Buying guide

Backyard bounce houses, sized for real yards.

Picked by Chip H. · Updated · 12 picks

Twelve picks in three sizes of yard, each drawn to scale with the open space it needs around it.

A backyard bounce house needs far more lawn than its box suggests. The Little Tikes Jump 'n Slide manual asks for 6.6 feet of open ground on every side and overhead, so its 12 by 9 foot footprint really claims a patch about 26 by 23 feet. We use that figure for every pick unless its own manual gives a different one, and most yards lose a few more feet to a fence, a tree or the slope by the patio.

After space come two numbers: the weight limit (total, and per child when the maker states one) and the age range. Where a listing contradicts itself on either, we leave the number off rather than guess. Pick the size of yard you have below, or start with the buying guide.

A 12 by 9 foot bounce house inside its clear zone Top-down plan: the unit sits in the middle of a dashed zone 6.6 feet wider on every side, about 26 by 23 feet overall. 26 ft 23 ft 6.6 ft Clear zone 12 × 9 ft the unit
To scale: a 12 × 9 ft unit plus 6.6 ft of clear space on every side is a 26 × 23 ft patch of lawn, rounded up. Every card below is drawn the same way, at one shared scale.

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The backyard classics.

Slide-and-bounce units from 12 by 9 to 13 by 12 feet. With clearance, plan on roughly 26 by 23 to 27 by 26 feet of lawn.

Our pick for most yards

Little Tikes Jump 'n Slide

Footprint
12 × 9 ft
With clearance
26 × 23 ft
Weight limit
250 lb total
Ages
3 to 8

The one most people picture: a 12 by 9 foot bounce area with a slide out the front, rated for three kids and 250 pounds in total. Its manual rules out extension cords; pick a spot within reach of an outdoor outlet.

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The classic, for older kids too

Action Air Bounce House with Slide

Footprint
12 × 9 ft
With clearance
26 × 23 ft
Weight limit
250 lb total
Ages
3 to 10

Same 12 by 9 footprint as the Little Tikes, with the age range stretched to 10. Its blower ships on a 25 foot cord, a little extra freedom in where the unit can sit.

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Most capacity at 12 × 9

YARD Bounce House with Slide

Footprint
12 × 9 ft
With clearance
26 × 23 ft
Weight limit
400 lb total, 100 per child
Ages
Listing disagrees

The classics' 12 by 9 footprint with a 400 pound limit, 100 pounds per child, and a jumping floor that sits 20 inches off the ground. The listing gives two different age ranges, so ages stay off this card until the manual settles it.

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Party size

Bounceland Royal Palace

Footprint
13 × 12 ft
With clearance
27 × 26 ft
Weight limit
500 lb total, 100 per child
Ages
3 to 10

Five kids at once with a long slide and a basketball hoop, but no child over 100 pounds. A sun roof shades the bounce area on the hottest afternoons.

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Smaller yards, younger kids.

The smallest footprints here, from under 6 feet square up to 11 by 8.5, plus the one pick rated from age 2 and the one built for indoors.

The youngest jumpers

Little Tikes Jr. Jump 'n Slide

Footprint
10.5 × 7 ft
With clearance
24 × 21 ft
Weight limit
160 lb total, 80 per child
Ages
2 to 8

10.5 by 7 feet by its manual, with a 160 pound limit and 80 pounds per child, and the only pick here rated from age 2. Little Tikes labels it for outdoor backyard use only; for rainy days, see the Intex below.

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Small yards

PicassoTiles KC106 Junior Bouncer

Footprint
8 × 7 ft
With clearance
22 × 21 ft
Weight limit
250 lb total
Ages
3 and up

An 8 by 7 foot bouncer with a short slide, a hoop and 50 pit balls, rated for 250 pounds in total. It's the smallest outdoor unit here that runs on a blower, and the blower carries a GFCI plug.

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Indoors

Intex Jump-O-Lene Castle

Footprint
5.75 × 5.75 ft
With clearance
19 × 19 ft
Weight limit
120 lb total
Ages
3 to 6

A vinyl castle about 5 feet 9 inches square with high walls and a double-mattress floor, for two kids ages 3 to 6. Only the castle comes in the box; you'll need an air pump to inflate it.

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Fully enclosed

Blast Zone Magic Castle

Footprint
11 × 8.5 ft
With clearance
25 × 22 ft
Weight limit
300 lb total
Ages
3 to 12

Netting on every side and a short slide at the door, with room for three kids and 300 pounds between them. The age range runs to 12, longer than most units this size.

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Bigger yards, bigger kids.

The biggest footprints and the highest limits, from an 18 foot obstacle course to commercial vinyl. With clearance, every one needs at least 27 feet of open lawn in one direction.

The biggest residential castle

Bounceland Party Castle

Footprint
16 × 13 ft
With clearance
30 × 27 ft
Weight limit
500 lb total, 100 per child
Ages
3 to 10

Sixteen by thirteen feet and 10 feet tall, with a slide, a hoop and room for five kids up to 100 pounds each. Once you add clearance it needs about 30 by 27 feet of open lawn, so measure twice before this one goes in the cart.

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Wet or dry

Causeair Dolphin Water Slide Bounce House

Footprint
14.2 × 13.8 ft
With clearance
28 × 27 ft
Weight limit
350 lb total, 80 per child
Ages
3 to 10

Hook up a hose and it's a water slide with a splash pool; leave it dry and it's a bounce house. The per-child limit is 80 pounds: it's for the kids, not the adults who'll want a turn.

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Commercial-grade vinyl

Pogo Building Block Commercial Bounce House

Footprint
13 × 12 ft
With clearance
27 × 26 ft
Weight limit
Listing disagrees
Ages
Listing unclear

Heavy 15 oz vinyl with heat-welded seams, rental-grade material in a unit Pogo builds for home use, and 112 pounds to drag out of the garage. It also stands 14.5 feet tall; look up for branches and wires before you look at the cart.

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Long, narrow yards

Whubefy Inflatable Obstacle Course

Footprint
18 × 8.2 ft
With clearance
32 × 22 ft
Weight limit
400 lb total
Ages
Listing disagrees

At 18 by 8.2 feet it runs long and thin, with twin tunnels and climbing walls so two kids can race to one wide slide. Its title names two different age ranges; we've left ages off and kept the 400 pound total, which the listing states consistently.

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How to choose a backyard bounce house.

Start with the ground

Measure the flattest stretch of lawn you have and type it into Yard Fit, then look up: branches, wires and roof overhangs all count against you. Stakes need grass or soil, which rules out a patio for outdoor units, and the blower has to reach an outlet, since some manuals forbid extension cords. Use every stake in the box, and know your wind limit: the Little Tikes manual says to stop if the wind tops 20 mph, and our safety guide has the figure for each maker that prints one.

Then match the kids

Total weight limits get the headlines; the per-child limit and the head count are what keep a party sane. Both Bounceland castles cap each child at 100 pounds, the Causeair at 80. Nylon units are light enough to haul out of the garage on a whim, while commercial vinyl like the Pogo weighs over 100 pounds and is made from rental-grade vinyl. If it ships with a blower, inflate it with that blower and nothing else. The residential vs commercial guide and the blower guide go deeper.

A backyard bounce house with an attached slide Bounce houses with slides Compact combos to double lanes, each with the lawn it needs. An inflatable water slide with a splash pool Water slides Splash pools, sprayers and what the grass looks like afterward. A small, low-walled toddler bouncer Toddler and indoor Units small enough for a playroom and gentle enough for age 2. A large combo bounce house built for older kids Big kids Higher limits and sturdier seams once they pass age 8.