If it doesn’t involve a pool float, did you even go on vacation? Turn your hot vax summer up with these fun, playful inflatables you can take to the beach, pool, lake or river for maximum entertainment. From a $5 flamingo-print inner tube to an actual inflatable boat, there’s something for every budget and lifestyle. (Just don’t forget to grab an air pump, too!)
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Promising review: “The raft is really bright and pretty and a lot bigger than I thought it would be. It has been floating in my friend’s pool for about a month now in the central Florida sun and it is holding up very well. All of the other rafts they received at the same time are faded but the peacock is still very bright. It has been jumped on by children and adults so it must be decent quality plastic.” — Brian Richardson
Promising review: “I love this kayak! You can go swimming in the middle of the lake. Re-entering is easy and it won’t flip. When you remove both seats 2 people can comfortably sit on the inflated floor facing each other and enjoy lazy afternoon on the water. You can also buy a kayak anchor and enjoy sunshine without a drift.” — Sceptic Jim
Promising advance take: “That pattern is epic. Aesthetic gold!” — Souler Worldwide
Get the Culture Addict inflatable pool (available July 2021) from Alma Ocean for $78. You can also get the Rasta Unicorn drink holder (available now) for $20.
Promising review: “We LOVE these tubes! Super fast shipping. My husband is 6’5, I’m 5’3. Both fit very comfortably in tubes. He’d never been tubing, and I took him on a quick 6 hour float to ‘get his feet wet.’ I was worried his back would be sore, but he said he was comfortable the entire time. Im pretty sure he snuck in a nap at some point. At my height, getting out in the river waters was a bit of a challenge, but I’d mastered it quickly. Bumped into quite a few rocks, but had no problems with the material holding up. We will certainly be getting a LOT of use out of these. Very highly recommend.” — Kayakchick76
Promising review: “The dual tube design was very comfortable, on the picture doesn’t show but it has a space compartment in front of the cooler excellent to store cameras and a waterproof speaker to jam down the river; the cooler is a good idea although the ice melted pretty fast, the drain hole was a great feature, but on the bright side we used the cooler after draining the water to store our cellphones and shoes along with a few bottles/cans of choice to keep it dry. Total time used was 5 hours down the river. Kept the air pressure well, great quality product 5 stars. — JPK2017
Get it from Dick’s Sporting Goods for $39.99 (regularly $49.99).
Promising review: “Amazing!!! Using it for my 4-month-old. He’s always been super strong and has been sitting on his own for a minute or two at a time. Before we used it in the pool we sat him on top of the seat area and he loved it! He could balance perfectly with the support and play with the toys. In the pool he was more leaned back but could also lean forward to play with the toys. The puffer fish squeaks and they all float. The shader was amazing and snaps into place. He also took a nap on it outside the pool. Perfect!!” — Amazon customer
Promising review: “Where to begin….we splashed, we chilled, we took a charcuterie board into the middle of Lake Anna… The lakefront houses surrounding us were full of people who were straight jelly at the amount of laughs being had during our splash and chill and meat and cheese sesh. Haters will say it’s fake. To those haters we will tell them you can splash but YOU CAN’T CHILL as our captain literally kicks them overboard. This was purchased for a bachelor party weekend and with a built in cooler full of Bud Light seltzer it was worth every penny paid.” — Elizabeth Regnitz
Promising review: “LOVE these floats!!! Purchased two colors. I was looking for something perfect for drifting around a lazy river (which we did around 100 times over the past week of vacation! LOL) and these fit the bill. They are very easy to use, incredibly versatile and really well made! They did their job and did it well. Fantastic price for a fantastic product! My parents loved them so much that they’ve already purchased their own for our vacation NEXT YEAR!!! We left a day earlier than the rest of the family, but my parents begged us to leave these behind for their use. FYI, I’m 240 and 5’9″, my husband and father are 280 and 6′. These held all of us up in the water. Used these as a reclining float, a saddle style float, and a hammock style float. Loved them all!” — Kendall B.
