With summer heat on you’ll enjoy our 13 best water slides for backyard fun guide. We explore what makes a water slide the best for backyard use and discuss quality of the materials, finding the right size to fit your backyard, a useful design and factors that make it perform at a high level.
If you want to find the best water slides for backyard fun continue reading. Our guide points out what kinds of features to look for, how these features can benefit you, and what makes one water slide better than another.
Next, we review the 13 best water slides for backyard use and tell you what makes each so popular, along with the things we like about it and the things that we don’t. You’ll find all the information that you need to make an informed decision.
| Category | Water Slides |
|---|---|
| Best Water Slides For Kids | BOUNTECH Inflatable Water Slide |
| Best Banzai Water Slide | Banzai Big Blast Water Park |
| Best Inflatable Water Slides | Retro Jump Inflatable Water Slide |
| Runner Up Best Inflatable Water Slides | Wonderful Industry Ltd. Giant Lawn Water Slide |
| Best Water Slides For Toddlers | Banzai Inflatable Water Slide |
| Best Runner Up Water Slide for Toddlers | Intex Dinosaur Inflatable Play Center |
| Best Backyard Water Slides For Adults | WOW World of Watersports Super Slide |
| Runner Up Water Slide For Adults | Hoolro AOVO Inflatable Water Slip and Slide |
| Best Bouncy House Water Slide | Costzon Inflatable Water Park |
| Best Banzai Water Slide | Banzai Grand Slam Baseball Water Slide |
| Best Wahii Waterslide | Wahii WaterSlide 75 x 12 |
| Best Wham O Slip N Slide | Wham-O Slip ‘N Slide Surf Rider Double Sliding Lanes |
| Best WOW Super Slide | WOW Watersports Slide N Smile |
Table of Contents
Water Slide Buyers Guide
Before you purchase a water slide there are some important things to take into consideration. We’ve created a guide to point out the things that you need to look for to make sure that the water slide you buy is the best choice for you, the family, and that it will bring the most enjoyment for summertime backyard fun.
Size/Space
It’s important to make sure that the water slide you buy will fit in your back yard with enough room to slide and keep everyone safe. The average size is between 9 and 16 feet in length. There are variations in the widths.
Material
Water slides are made of a variety of different material. The best and most durable is heavy-duty PVC, but there are some other good plastic formulations that are just as good. UV resistance is another feature to look for in the material so it will last for years.
Features
Choose a water slide that has features that you or your family will enjoy and use. Some come with water cannons, water walls, climbing walls, basketball hoops, slides, pools and other features.
If you have children who are younger, consider a slide that comes with a bouncy house for added enjoyment.
Setup Time
Some of the bigger water slides take longer to set up. Keep in mind that when it’s hot outside, it’s hard to spend a lot of time in the sun setting up the slide. Some setup in a matter of 2 minutes or less.
Included Accessories
It’s always a good idea to purchase a water slide that comes with useful accessories. The best includes a repair kit in case of puncture, and a stake kit that keeps the slide held firmly to the ground for stability and greater safety. Some even come with a mesh net or a crash pad for additional safety.
Price
You can find some water slides for as little as $30 but some of the more deluxe models can cost $650 or more. The more features, the more expensive the slide will be.
Compare the features you want in a slide with other slides to get the best deal. Some brands are higher in price than others, but they are about the same quality.
Storage Requirements
Make sure to check the storage requirements so you know how to store the slide, where to store it and the recommended containers if you don’t have a garage. Some come with a carrying and storage bag for portability and easy storage.
Weight Limits
Check the weight limits on a water slide before you purchase. Make sure that it is rated at a high enough weight capacity to accommodate the people you’re purchasing it for. Some are rated as high as 400 lbs.
Recommended Ages
Water slides are made for all ages. Some are best for toddlers through 5-year olds while others are rated for babies of just a few months through adults. Make sure the model you buy is age appropriate for the people in your family.
Ease of Use And Maintenance
Most water slides will mold if you put them away wet. Some are easier to clean and dry than others. The more accessories the longer the drying time.
