I go through a lot of trouble setting up and taking down bounce houses in the yard for the kids to play, but what about adults? I wanted to know if my wife and I could jump in the bounce houses too. So after plenty of research, and testing of our own, I have an answer.
Yes, adults can safely jump in most medium to large sized bounce houses without the worry of causing damage. However, some of the smaller bounce houses may not be suitable for adults. With lower weight limits and maximum occupancy limits, the smaller bounce houses weren’t designed for the weight of an adult.
There’s a couple simple things to look for to know if your bounce house is equipped to deal with the weight of an adult. You may also be interested to learn how many adults can jump at one time in your bounce house.
Bounce Houses For Adults
Most medium sized, or larger, bounce houses will be safe for adults to jump on. You may thinking, as long as you stay below the weight limit you’re good. But it’s not just about the weight limit of the bounce house. A jumping adult produces much more force on the bouncer than a child would.
Therefore, you want to make sure the weight limit of the bounce house is well above the weight of the adult, plus the extra strain of them jumping. I like to double my weight as a precaution, If the bounce house weight limit is more than double my weight, I’m pretty confident I could jump in it.
A bounce house with a weight limit of 900 lbs or higher is strong enough to handle an adult jumper or two.
Bounce houses made for adult jumpers will be made of stronger material, and the stitching holding them together will be of higher quality. You may see this reflected in the price as more durable bounce houses that adults can jump in will cost more than one made for only kids.
Here’s a video of some adults jumping in a medium/large bounce house. They’re having so much fun it makes me laugh just watching them.
Keep in mind when setting up a bounce house for adults to use that you may want to go a little extra when anchoring it down. Bounce houses that aren’t anchored down properly account for the most serious bounce house injuries. With adults jumping, the weight of the jumpers will more easily rock and tip the bounce house.
Bounce Houses Adults Should Avoid
There are bounce houses that are designed only for kids to jump in. These will typically be your smaller sized units that you could easily fit indoors. Anything under 10′ X 10′ you should be careful about letting adults jump in.
If you notice the bounce house start to deflate, then the jumpers are too heavy. This will happen within the first few minutes an adult tries to use a child bounce house. It’s best to not get to this point though because it’s very likey that an adult can damage the material or seams of the bounce house.
Here’s a perfect example of a kids bounce house, that an adult would most likely pop or damage if they tried to use.
Adults should also avoid using a bounce house at the same time as children. Some parents want to jump with their child if they are very young and not able to jump themselves quite yet, that’s fine. What I’m talking about is actually jumping normally with kids around you, smaller kids are easily launched by the weight of an adult landing in the bounce house.
It’s typically recommended that same size jumpers use a bounce house together. Smaller kids switching off turns on the bouncer with bigger kids.
How Many Adults Can Jump At A Time
I’ve noticed that if the weight limit for the bounce house is above 1000 lbs, 4 or 5 adults can jump with no problem. For the larger bounce houses, you will only need to worry about the maximum occupancy and weight limits of the bounce house. Each bounce house will have the limits it was designed for attached to the unit somewhere easily visible.
In my article, 12 Best Bounce Houses By Category, I list the maximum occupancy and weight limit of every bounce house I recommend. Many of those in that list will work great for adult jumpers.
Example Bounce Houses For Adult Use
This first example is a commercial grade 22ft by 22ft bounce house called the Big Bubba Giant Bounce House (link to Amazon). This thing was made to take a beating by multiple adult jumpers at a time. However, it’s a bit expensive at over $3000, not many people go this route for a residential backyard bounce house.
This next example may be more in your price range. For under $750 this Cloud Sports Bounce House on Amazon is rated for up to 800 lbs. Two adults could use this bounce house without any issues.
This next example is actually my top pick for multiple kids, but will hold up to one adult jumper at a time. The Big Ol Bouncer (link to Amazon). I wouldn’t push it with this one because it is meant for kids only, with a max weight of 600 lbs. The max weight per user however, is only 100 lbs. So if you do plan on allowing adults to jump on this, I would only allow one at a time.
I hope that gives you an idea of what you’re looking for if you want adults to jump on a bounce house. You will probably see more rips and tears if you let adults use a bounce house designed for kids. So picking the right bounce house and knowing the weight limits is key to protecting your investment.
A bounce house designed for adults, may cost twice as much as one designed for kids. But it’s still cheaper than damaging and replace bounce houses from overloading the weight limits.
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