Promising review: “I am not one to write reviews however when something impresses me I have to mention it. This pool float has been inflated and floating on our pool for 2 months straight, the kids abuse it non stop, wind has blown it out of the pool a couple times but it stays inflated and has yet to spring a leak. At our house that is very impressive!!! Its quite large, our 10 and 7 year old usually are on it together no problem. Great buy!!” — Chad Blythe
Promising review: “Wow, just wow. By far my greatest Amazon purchase to date. These $10 floats held my $12 Moscow mule like a champ. No spilling, just floating. The 3 pack made it easy for my family to join me in my flamingo float coolness except that my selfish 5 yr old wanted them all to herself. Once I finally gave in I noticed that even a crazy splashy insane child was able to keep her drink afloat (just a water) in this flamingo! I plan to buy these for everyone I know that has a pool and you should too! Also as a bonus – these are perfect for holding your drink steady on your pool chair or next to it so you don’t accidentally knock it over with your poolside drunkenness! Seriously — buy these.” — absolutkeg
Promising review: “Opened today, inflated and used for 2 hours in a river. It was awesome! I’m 6’2” 250 lbs and it held me easily! And it’s actually really comfortable. Laying all the way back it felt like my recliner at home. It’s a water hammock, so the bottom is mesh and let’s the water through. Sitting down on it at first feels like your going to sink, but once you lay flat, it holds you up perfectly. The headrest is the best part! I highly recommend this. I’m ordering a second one!” — Charles
Get it from Amazon for $46.99 or from Target for the same price.
Promising review for Intex: “I bought this for an annual lake trip I take with my old college roommates. Many came but only few conquered the beast. Success rates radically vary based upon alcohol consumption. It survived multiple double decker waterslide mount attempts so it’s durable.” — Amazon customer
Get the Intex “Inflatabull” from Amazon for $139.94 or get the Banzai “Wild Water Rodeo” from Boscov’s for $19.99.
You will, however, need a boat.
Promising review: “This thing held up to a 75 mph supercharged jet ski and let me tell you the faces of my brothers was priceless. Then we threw about 6 kids on this thing and changed their lives to where they will require thrill seeking at level 10 for the rest of their lives. I’ve never seen such a glorious sight at 75 mph. This thing just takes a lickin and keeps on… uh… wienering!” — Kevin H.
Promising review: “Great float at a great price.” — a Target customer
Get the pool in the grid pattern (and 6 other color schemes) from Mylle.com for $100. Three colors are available at Nordstrom for $100 and up.
Promising review: “The Explorer 200 demonstrates superior performance as an inflatable watercraft far beyond the walls of the suburban above ground pool for which it was designed. This so called ‘toy’ valiantly charged through the choppy waters of Lake Powell, effortlessly deflecting plates of ice with its seemingly impenetrable rubber hull as I explored a vast network of narrow sandstone canyons. Some may call it the ‘poor man’s packraft’, but I strongly disagree, as any man fortunate enough to call an Explorer 200 his own is a rich man indeed.” — Peter Brandon
Promising review: “The grandchildren and neighbors’ children have had a great time with this mat all summer. Once is is in the water they do not want to come out. The children range in age from 3 to 14, with the parents getting in the act occasionally. They run, jump, flop, do cartwheels and flips, play king of the mat, etc. Always action except when they slow down a bit to catch a breath. This has clearly been the hit of the summer and given the looks as the boats swing by, we expect to see a few more on the lake this summer and next. We use a small mushroom anchor with it which works fine. In addition, I run a line from the anchor to the shore so if I don’t want to get wet at the end of the day when it is time to bring it in I can simply pull it in with that line. One of the best parts is no inflation necessary. Simply unroll it; then roll it back up when finished. Using two to roll it does make it easier; I haven’t tried rolling it up alone. The Rubber Dockie 18×6-Feet Floating Mat great fun!!” — John
Get it from Funboy on sale right now for $179.10 or from Amazon for $193.91.
And a bonus recommendation: A very American eagle for the 4th of July.
… because it’s what Uncle Sam would want.