Buying guide
Twelve inflatable water slides, each drawn to scale with the lawn it needs, from a 10.8 foot splash castle to a 17.7 foot double slide with its own dinosaur pool.
Every unit here sprays water from a garden hose while a blower keeps it up, so plan the spot around an outlet and a spigot as well as open grass. The manuals we read, from Little Tikes, Action Air and Bounceland, all ask for 2 meters (6.6 feet) of clear space around the unit, and Little Tikes counts the space overhead too.
The sections split them by what kids do on them: race down double lanes, climb to a single slide, or splash in a pool that's the main event. Where a listing and its manual disagree, we've gone with the manual and said so on the card. For what a weekend of this does to your grass, read how to choose.
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Two slides next to each other, so kids race down together instead of queueing at the top. With clearance, plan on 26 to 31 feet of lawn the long way.
Our pick for racing
Two racing slides either side of a climbing wall, with a bucket at the top that tips water onto whoever is climbing, all running into one shared pool. Little Tikes' manual gives it as 12 by 12 feet and the listing as about 14 by 13.5, so we've drawn the manual's figure; ages start at 5, older than most here.
View on AmazonShark slide, wet or dry
A shark perched on top, two long lanes either side of a climbing wall, and two water cannons at the splash pool. Its 200 pound total trails the rest of this section, so go by weight rather than headcount; dry, it doubles as a ball pit.
View on AmazonLargest unit, dinosaur pool
Two raised slides, a climbing wall and a basketball hoop, plus a separate dinosaur-shaped pool whose tail doubles as a ring toss. At 17.7 by 15.4 feet it's the largest unit on this page; four kids and 400 pounds is the limit, and the blower's cord is 13 feet long.
View on AmazonNarrowest double slide
A climbing wall in the middle with a slide on each side and a water gun aimed across the splash pool, the narrowest double here at 11.2 feet wide. A drain hole in the pool floor speeds up the cleanup, which matters more than it sounds at the end of a wet day.
View on AmazonA climb up the front and a single slide down into the pool, in footprints from 10.5 by 9.2 to 17 by 12.4 feet. With clearance they need a strip of lawn 24 to 31 feet long.
Our pick for climbing
Kids climb the front wall, slide into a long splash pool, or crawl out through a tunnel under the slide, while a water gun sprays across the top. Its listing rates it for ages 3 to 5, the youngest range on this page, so it's built for preschoolers.
View on AmazonOverhead sprinkler
A climbing wall up to one long, cushioned slide, a curving splash pool with a basketball hoop, and a sprinkler that rains on everyone from overhead. BANZAI lists no weight limit at all, so its age range of 5 and up is the only guide the listing gives.
View on AmazonSmall yard, bounce floor too
A curved slide, a small trampoline floor and a pool that holds pit balls when it's dry, with a bucket at the top that tips water on whoever slides down. At 10.5 by 9.2 feet it's the most compact climbing-wall unit here, sized for three or four kids.
View on AmazonMost weight in this section
A candy-themed combo with a jumping area, a climbing wall, one slide, a hoop and water cannons around the pool, all inside 10.8 by 9.1 feet. Its 440 pound limit is the highest in this section, and the 450 watt blower fills it in about a minute.
View on AmazonUnits built around the pool, where the slide is short and the splashing is the point. Their clear zones run 25 to 29 feet on the longer side.
Our pick for splashing
A shark's open mouth frames the top of the slide, which runs into a long, curving pool with a fin in the middle and a sprayer at the far end. Action Air's manual sizes it for kids 3 to 5 feet tall and 100 pounds each, and says not to leave it inflated overnight.
View on AmazonFour kids, small yard
A castle with a bounce floor, a climbing wall up to the slide, a basketball hoop and a water cannon over the pool, in the smallest footprint on this page. Outsunny sizes it for four kids aged 3 to 8 and a 264 pound total.
View on AmazonTwin dolphins, double slide
Twin dolphins guard a bounce area with a double slide on one side and a splash pool with two water cannons on the other. Mesh runs around the jumping area and along both sides of the slide, and Causeair sets an 80 pound limit per child, the lowest on this page.
View on AmazonEvery part measured
Bounceland lists every part: a 4.5 by 4.25 foot jumping area, a 6.5 foot slide and a 6.5 by 4.8 foot pool, inside 11.5 by 9 feet. At 6 feet tall it's the shortest unit here, and its UL-listed blower comes on a 25 foot cord with a GFCI plug.
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