Inflatable Gaga Ball Pits

How an inflatable pit works

The walls are sewn from Oxford fabric and held upright by a blower that runs the whole time you play. Plug it in, wait three to five minutes, and a flat bundle becomes a court. That is the whole appeal: no poles, no panels, no assembly beyond staking the base if you are on grass.

The trade is that the blower never stops. Unplug it and the pit sags within a minute, so the court needs a socket in reach and an extension lead across the lawn. The fabric also dislikes weather, and every maker in this category says the same thing about heavy rain and strong wind.

Inflated walls give a softer, slower rebound than mesh or panels. Younger children barely notice. Some owners of older kids find the ball comes back too slowly to keep a fast game going.

Inflatable pits, by size

15 ft, for 5 to 12 players

The most common size in this category and the one that fits a normal garden. Walls stand around 27 inches.

The four OZIS sets are the same pit in different colourways: blue and yellow, plain blue, green and purple, black and yellow. Only the green and purple one ships with a ball and pump; the rest arrive as the pit alone with ropes, ground nails and a repair patch. The two GR8FUN sets use 210D Oxford with a zipper valve for dumping the air, and neither includes a ball.

20 ft, for 12 to 20 players

Enough court for a class or a youth group. Same wall height as the 15 foot sets, which is why a large inflatable can feel loose compared with a pop-up of the same diameter.

Of these, the OZIS green and purple set and the GR8FUN both include a ball and pump. The GR8FUN is the lightest 20 foot court here at 11.2 lb.

26 ft, for large groups

The biggest inflatable in the category, and larger than any pop-up. Walls rise to around 36 inches on the blue and yellow set.

Neither includes a ball. At this diameter, work out where a deflated 26 foot pit will live before ordering.

Choosing between them

Start with the ball. Most of these ship without one, and an 8.5 inch playground ball is not something most households have lying around. Two sets include a ball and pump: the OZIS green and purple in 15 and 20 feet, and the GR8FUN 20 foot.

Weight barely varies. Every set here lands between 11 and 16 lb, so unlike pop-ups, size does not decide whether one person can carry it. Choose the diameter on players and space alone.

Colour is the only difference within a brand. The four OZIS 15 foot sets share the same fabric, the same blower and the same construction. Pick whichever looks right.

Check the socket before the size. A 26 foot pit in the middle of a field needs a very long lead, and the blower has to stay powered for as long as anyone is playing.

What to watch for

The stake points take the strain. Owners report the fabric tearing where the ground nails attach after hard use. Every OZIS set ships with a repair patch, which tells you something about how often it comes up.

Weather ends them. Heavy rain and strong wind are called out by both manufacturers as conditions to avoid. An inflatable left out through a season will not survive it the way a pop-up does.

Bounce is softer. Air walls absorb more than mesh. For under-tens this is a feature. For teenagers it can make the game feel sluggish, and at least one owner returned a set for exactly that reason.

The blower makes noise. It runs continuously. Owners describe it as quiet enough to talk over, though it is not silent, and indoors it is more noticeable.

Inflatable, pop-up or panels

If the pit will live outside all summer or come out most weekends, look at pop-up pits instead. For a school or camp setting up and tearing down constantly, commercial panels are built for it.

You will probably need a ball

Nine of the twelve sets above ship without one. The standard is an 8.5 inch playground ball, inflated soft enough to squeeze, and the same ball works in any size of pit.

See gaga balls ›

Frequently asked