Top 13 Backyard Water Slides
Now that you know what to look for when searching for the best water slides for backyard fun, we’re going to look at the most popular models with the highest consumer ratings.
We’ve chosen the 13 best that have the most impressive features for your consideration. You’ll find a complete description, pros and cons, why each is so highly recommended and how it sets up.
1. Best Water Slides For Kids – BOUNTECH Inflatable Water Slide
The BounTech Inflatable Water Slide is a great slide for kids because it inflates into a water park with several activities built in. It’s ideal for kids age 3 to 10 years old.
It comes with a bouncer pool with a long slide, a climbing wall, and a castle bounce house for hours of fun. The key feature is the protective netting that include tall mesh walls around the jumping area.
This keeps kids safe while jumping and it allows fresh air in on hot days for good ventilation. It also allows adults to see the activity of the kids for supervision.
This water slide set is made of heavy duty 420D oxford and 840D Oxford mesh material. It’s strong and durable with a puncture resistant fabric.
This is a fun and exciting water slide that has a lot of useful features. Kids spend hours playing in the water and getting exercise. It’s fun and safe, and recommended by parents and grandparents.
What I like:
- It sets up quickly. Just inflate with an air blower
- It deflates quickly and rolls up for compact storage
- Kids love the variety of activities
- The slide comes with a repair kit and ground stakes to make the bouncy castle stable for kids’ play
What I don’t like:
- The bottom pad could be larger for better coverage
This is the best overall water slide for kids because of its strong quality built, the safety features, and the fun theme of a bouncy castle, pool and slide.
2. Best Banzai Water Slide – Banzai Big Blast Water Park
The Banzai Big Blast Water Park is a popular slide because of its unique waterpark theme. The blasting cannons are a feature that kids are thrilled with.
This water park is ideal for kids age 3 to 12 years old with a slide for older kids and a wading pool for smaller kids. It comes with a blower motor with gfci and it inflates in less than 2 minutes.
It is made of heavy-duty duratech with puncture resistance. A basketball hoop challenge and ball are included along with an overhead sprinkler and continuous blasting water cannon.
Consumers find this water slide to be an excellent investment. It’s suitable for multiple kids in a wide range of ages.
What I like:
- Great fun for kids
- It inflates in a few minutes and only requires a garden hose to operate
- It’s strong and easy to clean and maintain
- It works for kids age 3 through 12
What I don’t like:
- Some units have arrived with defects
This is a fun water slide for backyard fun for smaller kids. It’s loaded with fun and entertaining features and it is made of high-quality materials. We love the fact that it even comes with a blower motor for fast inflation.
3. Best Inflatable Water Slides – Retro Jump Inflatable Water Slide
The Retro Jump Inflatable Water Slide is our pick for the best inflatable water slide because it features a double slide pool with a water park, a bounce house, a climbing wall, a splash pool, and a water cannon.
This slide is suitable for children ages 3 to 10 years old. and it offers age appropriate built-in water fun for everyone in this age group. Outstanding features include spray hoods to maintain a slippery sliding surface for hours of entertainment.
The climbing wall is ideal for development of hand-eye coordination and the entire unit features double to quadruple stitching at stress points to ensure long life and durability.
Children enjoy playing on this inflatable water slide with all of the assorted fun features and options for play. It even comes with a blower to make inflation go fast. It’s easy to put up or to disassemble and well worth the investment.
What I like:
- Entertaining for a wide range of kids
- Sturdy water park
- It’s loaded with fun accessories
What I don’t like:
- You must dry this unit thoroughly or it can mold easily
This inflatable water side is a deluxe water park for kids. It’s attractive and safe, and it comes with so many fun and useful features that it’s an excellent option for stimulating outdoor exercise and play during the summer months.
4. Runner Up Best Inflatable Water Slides – Wonderful Industry Ltd. Giant Lawn Water Slide Inflatable
The Wonderful Industry Giant Lawn Water Slide is a large inflatable water slide that blows up to 16 feet long. It is a single slip slide type play center that comes with a crash pad, water sprayer and swimming pool with a bumper for safety.
