Memorial Day is days away. Summer has kicked in officially. Lots of early birds have started buying their swimming pool floats and lake toys for the memorial day parties on the lake or pool. It’s still not too late to shed some light on pool floats offered this year. Customers call and ask for specific things year after year which provides us feedback and more knowledge about products that we carry. So I will provide most of this knowledge to you as much as I can.

Canvas Pool Floats

The number one question we get is about the types of pool floats. It’s very simple. There are inflatables, foam floats and beanbag floats. Inflatables are basic vinyl toys that you inflate and use for floatation. Foam floats are sheets of closed cell foam that doesn’t sink. When I say foam it’s not styro-foam. It’s more like a rubber plastic foam that you see on the gym floor just like a yoga mat.  These sheets of foam is designed to stay unsinkable and carry the weight of the person lying on it. Then we have the new bean bag floats. We call them canvas floats because they are made with canvas like fabrics from Sunbrella. Inside the fabric is thousands of styrofoam beads that float. These floats are exactly like bean bags. They just happen to float.

Now that you know the three type of floats offered in the market let’s get to the second most question we receive. It’s about foam pool floats. Customers ask: ” What’s the difference between all foam floats offered?” The answer is again very simple. Foam floats are divided into two. Vinyl covered and not covered. Non covered floats are just the foam without any coating. Vinyl covered floats have a vinyl coating on the closed cell foam. Vinyl makes it look a little nicer. It’s easier to clean. Smooth to the touch. Vinyl covered floats tend to be a little more expensive.

Third question: “Why are they priced differently? They all look same to me.” Pricing relies on the thickness and size of the float. Sizes are usually approximate but thickness drives all prices.

Fourth question: “How important is the thickness?” My reply is usually “It’s very important”. The thicker the float the more buoyant it is. The thinner the float the more water you will have contact with. Depending on the size of the person lying on the float the buoyancy changes. Unfortunately, manufacturers don’t disclose any information about what weight a float can handle. For that reason if you are a heavy person I always suggest for thicker floats. If you are heavy and choose a thinner float your body will be submerged in water. Not that it’s a bad thing. Some customers prefer to get more water on them. On the other hand some customers don’t want to touch the water at all. Also one other buoyancy factor is the water. Salt water is more buoyant than fresh water. The same float will be more buoyant in the sea and ocean or salt water pools. May be this is why manufacturers don’t disclose buoyancy information because there are many factors that weigh in.

Ultra Sunsation Luxe

Now that I went over the major questions we receive on pool floats let me show you our most popular sellers. Our best sellers of all time are Sunsation, Kool pool float, Supersoft and Ultra Sunsation. This season we have some new floats that made the top five: Sunsation, King Kai Pool Float, Kai Pool Float, Monterey Float and Ultra Sunsation.

Whether you have a pool or make trips to the lake or ocean, pool floats are always good toys to have with you. They are comfortable and fun to use. If you still have questions about our products call our customer service line and we will be happy to answer your questions. In the meantime check our website that’s only dedicated for pool floats. It provides information and customer reviews on most items in the market today. We update our products and information periodically.