Fun for Larger Groups

When we purchased the Bountech Sweet House (Model: 8266) three months ago, our children loved playing with it in our backyard. However, despite the great opportunities it afforded for parents to interact with the kids, the play pit area underneath the curved slide had the tendency for the little ones to hurt themselves when they fell onto the unpadded ground. We looked into the Bountech Castle 6-in-1 with Long Slide to see how it would compare with the Sweet House. What our son told us was surprising.

But first, let me share why we decided to buy a bounce house. We looked into something fun for a small group of children to play with in our backyard due to COVID-19 pandemic, social restrictions. At a rental cost of $75 – $99 a day, we decided to invest in a small one at first for repeated use at home. That search led us to the $200 Action Air Inflatable Castle Bounce House.

The kids were having fun jumping up and down, but they repeatedly went in and out of the bouncer after just a few minutes of play. Why was that? We then realized the missing component: excitement. The 9′ L x 7′ W x 5′ H Action Air suddenly felt limiting because all there was to do was bounce. We resold it to my brother who wanted to use it indoor in their pretty spacious family room, and off we went looking for larger ones. That led us to both the Bountech Sweet House and the Castle 6-in-1 with Long Slide.

Various Views /Bountech

What’s Good? What’s Bad?

Pros

Play Zones /Bountech

• TONS of fun playing due to a variety of interconnected play spaces
  • Large jumping area with a basketball hoop
  • Smaller, adjacent play zone that can be filled with plastic balls
  • Long, tall slide (accessed via a wall that’s climbable for children aged 4+)
    • Replaceable, velcro-secured, smooth fabric on top of the slide
    • Crawl space underneath for children to re-enter the Castle
• All three sections felt safe in keeping the children contained
  • Inflated throughout to keep kids from hitting the ground
  • Climbing wall was made of a more solid cloth material than the rest of the Castle for better longevity
• Can accommodate 3-5 children (manual recommends ages 3-10)
  • Maximum weight capacity: 300 lbs
  • Manual advises kids to be no more than 100 lbs, though I was able to lay in the jump area just fine at 200 lbs
• Feels and looks sturdy and well made
  • Heavy-duty 800D oxford cloth for bounce area / 420D oxford cloth for slide
• Mesh netting on all sides of the jumping and play zones keeps children safely inside
• Very easy to set up
  • Inflates quickly (in exactly 50 seconds!)
  • Deflates fairly quickly (within 5 minutes) and folds somewhat compact
• More economical than rentals because you would own it after 5-7 uses
• Powerful Air Blower included: Superelec S-7 ($150 value)
  • Rated at 115V (6.5A) = 750W (1 HP)
  • Blower can be operated off a battery power station
  • Using about 700W – 748W, bouncer could last for approximately:
    • 80 minutes with Jackery Explorer 1000
    • 2 hours with Goal Zero Yeti 1500x

Dimensions /Bountech

• Dimensions: 9.8′ L x 9.8′ W x 6.9′ H
  • Weight: about 48 lbs (bounce house 33 lbs, air blower 15 lbs)
• Can be used indoor and outdoor, though our house is not nearly big enough for it inside
  • Grassy/soft area is recommended, but if used on concrete, be sure to remove any sharp objects that could potentially puncture the bouncer
  • Caution: Be aware that the bounce house should be staked down to prevent tipping, ESPECIALLY the slide area!
• Extra outlet hose to help deflate slide area more quickly when packing away
• Storage bag for the bounce house is included, though not for the air blower
  • Bag is solid and sufficiently large

Accessories included and not included

• Included accessories
  • 7 mid-sized stakes to hold down the bouncy house
    • None are included for the air blower, and the existing ones will not fit through the blower’s hole
  • Repair kit
  • 50 Plastic balls
• Manual was easy to understand

Cons

• Electric plug does NOT have an ALCI circuit breaker to shut off power in a ground-fault event
  • You should keep the blower away from anything that could catch on fire or get it wet anyway
• Initial investment is pricey, but becomes worthwhile in the long run without having to rent one
• Product is very heavy at 48 lbs
• Parental interaction with the children is limited due to netting everywhere
  • Slide is too tall for parents to play with the kids
• I could not climb onto the slide. It buckled under my 190 lbs of weight
  • Underscores need to stake down the slide to prevent kids from tipping over

Long, Tall Slide with Removable Cover

Entrance underneath Slide

• Slide disconnects kids from the bounce areas and requires them to walk back through the crawl space underneath or the netted door on the other side
  • Children would walk from slide back into Castle while barefoot, potentially getting hurt and bringing dirt into the bounce areas
• Deflated bounce house can take up a lot of space
  • You have to really squeeze every bit of air out so it would become compact enough
• Requires constant, adult supervision so children play responsibly and bouncer would not fail in a serious way
• Air blower uses a lot of power at 700W – 748W (but keeps the bounce house firmly and safely inflated)
  • Did not come with stakes to hold it down. I used 4 tent stakes instead
• May be too large for some areas with its nearly 10′ x 10′ x 7′ size

Height comparison

Tips

• Always stake down these parts:
  • Bounce house so it would not tip over or get easily blown away by strong gusts of wind
    • Children pinned under a bounce house could suffocate and be seriously injured (or worse!)
  • Air blower so it would not overturn and overheat
    • Blower must continuously be running. Bouncer’s seams will let small amounts of air out to ensure it would not overinflate
  • Slide could tip over if heavier children climb up onto it

Slide can collapse. Stake down the bounce house!