The manufacturer recommends this water slide for age 2 months with adult supervision up to adult. It provides a fun and exciting way to get exercise outdoors and cool off when it’s hot outside.
The key features of this large water slide are the water sprayer and the crash pad. It’s a simple outdoor toy that allows kids to slide on its wet surface without getting hurt. It’s easy to set up.
All you need to do is inflate the slide and attack a garden hose. This is a sturdy water slide that the entire family can enjoy. It is reasonably priced, and it provides hours of fun in the sun.
What I like:
- Sturdy material is puncture resistant
- It’s big enough for several kids to use at once
- It folds up to a compact size and it weighs under 2 pounds making it easy to transport
- It’s good for people of all ages
We love the large size of this water slide. If you’re looking for a basic inflatable water slide that is budget priced, yet made of high-quality materials, we recommend this one.
5. Best Water Slides For Toddlers – Banzai Inflatable Water Slide
The Banzai Inflatable Water Slide is a huge inflatable water slide that is suitable for birthday parties or other special events. It can accommodate several kids for hours of outdoor water fun.
This makes it one of the most popular inflatable water slides for toddlers. This water slide is intended for kids ages 5 months and up. There are shallow spots for little ones with adult supervision and more advanced features for older kids.
This water slide is also a huge kids’ pool that measures 14 feet long by 8 feet high. It comes with a built in Sprinkler wave and a water wall. It is made of heavy-duty puncture-resistant material.
It also comes with a blower for easy and fast inflation and setup. Parents rate this pool as an excellent investment.
Kids have hours of fun and exciting play while getting exercise and cooling off in the summer heat. The setup is minimal, and it goes up fast
What I like:
- The pool inflates quickly, and it is easy to assemble
- It’s large enough for several kids to play at once and it accommodates babies through bigger kids
- There are a lot of cool features for kids to play on
What I don’t like:
- This slide is too large for extremely small backyards
This is one of the highest rated water slides for toddlers. It gets rave reviews for its quality and functionality. We love that it is huge and it’s great for toddler’s as well as older kids and for hosting big birthday parties.
6. Best Runner Up Water Slide for Toddlers – Intex Dinosaur Inflatable Play Center
The Intex Dinosaur Inflatable Play Center is a fun dinosaur themed inflatable play center for use in the backyard. It’s prized for the safety that it offers with a landing mat for extra padding.
It is intended for children ages 2 and up. This makes it the ideal choice for toddlers through preschoolers. This water slide/play center inflates to a size of 98 x 75 x 43 inches.
It is easy to set up and it inflates quickly. For a water flow to the palm tree sprayer and the waterfall, just hook up a regular garden hose and you’re set.
This inflatable play center features a padded landing mat for toddler safety, and adjustable control through a valve for the tree sprayer and waterfall. The pool holds up to 57 gallons of water and it even comes with a repair patch kit.
Once this play center is set up kids thoroughly enjoy playing with all of the special features. It’s hard to get them to come in. It’s big enough for several small children to play at the same time. The price is extremely reasonable and it’s a sturdy little play center.
What I like:
- Multiple features keep kids interested in playing for long periods of time
- It’s easy to drain thanks to the plug in the pool floor
- This is a strong setup that holds up nicely with no air leaks
- You can use a blower to inflate the setup
What I don’t like:
- There are several smaller inflatables that are attached. It takes longer to inflate them all, about 30 minutes, but after it’s set up the pool and slide are great.
This is our second choice for best water slide for backyard fun for toddlers. It has a really fun theme, it’s affordably priced and it’s made of quality materials. It might take a little longer to set up, but the kids will love every piece of this unit.
7. Best Backyard Water Slides For Adults – WOW World of Watersports Super Slide
The WOW World of Watersports Super Slide is a top-rated version of the popular slide for adults. The zig-zag spray pattern of the sprinkler system runs the length of the side, so you get great water coverage for smooth gliding.
This slide is intended for adults, but bigger kids can use it too. It’s easy to connect this slide to a regular garden hose and it takes just minutes to set it up to begin using.
