Let’s be honest, when you’re a kid, having a backyard playset is a token of honor and pride.
Whether you prefer to swing or slide, the playset becomes your oyster. Feel like becoming a pirate and sailing the open seas?
You can do that on a playset.
Or, perhaps you prefer a classic game of cops and robbers and need to create a police station. Whatever game you choose to play, having a playset can help make it just that much more real – and that much more fun.
When it comes to buying a backyard playset, the options are seemingly endless. Many playsets are optimized with several ways to keep children entertained from swing sets to slides, monkey bars and bridges. So, how do you find just the right backyard playset for your child?
We’re glad you asked.
We have looked at all of the different backyard playset options out there and put together a comprehensive list of the top backyard playsets.
This article will walk you through the pros and cons of each of the top brands.
Price: This entire swing set is only $399, which is not terribly expensive considering how much you’re getting.
Easy to put together
Durable
Shipping can sometimes take a while
Might need additional wood boarding to go behind the chalkboard for safety
Wood can seem to be a little less sturdy than preferred
When it comes to buying anything, Walmart is often the first store that comes to mind. That’s because Walmart typically carries a wide variety of products at a wide variety of prices.
For the sake of keeping it simple, we will review the playset that can only be found at Walmart, the KidKraft Ainsley Wooden Swing Set.
Key Features
The KidKraft Ainsley Wooden Swing Set is a relatively basic swing set and comes with the essentials, but also carries a few unique features:
2 swings
1 slide
Chalkboard
Sandbox
Rock wall
Multi-colored canopy
A few other logistical functions for the KidKraft Ainsley Wooden Swing Set:
Can hold up to six children (with an approximate weight of 110 pounds per child)
High-rail slide
Soft-touch rope on the swings
All in all, this swing set checks off all of the “must-have” boxes when it comes to backyard fun.
Yardline Play Systems Sky Climber II Playset
Good quality
Customers can opt to have a professional come and install the playset
Quick and easy delivery
Easy to put together on your own
Kids Creations WindJammer Redwood Playset
Sturdy and durable
100% California Redwood
Offers good shade for sunny days
Lifetime warranty on all wooden components
Yardline Play Systems Sky Climber II Playset
Wood peels easily
Size discrepancy
Wobbly if there are too many people swinging or playing at the same time
Kids Creations WindJammer Redwood Playset
Price: this playset retails at $3,999 (Costco members can buy it for $3,199 and then pay an additional $400 for installation).
As far as playsets at Costco go, you can pretty much get any type of playset from basic to ultra deluxe and everything in between. The playsets are definitely more expensive than Walmart, but still pretty reasonable depending on what you are looking for in a playset.Costco, like Walmart, carries multiple brands at a variety of prices. Backyard playsets at Costco range anywhere from between $699 to $3,000.
We’ll look at Costco’s cheapest playset, Yardline Play Systems Sky Climber II Playset, and Costco’s priciest playset, Kids Creations WindJammer Redwood Playset.
Key Features
Yardline Play Systems Sky Climber II Playset
The Yardline playset at Costco is a standard playset but also comes with a few fun bells and whistles:
Wooden roof
2 swings
1 slide
Rock climbing wall
Lemonade stand
Telescope
Steering wheel
Standing swing
For the price being almost double the price of the Walmart playset, the features really aren’t that different.
Kids Creations WindJammer Redwood Playset
The Kids Creations playset at Costco is a pretty epic playset and is sure to be the envy of the entire neighborhood. Features include:
Weathervane
4 position swing beam with 3 standard swings and 1 buoy ball with trapeze
5 foot rock climbing wall
Swiveling tire swing
2 slides
Drawbridge with scaling rope
2 ladders
Telescope
Binoculars
With all of the amenities that come with this playset, boredom is definitely not an option.
Ranger 22 Wood Playset
Different wood stain color options
Durable
Hand crafted
Upgrades and add-ons available
A-1 Standard Climber Vinyl Playset
Sturdy and long-lasting
Color options
Baby swing
Upgrades and add-ons available
Free professional installation on orders over $1500
Ranger 22 Wood Playset
Price: For the durability and quality of wood, the price isn’t awful; however, considering how basic the play set is, the asking price of $790 feels a bit steep.
A-1 Standard Climber Vinyl Playset
Price: Having a vinyl playset can often mean that you have a sturdier playset with slightly less upkeep than peeling wood; however, is the possibility of less upkeep worth $1,790?
Amish Direct Playsets are all handcrafted by Pennsylvania Amish. They sell three different types of playsets: wood, vinyl, and commercial. We will explore the most basic wood and vinyl playsets: Ranger 22 Wood Playset and A-1 Standard Climber Vinyl Playset.
Key Features
Ranger 22 Wood Playset
The Ranger 22 Wood Playset by Amish Direct features the absolute basics for a standard backyard playset. Aside from the essentials, there really aren’t any bells and whistles with this playset. Of course, you can add on any accessories that you’d like, but the price will increase with each add-on. The standard set comes with:
2 chain swings
1 chain trapeze
1 slide
Ladder
A-1 Standard Climber Vinyl Playset
The A-1 Standard Climber Vinyl Playset is very similar to the Ranger 22 playset. The biggest difference is the material and price. The vinyl playset costs a little more than double what the Ranger 22 Wood Playset costs. The A-1 Standard Climber comes with:
1 standard swing with rubber coating
1 trapeze with rubber coating
1 plastic baby swing
1 slide
Ladder
High quality products
Well-made and sturdy
3-D design lab on website
No prices online
Customer service is limited
Adventure World is unique in that it does sell standard backyard playsets, but for the most part, they actually allow you to create your own customized playset. This does make it a bit more difficult to review specific playsets.
Instead, we are going to share with you our experience designing our own playset online and share a bit of what current customers are saying about Adventure World.
Key Features
Adventure World is dedicated to sustainability and creativity. They allow their customers to create one-of-a-kind customized playsets for their children. All of their playsets are made with vinyl and can be customized into hundreds of combinations and made in a variety of different colors.
Adventure World’s playsets are incredibly low maintenance because they are made from vinyl and are highly durable. It’s very easy to add accessories to a playset as well.
A few key things to note about Adventure World:
Incredibly safe products
Vinyl sleeves do not leave any wood to rot or warp
Stainless steel bolts
Absolutely the best quality playsets in the United States
100% handcrafted by Amish manufacturers
24/6 customer service (and you will always speak with a person)
Free home visits and consultations anywhere in the tri-state area
Unbeatable warranty
Endless playset customization
No hidden installation fees (installation is always included in the price)
Price: Swing It playsets all start at above $1,000
No order tracking
No self-installation, a professional must come onsite to install your playset
No returns (because the playsets are so customizable)
SwingIt playsets are really the perfect happy medium between all of the playsets we’ve covered in this article. They carry standard playsets, as well as fun adventure sets, but each of their sets is also totally customizable.
So, unlike Adventure World where you are building everything from scratch, or Amish Direct where you have a slim selection of costly add-ons, at SwingIt everything is customizable and tailored to fit your specific needs.
No matter what playset you get, your child is sure to have fun, but if you want the safest, most durable, and cost-efficient playset for your child, the SwingIt playsets really are unbeatable. Having a backyard playset is the easiest way to bring the playground home and make sure that your child has an opportunity to play outdoors in a safe, controlled environment.
SwingIt offers you the peace of mind that the playset you are buying for your child is not only the highest quality that money can buy, but also safe and durable.
What are you waiting for?
Pick out your favorite playset and start customizing it today!
