Inflatable hot tubs ... worth the money?

I've been seeing adverts for these inflatable hot tubs lately, usually in the range of US$ 500. The seem to be almost too good to be true. I've been thinking of buying one, and a regular hot tub is out of the question since I expect to be moving soon and want to take it with me. From what I read on the Internet, Coleman and Bestway and Intex seem to be the leading brands, although their customer service seems to leave a lot to be desired.

Do any of you good people have experiences with these things?

There's also something called "soft tubs" which have a rigid frame. They seem to be about the same in size and performance as the inflatables, but cost over three times as much. Are they really worth the money?

Not from what I could tell.

Couldn't say about the "soft tubs" you mentioned, but after the debacle when I bought an inflatable, I won't do less than a real one ever again.

1) I never could get that darn thing actually warm. I guess "tepid tub" just doesn't have the same marketing appeal.

2) I really should have known better since I've never had much luck with inflatable rafts, mattresses, chairs or anything else. Yup, sprung a leak within the first week. By the end of the first month the thing looked like a quilt.

3) The pump started having issues by the end of the third week and I'd replaced half of it by the end of the second month.

4) I gave up and threw the thing away after only 2.5 months. Which, I guess is up to the person spending the money if that was worth the five hundred I paid for it. To me, it wasn't. That's as much I pay for a month's rent.

If I had it to do over again (and didn't live in a really crappy duplex with bullet holes in the outer walls), I'd probably go out and buy a galvanized metal stock tank and some copper tubing and make my own.

Athalia said:

I've been seeing adverts for these inflatable hot tubs lately, usually in the range of US$ 500. The seem to be almost too good to be true. I've been thinking of buying one, and a regular hot tub is out of the question since I expect to be moving soon and want to take it with me. From what I read on the Internet, Coleman and Bestway and Intex seem to be the leading brands, although their customer service seems to leave a lot to be desired.

Do any of you good people have experiences with these things?

There's also something called "soft tubs" which have a rigid frame. They seem to be about the same in size and performance as the inflatables, but cost over three times as much. Are they really worth the money?

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I don't know anything more than a quick google search can tell me about soft tubs (which includes inflatables, apparently.)

However, I have two Intex inflatable beds and a pair of Coleman air beds. All four lose air to some degree and have to be re-inflated at least every other day when used for extended periods. For an inflatable bed, that is just uncomfortable. For an inflatable hot tub, it would tend to be fairly messy.

If you're willing to absorb the water bill to occasionally set up a hot tub and either monitor the inflation religiously or take it down between uses, an inflatable sounds like a good deal. A rigid "soft tub" won't fold-up as compactly, but seems superior in just about every other way.

Whether a soft-tub is worth ten times as much as an inflatable is going to depend on how much you plan to use it and how much 150-300 gallons of water is going to cost you.

Thank you all for your answers. I may just hold off until I move and then get a "real" hot tub, depending on what the new house can accommodate.

Athalia said:

Thank you all for your answers. I may just hold off until I move and then get a "real" hot tub, depending on what the new house can accommodate.

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A solid, stationary tub is probably best for a solid, stationary location. I've not personally encountered an inflatable, portable tub, but I've seen them advertised for RVers. You might check with RV forums for advice and horror stories. G'luck!

The idea of an inflatable hot tub reminds me of those videos of the above ground pools that give way all at once. I can imagine a few nekked couples sprawling out on the yard all tangled up when the hot tub gives way.

Wonder if that could be a scene in a story .... The son landing on and in his mom and his wife face planting on her father in law's erection.

49greg said:

The idea of an inflatable hot tub reminds me of those videos of the above ground pools that give way all at once. I can imagine a few nekked couples sprawling out on the yard all tangled up when the hot tub gives way.

Wonder if that could be a scene in a story .... The son landing on and in his mom and his wife face planting on her father in law's erection.

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I did the face plant thing back at High School. Skiing. The middle aged guy in front of my crashed on a bump and ended up on his back with his legs in a v. I crashed right after him on the same bump and did the face plant very strategically. By the time we disentangled someone had a third ski pole. I thought it was funny, he was embarrassed and my bff thought it was hilarious. Now that could be a good starting point for a Chinese ski bunny story....

ChloeTzang said:

I did the face plant thing back at High School. Skiing. The middle aged guy in front of my crashed on a bump and ended up on his back with his legs in a v. I crashed right after him on the same bump and did the face plant very strategically. By the time we disentangled someone had a third ski pole. I thought it was funny, he was embarrassed and my bff thought it was hilarious. Now that could be a good starting point for a Chinese ski bunny story....

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Pretty sure I haven't been skiing since before you were born. But, just reading about it gave me a ski pole.