It’s made of extra thick PVC that is durable and holds up over time. You can join several of these slides together because it is customizable and compatible with additions.
This slide connects easily to others of the same brand. You can create a giant super slide that accommodates a large party of adults with no problem. It’s high quality and very sturdy.
What I like:
- This is a big slide and you can add as many extra slides together as you want to make a super-size slide
- The materials are very strong and hold up well under heavy use
- This is a versatile slide
- It’s a good investment
What I don’t like:
- The raft tends to pop when the recommended rafts are used with it
This is the best backyard waterslide for adults because you can customize it to practically any size. It’s high quality and affordable representing a great value for the cost.
8. Runner Up Water Slide For Adults – Hoolro AOVO Inflatable Water Slip and Slide for kids and adults
The Hoolro AOVO Inflatable Water Slip and Slide is an outdoor backyard blow up water slide that is equipped with a splash sprinkler. It’s large enough for adults or kids measuring 189 x 55 inches in size.
This is the best Inflatable water slide for adults because of its ample size and durable material. It also comes with an Inflatable crash pad, a useful safety feature.
This slide has a continuous sprinkling of water to ensure that the surface remains slick enough to slide on time after time. It also comes with surfboards to make sliding even more fun.
These are made of extra thick PVC material of premium grade for durability. The surfboards are double sized so adults can have fun with them too. Some consumers have been disappointed by receiving incomplete units in the packages.
Some were missing the surfboards and others were missing the hose connection. When everything is included, the slide works very well.
What I like:
- The crash board reduces the chance of injury for a softer landing
- It’s made of strong material
- Smooth gliding
- Great for 2 people to use at the same time or for racing
What I don’t like:
- Some of the units were delivered incomplete to consumers. This was a manufacturing issue
This is an excellent water slide that is large enough for 2 grown adults to use at the same time. We love the surf boards that come with the set.
9. Best Bouncy House Water Slide – Costzon Inflatable Water Park with 2 Slides
The Costzon Inflatable Water Park is a deluxe Bouncy House that comes complete with a Jungle Castle Bouncer with 2 slides, a basketball rim, a climbing wall, an ocean ball a water cannon and a splash pool.
It is a 7 in 1 water park that is loaded with useful features. This water slide is popular because of the variety that it offers kids from the age of 3 years old to 10.
Up to 4 kids can play at one time in this deluxe water park. This park is easy to inflate although it takes a little longer because of all of the smaller inflatables. There are 7 activities for kids to have a great time. It’s safe and sturdy.
What I like:
- The splash pool is fun for toddlers
- This set teaches little one’s hand-eye coordination
- It’s made of strong material
- It holds the interest of kids because of the fun theme
What I don’t like:
- This water park is expensive
This is one of the best bouncy house water slides because of the deluxe features that it offers. It’s made of premium PVC material for long life and durability, and although it’s a little pricey, it is a good investment for years of entertainment.
10. Best Banzai Water Slide – Banzai Spring and Summer Toys Grand Slam Baseball Water Slide
The Banzai Grand Slam Baseball Water Slide is a 14 x 14 ft water slide in the shape of a baseball diamond. It is among the most unique water slides on the market today, and the theme makes it highly popular.
This water slide is ideal for ages 5 to 10. Kids who are baseball fans will be thrilled with the theme. The outstanding features of this water slide are the water rail sprinklers that keep the sliding surface slick for easy gliding.
It comes with a lightweight yet durable baseball and bat for playing baseball while sliding. It’s made of strong PVC material and it comes with ground stakes that give it extra stability.
The size of the baseball diamond is small for larger kids. It’s ideal for children in the 5 to 7 or 8 age group.
What I like:
- The slide is well made, and it holds up well under repeated heavy use
- Kids love the baseball game that comes with the slide. The theme is interesting and cute
- This is a fun slide for younger kids
- The baseball bat is light enough for smaller kids
What I don’t like:
- There are so many water holes that some areas don’t get pressurized flow
This is our pick for the best Banzai brand water slide because of its unique baseball diamond theme. It’s the perfect gift for kids who enjoy baseball.
