Anyone have one? IF so what type/brand/kind?

Pros?
Cons?

thanks ladies...

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I had one for my own children before I did daycare. Absolutely loved it. Mine and the neighbor kids played on it all the time.

Soooo, I bought a nice one for my daycare. Big flop. I bought a good quality one but bought it online. It was much bigger than I expected and I had more littles. My grandchildren were older and used it some but aren't here that much.

It might not affect you but here in Florida everything rusts. So as it sits in the wet grass, two of the bottom pieces that sit on the ground have rusted all the way through. That did not happen in Ohio so I think that is just here.

All in all, the older kiddies (4 and up...especially up) seem to love them. Just be sure to buy it in person or measure so you know how big the thing is before buying!

I can't remember where I bought it. I am getting rid of mine soon. Oh also, you have to move them to mow around them. We have a lawn service and the guy moves it but I don't think he loves that.

Laurel

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This is the one I have in earth tones. I didn't buy it at Walmart. I bought it at one of those warehouse stores I think but online. Maybe BJ's. I could have sworn mine was around $300 so this one is a good deal. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lifetime-D...Tones/16560787

Laurel

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WANT ONE.

but I'm running out of yard space for all my awesome stuff, lol

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Ooh I want that climb to the summit climber on the Walmart site. I've never had a dome climber but anytime we've visited the local playground that had one, it wasn't the most used piece of equipment. I could see some of my dcks loving it though. They're always trying to hang from my tree or climb everything. If it were me, I wouldn't mind a smaller one.

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LOL! Josie.. I wanted the Step 2 summit climber too but it just looks too dangerous (because it seems so tall...) I only serve ages birth to 5.

I am looking at the PVC dome climber but also considered the metal one. (Same as you have/had Laurel...)

The climber is made out of metal and by the same company as the one you had/have. It says it is rust-proof though so that's a bummer it rusted..

The one I am looking at is a geodome made from PVC so it technically can't rust because it's plastic but my DH is worried about the sub-zero temps we get.

Also the cost is a bit more than the metal one by Lifetime. I sold my Little Tikes 8 in 1 climber to pay for it so I can spend up to $300

Here is the metal one ($160) Plus S & H



Here is the plastic PVC one ($239) plus S & H



So I just can't decide...

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If it helps, the metal one is 5 feet tall, and the pvc one looks to be only about 3-3.5 ft tall. I love the idea of the metal one. It has been on my wish list since last summer, but I do have school agers for the summer, so I lean that way.

Does your dh think the PVC one will break in cold temps?

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The parts of ours that did rust did so after years of being up...not right away. Plus, I think it is just our area. You can't really have metal things outside here and expect them to last like in other climates. Maybe it is the humid sea air (even though we are 11 miles from the ocean???)

Wow, that plastic pvc one would have been perfect for me. It is smaller and made of plastic. It is probably a lot easier to move for mowing too.

Laurel

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The metal one has only one size but the PVC one has multiple sizes (according to ages) available.

NO! NO school agers. My oldest is 5 getting ready to enter Kindy this fall.

The site says PVC that will withstand cold temps but that doesn't always mean "our" cold temps...kwim?

I bet the sea/salty air has a lot to do with the rusting...

I am kind of leaning towards the PVC one but like the cheaper cost of the metal one... Also if I buy the metal one, I can afford the teeter totter I've been eyeing up too...

My DS mows the lawn and he is used to having to move everything already.
I have a Little Tikes castle, a house, the 8 in 1 climber, a large Little Tikes cube and several other moveable yard toys so he says "what's one more thing to move?"

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I had a metal one for about fifteen years. I got it second-hand -- a parent saw it at a garage sale down the street and rolled it to my house

Mine was fairly small, I guess about 4 1/2 feet high, maybe 7 feet in diameter (totally guessing). I felt totally comfortable letting all of my kids on it (I do birth to 5). Toddlers usually held on and put one leg up, and felt they were "climbing" I was good with that

I like redecorating my playground every so often, so I would sand mine to rough it up, and spray paint it different colors every few years. I didn't even take it apart, just protected the other bars with newspaper & masking tape. It wasn't perfect, but the kids loved it So, using the rust-proofing spray paint on a regular basis, I think that helped to keep the metal in good shape.

Mine did finally rust just enough that it wasn't childcare-worthy, and I put it out to the garbage (and some other family rolled it away ) but I am certain it was 20-25 years old by then.

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Oh, and the kids LOVED it. We were sad to let it go. Licensing here was not crazy about the triangle angles - thought they were choke points. They never banned it though or wrote me up or anything.

It was great for climbing, but also you can put your parachute over it for a tent or other play space. In winter kids would dig out under there and still use it - almost like a sort of framework for an igloo.

Kids could hang upside down inside it -- that was almost a right-of-passage to be a four-year-old here

We loved ours

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We have a metal dome climber. Paid $50 for it on Craigslist. Easily the most popular area of our playground. We used a plastic garden barrier underneath it to contain the mulch that's underneath.

We plan in spray painting it this fall to update the colors.

Only downside? My mini pig has decided that the mulch underneath is the perfect place to use the bathroom

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Love your back yard area!!

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We have this PVC one (but the smaller version for younger kiddos). Even when my kiddos were 1, they were able to climb up it fine. Knock on wood but I've never had anyone fall off in the 2 years we have had it (maybe it's cause the triangles are smaller?). All the kids love it! It can support adult weights too, but it always makes me nervous on it because it "gives" a little too much....kwim (and yes, I'm a big kid and like to "try" out the equipment too if it says my weight won't kill it)?

It has discolored from all of our Arizona sun...it actually looks burnt on some pipes, but it is still just as sturdy. I doubt it will last as long as a metal climber, but there is no way I would want a metal climber in the heat. I have no idea how either climber would hold up in other climates though. Let us know which one you decide upon!

Edited to add: I think this is the size of our climber now that I look at the picture. "Santa Clause" brought it to my mom's house (aka my mom got it for our kids for X-Mas)......apparently it took a LONG time to put together for my dad and brother. We transported it nervously in the back of the truck where it really didn't fit and put it over our backyard fence on Christmas day.

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Pinned this today: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/108086459782122489/ Getting the water out might be annoying though.

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I love that! Maybe drill some little holes in the lowest point of each tireto keep water drained out.

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