything you need to get the party started!
Finding the best inflatable water slide for your needs is sort of like choosing the ideal car. There are a whole lot of variables. There are all sorts of performance and aesthetic choices you’ll need to make. But at the end of the day, it’s your needs and your environment that will ultimately help you make a decision.
I’m a parent. I want a car where I can get the baby seat in and out easily, leaving enough space for the bigger kids. Living in an urban area, I prefer smaller vehicles; I don’t want a big, tall SUV. I want something sporty and fun to drive when the kids aren’t with me. And living in Buffalo, I need a car that can handle the heavy lake effect snow our city is famous for.
Choosing an inflatable water slide? It’s a lot like buying a new car. You’ve got a toddler, an eight-year old, and a young teenager, so you want a slide they can all enjoy. You want it to fit in your backyard. You want to pick a gender neutral theme that all three kids will be happy with; a rainbow theme, or perhaps a tropical theme. Or maybe it’ll be something else entirely?
You may not be looking at fuel economy or how fast it accelerates from zero to 60. But like buying a car, buying an inflatable water slide is a big investment. And there are lots of things you’ll need to take into consideration before entering your card info. Let’s take a look at these common factors and see if we can find the perfect inflatable water slide to suit your needs.
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Not every family needs a big inflatable water slide. Not every family has the time, the money, or the storage space to facilitate one. So before we get into all these factors that might shape the inflatable slide you decide to buy, let’s first take a moment to make sure you need to buy one in the first place.
If you answer “yes” to any of the following questions, you may want to consider looking into booking an inflatable water slide rental. There are probably inflatable water slides for rent near you, and it might make more sense to book one than buy one. If you do answer “yes” to any of these questions but you still aren’t sure, give our sales team a call at 716-566-. We’re not going to try and sell you something you don’t need and we’re more than happy to help you decide if it’s better to buy or rent.
The second big issue we’re going to want to figure out is the size of the inflatable water slide. How large a footprint is this thing going to need? These games can be really, really big. We’ll want to make sure you find a unit that can actually fit in the yard, park, or other space where this will be set up.
What’s the maximum amount of space you can use up with your inflatable slide? And what amount of space are you comfortable using? These aren’t necessarily the same thing!
It’s important to note that when you’re looking at products listed on Pogo Bounce House, you’re seeing the height of the unit in the product’s title, not the length. For instance, our 12’ Blue Marble inflatable water slide is 12’ tall, but it’s 23’ long and 9’ wide. That’s more than 200 square feet of real estate.
Meanwhile, a much larger Tropical Marble Dual Lane Inflatable Water Slide is 30’ long, 20’ wide, and 22’ tall. That’s 600 square feet. And at 22’ tall, you also need to worry about environmental impacts other than sheer space alone. Will the unit run into tree branches or utility lines? Is there anything above the inflatable slide that can cause an obstruction, or even damage your brand new inflatable water slide?
Larger inflatable water slides—ones in the 15’+ range— use long tethers that help prevent swaying, and these tethers are usually secured with 36” to 42” stakes. These longer stakes pose the risk of damaging underground utility lines, which can in turn be very dangerous. Be sure to dial 811 and make sure you’re clear to drive these longer stakes!
The inflatable water slide’s footprint in your yard isn’t the only size-related factor. Larger inflatable games naturally weigh more, and that means you also need to consider how you’ll move the inflatable slide around.
An inflatable water slide can weigh as little as 100 pounds, or as much as 1,000 pounds. Yes, you read that correctly … 1,000! Of course, that’s for enormous commercial inflatable water slides designed to be set up by a team of people. If you’re one or two parents with no other help, moving something like that around is obviously a nonstarter.
We strongly recommend getting a heavy duty hand truck, or maybe a furniture dolly/appliance dolly. We also suggest you pick up some easy-to-use ratchet straps, which always prove useful when you’re trying to secure something huge—an inflatable water slide, for instance—to your hand truck.
The most important thing we can recommend when setting up an inflatable water slide: BE CAREFUL. These are large, heavy, and cumbersome. Don’t try to do it all yourself. Ask friends or family for assistance. If you’re hosting a party, see if any guests with whom you’re close are willing to stop by a little early and help you get set up. Your kids won’t be able to enjoy themselves if Mommy or Daddy are writhing in pain after pulling their muscles!
Pogo’s Vinyl Crossover™ and commercial inflatable water slides are tough, durable, and resistant. Take good care of them, and they can last several years … the first inflatable water slide you ever buy could even be the last you’ll ever need.
You’ll of course want to get an inflatable slide that’s suited to your present-day family. But you’ll also want to take into consideration where your kids might be in three or four years. Think about how much bigger they’ll be (kids grow way too darn fast, don’t they?). Will they still get the same value out of the inflatable water slide you’ve chosen when they’re a few years older and a few feet taller?
As a general rule, bigger kids have bigger fun on bigger inflatable games. A 12 foot inflatable slide won’t be as fun for a 14 year old as it is for a nine year old. But a huge 20’ tall slide might be too scary for younger kids. Trying to strike that balance with your choice of inflatable water slide may be a little challenging.
Our suggestion here isn’t to ask a salesperson …you’re better off asking your kids. See what they think is too big or too small. And always remember the old adage of someone’s eyes being bigger than their stomach. Kids are always super stoked by the prospect of the ginormous, humongous, gargantuan roller coaster with death-defying mega loops and lightning fast corkscrew spirals ... right up to the moment they see it in person.
Are you interested in learning more about large water slide inflatable water park? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!