Backyard water slides also known simply as slip and slides from the Wham-O product line Slip ‘N Slide are perfect for playing and cooling down during the hottest months of the year during the summer.
There are several different styles of backyard water slide including:
- Numerous DIY homemade options
- Single Lanes
- Double lanes
- Versions with sprinklers and crash pads
- Fully inflatable models with real slides
- Even accessories like bowling pins for summertime games with the family.
Picking the right slip and slide for your family is important depending on your kid’s age and your backyard some backyard water slides may be a better fit than others. The following highlights the benefits of each type of backyard water slip and slides.
DIY Homemade Backyard Water Slides
The homemade slip and slide is a classic summertime favorite of dads and moms looking for an easy solution to keep the kids outside and having fun but cool in the summertime heat. Not everybody can have a backyard swimming pool, but a homemade slip and slide can fit in even the smallest of yards.
Things to make a homemade slip and slide from:
- Garden hose and a bonus if you have a sprinkler
- Plastic Tarp or a roll of construction plastic
- Baby shampoo
- Tent stakes
Simply set up the tarp with the tent stakes in the backyard and lube up the plastic with the baby shampoo and turn on the garden hose and spray it down. Set up a sprinkler so that it will cover much of the homemade backyard water slide and have fun.
Benefits of a DIY Homemade Backyard Water Slide
- Very Affordable – Most people have everything they need to get this set up quickly
- Fit to Size – Any size yard can be the perfect setting for a slip and slide whether it is a small yard or endless with room for a 100-foot roll of plastic.
- Simple Install – There are no special parts or set up required aside from the tent stakes and the garden sprinkler
The only downside to the DIY homemade backyard water slide is that the plastics that are affordable black or clear are known for quickly killing grass in lawns so the slip and slide can’t be set up for long unless you are willing to sacrifice your lawn. White plastic costs more money and these materials still are not as durable as the thicker heavy-duty PVC materials available on the market. A DIY backyard water slide is perfect for a one-day fun activity.
Here are instructions for a DIY Homemade Backyard Water Slide.
Single Lane Backyard Water Slides
Single lane backyard water slides are the most popular version of this fun water toy. They come in various lengths from short to long, but the most common length is 16 feet. You can find single lane lawn water slides from 10 feet to 100 feet. Single lane slides do not have to be narrow, there are extra wide versions that are wider than a typical double lane slide, but all in one, which can make for a more physical slide when sliding with another person at the same time.
Single Lane Backyard Water Slide Benefits
- Most Diverse – There are endless options from the length to water sprinklers, bumpers, crash pads, and more in the single lane style of backyard water slides.
- Affordable – The basic style single lane slip and slides are under $40 and will last for the summer.
- Easy to Travel – Pack your backyard water slide and bring it with you on your next vacation if you have a large space at a vacation home or to the state park.
Double Lane Backyard Water Slides
Ready, Set, Go! The backyard water slide instantly becomes a race the second you have a second lane and two people are hitting the slide at the same time. The double lane slip and slide is an awesome way to end a summertime backyard obstacle course race. A backyard water slide is one of those things that is generally more fun with lots of people and it is natural to want to play together, getting a double lane is safer for the kids.
Double Lane Backyard Water Slides Benefits
- Extra Wide – The additional space is nice to have when setting up in a yard that is not the most perfect grass lawn.
- Competition Makes Everything Better – The double lane can extend the slip and slide fun for hours as kids take turns racing each other. Who is fast going forward, going backward, going on their back, the fun never stops when playing with others.
- Safety – Your kids are going to run and slide down the backyard water slide with their friends whether you have a single or a double lane. Give them the extra space to avoid injuries from slamming into each other in the crash pad water area at the end of the slide.
Inflatable Structures with Backyard Water Slides
Inflatable structures that have incorporated a slide and hook up for sprinklers and water to run down the slide are awesome ways to introduce younger kids to safe water play in the backyard. Whether you get a complete inflatable castle or just a traditional-looking slide these are fun toys for the youngest kiddos.
Inflatable Backyard Slide Benefits
- Designed for Toddlers – Climbable footholds to get up and soft landings in very shallow water make many of these inflatable backyard water slides very friendly for toddlers. Of course, you will still want to be with them and very observant with any waterplay and little tikes.
- Electric Pump – These come with the proper nozzles for connecting to electric air pumps to make blowing up the inflatable backyard slip and slide easy.
- Useable Without Water – Some models are still fun to play in during the spring and fall months when you might not necessarily want your kids to get wet outside, but they still want to be climbing and tumbling around.
Backyard Water Slides with Accessories
For some dads and families, a simple slip and slide is not enough, they need a backyard water slide with accessories for playing games. The most popular accessory is the simple sled, a blow-up sleigh than you can hold while running and jump onto to slide extra fast down your lawn water slide. Bowling pins is a classic accessory, you make yourself into a human bowling ball and fly down the backyard water slide with bowling pins and try and make a perfect strike.
Backyard Water Slide Accessory Benefits
- More Fun – Having a sled to go even faster or bowling pins to compete against your family.
- Memorable Moments – Flying extra fast on an inflatable sled down the slip and slide that is set up on a downward slope is the kind of family fun that always ends up with one kid getting launched super high in the air and getting a bump or bruise that makes rough house playing fun.
- Be Unique – When your backyard water slide has something special than it isn’t just the run of the mill slip ‘n slide that every kid has gone down or a random tarp held down with tent stakes it is a unique toy that your kids will be proud to show off with their friends.
Backyard water slides are an excellent way to both have fun and stay cool during the heat of summer. Find the right backyard water slide for your family and enjoy all the memory-making fun that comes from running really fast and sliding on your belly towards of pool of cold cool water in the summer with your friends and family.