11. Best Wahii Waterslide – Wahii WaterSlide 75 x 12 – World’s Biggest Backyard Lawn Water Slide
The Wahii Water Slide 75×12 is our pick for the best Wahii brand waterslide because of its large size. It also happens to be the number one seller in its category in the US.
This slide is great for the entire family. Its large and slick surface is a lot of fun to play on for people of all sizes and ages. It measures 75 feet in length, and it is 12 feet wide.
This slide is ideal for any kinds of parties, festivals or summer camps. It is also good for anyone who has a large backyard. The outstanding feature of this water slide is its thick plastic construction that is treated for UV resistance.
This is an extremely large water slide that takes a little time to set up because of the size. It’s a lot of fun once its setup and it provides plenty of room for adults to join the kids in the fun.
What I like:
- Great for parties and get togethers
- Strong material and well built
- The surface is very slick when it’s wet
- You can leave it out in the sun and it still holds up great
What I don’t like:
- This slide is too large for smaller yards
- If you leave it on the grass for a few days, the grass begins to die
This is the bestselling giant water slide because of its huge length and width. It’s the best choice for anyone who likes to have summer backyard parties, but you must have a big backyard to do so.
12. Best Wham O Slip N Slide – Wham-O Slip ‘N Slide Surf Rider Double Sliding Lanes
The Surf Rider Double Slider is our pick for the best Wham-O brand water slide. Wham-O is one of the oldest names in the industry and it is a trusted product. This model is 16 feet long for a large sliding area.
This water slide is ideal for ages 5 through 12 but adults can also use the slide. It is an excellent way to spend family outdoor and bonding time. The most outstanding feature is the Surf Rider double lane for racing.
Water is continually running in a wall down the side of the slide for a consistently slick finish. This is an inflatable that provides a nice cushion while sliding. Kids enjoy using this slip and slide.
Although anyone can use it, the 16-foot length works best for kids that are age 5 through pre-teens, or small adults.
What I like:
- The surface is faster when you put a plastic tarp underneath
- It’s super slick
- This is great for racing
- There is always plenty of water on the slide and it takes a regular garden hose
- It’s easy to setup
What I don’t like:
- If you’re not careful you can puncture the plastic, but it repairs easily
This is the best Wham-O water slide for kids from kindergarten through elementary age. The double lane for racing is a fun feature that sets it apart from the single slides.
13. Best Wow Super Slide – WOW Watersports Slide N Smile
The WOW Watersports Slide N Smile is a 9 ft long floating 2 lane waterslide that features high quality construction. This waterslide is made for adults for use at a dock or a poolside.
The outstanding features of this water slide are the 2-lane construction and the premium heavy-duty materials that make it strong and durable.
It is compatible through a zippered connection system that is built in. You can connect it to a variety of other products of this brand to create your own WOW water world playground.
This water slide has a weight capacity of 400 pound. This makes it ideal for larger adults who enjoy watersports by the pool or dock. It’s suitable for older kids and adults so the entire family can join in on the fun.
What I like:
- It’s inflatable and sets up easy in just a few minutes with a blower
- This is great for adults who enjoy watersports
- It’s made of tough material and it holds up for years
- Good addition for the family pool
What I don’t like:
- It needs to be refilled with air regularly to maintain firmness
This is the best WOW waterslide for adults who own a pool or like to swim at the dock. It’s large enough for most adults and kids and it provides hours of fun and enjoyment for the entire family. We love the zipper system that allows you to join this with other WOW inflatables.
Helpful Tips To Find The Best Water Slides For Backyard
- Make sure it will fit in your backyard
- Choose a water slide made from heavy duty materials for durability
- Look for useful features that your family will enjoy the most
Final Thoughts
The best water slides for backyard fun are those that suit your lifestyle and the size of your yard the best. Think about which features you would find the most fun and useful before making your decision.
Consider all members of your family, and what they would enjoy. Choose a slide that is made of strong material. Compare the various top-selling models and compare the cost with the features that you get with each to get the best deal.
Follow our guide to find the most appropriate choice from our 13 best water slides for backyard fun.