Inflatable Outdoor Toys

Wet or dry

Inflatables divide into dry play, wet play, and the combination units that do both. Dry castles are three-season equipment and work from spring through autumn. Wet units — slides, splash pools, sprinkler arches — are summer only but get used relentlessly through it.

Combination models with a removable sprinkler line are the most versatile if you are buying one thing.

Blowers and pumps

Larger inflatables need a continuous-flow blower running the entire time they are in use. Smaller pool-type products use an air pump and hold their air once sealed. These are different pieces of equipment and are not interchangeable, so check what a product needs before ordering.

Water pressure

Water slides and sprinkler products connect to a standard garden hose. If your mains pressure is on the low side, or you are on tank water, expect less spray than the photos suggest. It still works — it just runs gentler.

Where to put it

Level grass, pegged at every anchor point, clear of anything hard. Wet inflatables want somewhere the runoff can go, because a slide will put a lot of water onto one patch of lawn over an afternoon and leave a bog if it cannot drain.

Making them last

Rinse the salt or chlorine off, dry completely in the sun, and fold along the original creases. Damp storage is what kills inflatables; punctures are usually repairable with the patch kit supplied.