WARNING: Always, always stake down the bounce house and air blower to minimize risk of serious injury!

• Supervise children at ALL times
  • A bounce house could cause serious injury!
  • Caution: Do NOT let children play in the bouncer when it is not fully inflated
• Have children take their shoes off when playing in the bounce house

Safety Warnings

Good As Rental?

A question I am commonly asked is whether this bounce house can be used to rent out. Short answer: No.

This bounce house is made of heavy-duty oxford cloth that makes it lighter. However, if the cloth rips, it may not be repairable even though some of the better products are reinforced with 600D nylon or PVC. The higher the oxford cloth density rating, the more durable it is. Commercial-grade bounce houses use heavy-duty PVC vinyl that makes them waterproof, less resistant to tearing, but are much heavier, difficult to set up, and put away.

Setup

• Sweep the area for any sharp objects
• Unfold the bounce house over a flat (preferably soft, yet sturdy) ground
• Attach the longer, green hose to the air blower and ensure it is velcroed tight
  • Check that blower has sufficient clearance all around it
    • Keep it away from anything that could catch on fire or get it wet
  • Secure the blower with 4 stakes
• Close the shorter, green hose found to the right (below the slide)

Caution: Make sure the air blower is secured to the ground with stakes to minimize the risk of tipping over!

Unpacking

• Plug in the blower and turn it on
  • Ensure the longer, green hose has no kinks (having it be straight will ensure maximum air flow)
• Once the bouncer has fully inflated (takes about 50 seconds), secure it with the included stakes
• Move the air blower as needed to ensure the longer, green hose has no kinks
• Let the blower run continuously
• Bouncer will let small amounts of air out to ensure it would not overinflate

Caution: Air hose should have NO kink so that maximum air flow keeps bounce house firm

Inflation: Ensure hose has no kinks

Teardown

• Caution: Ensure NO CHILDREN are still in the bounce house
  • Double check this! Kids pinned inside/under a bouncer could suffocate to death!
• Turn off the air blower and unplug it from the AC outlet
• Bouncer will deflate on its own within minutes
  • Untie the longer, green hose (and the shorter, green one to its right) from the blower to let air out faster
• Fold the bouncer length-wise in half, squeezing any remaining air out
  • Fold in half again and again (length-wise) until the width is the same as the carry bag
  • Roll it while squeezing every bit of air out
  • Tie the rolled bounce house to keep it from re-inflating or unfolding
• Clean the stakes

Tip: Bounce house must be fully deflated, rolled up tightly, and tied in order for it to fit in the included carry bag. Never store away damp as that can lead to mildew — Ensure bounce house is completely dry!

Removable Slide Cover, Mesh Entrance underneath Slide

Final Thoughts

The Bountech Castle bounce house has been a great investment from both a financial and joy perspective! It lends a bit more excitement with its interconnected variety of play areas, engaging the children for much longer than the Action Air one we previously had. Its play area is larger than the Bountech Sweet House, though smaller in overall dimensions, and adding the included, plastic balls into the smaller bounce zone provides some fun for the smaller kids.

We thought that a larger climb into the taller/longer slide and crawl tunnel underneath would create more excitement, but our son kept telling us he liked the Sweet House more. That was a big surprise! The more we thought about it, the more we tended to agree with him — the Sweet House allowed the parents to more easily interact with the children around the curved slide area, and he never had to step outside the play zone. With the Bountech Castle, however, after going down the long slide, he would have to walk barefooted back into the bounce section. That made him feel like he had just left the “castle party” for a quick slide down, only then having to walk back barefooted into the castle. It was also difficult for the parents to interact with him since the slide was too tall for us to reach (and we were too heavy to get on with him).

With that said, the Castle is likely more fun for children aged 5+ in a group of 3+ playmates who chase each other.

Various views of Castle Bounce House

Its dimensions fit our backyard perfectly, and seeing the children enjoy themselves during this pandemic has helped bring some normalcy into their lives when playgrounds all have been shut down for some time. Equally important is that the bouncer folds somewhat compact — although it could take considerable effort and some frustration for it to fit into the carry bag — and does not use up much space in our garage.

Ultimately, what made my day was when our son previously came up to me and said, “I love you, papa” after having some fun in the bounce house. My wife and I were both pleased with the purchase and look forward to having the birthday girl play in it too when she is old enough. We are still debating, however, which one to keep: the Bountech Castle or the Bountech Sweet House. The former would be more appropriate once our children are older, but the latter is perfect for us to interact with them while they are still small.

Climb up the Slide

Where To Buy

• Bountech Castle 6-in-1 Inflatable Bounce House with Long Slide
  • Superelec S-7 Air Blower 750W
• Plastic Pit Balls
• ActionAir HitMe Lighting & Music (Set A or Set B)

Other Bounce Houses We Had Considered

• Bountech 7-in-1 Inflatable Water Slide and Park – For ages 3-10
• Action Air Bounce House for Toddlers (Model: 9309Y) – For ages 3-4
• Action Air Inflatable Shark Waterslide (Model: 9417N)

Related Reviews

• Action Air Castle Bounce House (Model: 9451)
  • Manageably small bouncer for just 2-3 children to play with
• Bountech Sweet House (Model: 8266) – For ages 3-10
  • Slightly smaller than this review’s Bountech 6-in-1 Castle
  • Curved slide keeps children inside the play zone
  • Great for parental interaction with the kids