Ok, I admit on first read, I somehow thought the BFF faceplanted into you after you faceplanted into the older guy. But, then I shook my head and cleaned my glasses and read it again. And still found it interesting.

I remember the very first time I ever tried skiing (church youth trip). I was under the limit to share everything that happened here. But, I don't think the mods would mind me telling this part. The proud possessor of the largest bosom for three counties (for our age group) was headed downhill in perfect "snowplow" position, the only position she'd managed to learn. (Well, the only skiing position anyway.) She had not however learned how to stop. I was not far behind her, saw the whole thing, and still couldn't tell you exactly how she managed to snowplow right into the only damn tree on the green circle path. Granted it was a small tree, not much taller than she was. But, she steered right into it! Uprooted the thing, and carried it a good twenty or thirty yards down slope with her! With it sticking up from between her skis, between her legs, and between her most obvious attributes. .........

(hey, I was fourteen and enamoured of said attributes. we didn't have the internet. it made an impression. other than that, what happened in Sipapu, stays in Sipapu.)

Meanwhile, back on the topic of the thread, inflatable hot tubs, I saw a pic just a couple of days ago of... mmm... I think it was the UCLA quarterback, but can't remember for certain. Some current football player anyway. IN an inflatable. IN a dorm room. WITH a coed. Sadly, by the time I remembered this thread, I'd already lost it and haven't been able to find it again.

But, I guess someone thought it was worth the money.

Denny

Almost didn't read this. But the laugh was worth the money!

We've RV'd most of our lives therefore went thru the air matresses, air beds, air up canoes, and even slept on a water bed from 1970 until we moved last year. Miss the waterbed but that's another story.

I wouldn't waste my money on a portable hot tub no matter what it's made of. Wait until you move someplace with out gunfire in the neighbor hood and buy a real ot tub.
Check the ads for a good used one. Other people move or loose interest in theirs. After all, how often are you gonna sit in hot contaminated water and drink wine?
Motels and RV parks are where we enjoyed hot tubs and hot people.

It's fun sitting in water strangers peed in!

ChloeTzang said:

I did the face plant thing back at High School. Skiing. The middle aged guy in front of my crashed on a bump and ended up on his back with his legs in a v. I crashed right after him on the same bump and did the face plant very strategically. By the time we disentangled someone had a third ski pole. I thought it was funny, he was embarrassed and my bff thought it was hilarious. Now that could be a good starting point for a Chinese ski bunny story....

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I've got a face plant in one of my early stories here. In it a young college kid meets a girl and as they talk they realize that she is the girl that got planted onto his face during a high school football (US Style) game. It was told as a flashback.

When I wrote the bit I knew it was improbable but it was a throwaway, completely out of the story line. The guy was running, got tackled and slammed out of bounds, and helmet ripped off, and went into the cheerleaders, and when it was over he was on his back and there was 'girl parts' smothering him. All covered with the opaque cheerleader spankies/bundie things of course.

49greg said:

I've got a face plant in one of my early stories here. In it a young college kid meets a girl and as they talk they realize that she is the girl that got planted onto his face during a high school football (US Style) game. It was told as a flashback.

When I wrote the bit I knew it was improbable but it was a throwaway, completely out of the story line. The guy was running, got tackled and slammed out of bounds, and helmet ripped off, and went into the cheerleaders, and when it was over he was on his back and there was 'girl parts' smothering him. All covered with the opaque cheerleader spankies/bundie things of course.

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My story "How I Met My Wife" (posted as Dirty Old Man) is built around a reverse face-plant in the dark. A highly improbable set of events leading to a mystery...

ETA Lit's server is back up, so here's the link: https://www.literotica.com/s/how-i-met-my-wife

And the relevant quote:

I got up, muttering every curse I had ever heard and making up a few new ones. I brushed the sand off and tried to figure out how to get home without making a detour to jail. Suddenly, I heard a shriek above me. I instinctively looked towards the sound.

The next thing I knew, I found myself back on the sand, pinned by a body. I quickly determined it was a petite female body. An easy determination, since she landed in the perfect position for a sixty-nine.

Apparently, the chain I tripped over was collecting shorts that evening. At least I assumed that's where hers were. They certainly weren't covering her cunt! The only thing covering her cunt was my mouth. Or was that the other way around?

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Inflatable hot tubs ... worth the money?

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If you're going to spend the money, I would recommend paying a little more and getting an inflatable hot tub time machine

Dream_Operator said:

If you're going to spend the money, I would recommend paying a little more and getting an inflatable hot tub time machine

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Problem there is when you materialize at historic events, you're rather noticeable. That photo of Lee surrendering to Grant -- was that your tub in the background? It could get a bit Zelig-y or Gump-y.