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Sara_Avery_1more
04-14-2005, 07:10 AM
Walmart has a swingset/slide combo called the Durango. It's made of Durawood, and I was wondering if anyone has bought this from Walmart. It's more in our price range for a swingset/slide. Any opinions?

lizanov15
04-27-2005, 04:00 PM
You know I was looking at this exact same swing set. My only concern is the disclaimer on weight limit. Looks like all of the wooden swing sets at Walmart have this disclaimer. I would be afraid if we had a bday party and too many kids got on it, that it would collapse. And an adult over 150lbs can't even sit in it.

"Designed for max. 3 occupants not to exceed 280 lbs. total weight (Single occupant not to exceed 150 lbs.)"

Here's the link:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3518001

We're still looking for a good inexpensive swing/slide set combo ourselves (less than $500). Seems like the inexpensive metal ones have problems with rust and parts breaking. The wooden ones have weight limits.

I'm interested in hearing what other people have bought and if they have any problems with it.

Liza
Mommy to Brianna (2) & Ethan (4mo)

blurb
05-18-2005, 02:31 PM
I just bought this set (Durango), and am in the process of assembling it.
The set is made by http://www.adventureplaysets.com/index.html

We have shopped extensively, and I must say all the playsets out there are priced very accurately, ie you get exactly what you pay for. Except for the realy high-end ones, which may be overpriced. We only bought this set because we expect to sell our house within 1 year, and our kids are still small (oldest is 4). It should last a few years, but it is not heavy-duty construction (main supports only 2x4's). The "durawood" is not actually that, but it's 2x4's with a plastic coating - probably ok. Only the main supports are made of this stuff, the rest is stained lumber, probably pine. They give a 12 year warranty, which seems a bit unlikely, being it's regular, untreated wood that can be attacked by insects and rot. But, hey - nowadays most warranties are bogus anyway.

If you want a really good set, and use it for a long time, the best deal I have found is the one at CostCo for $1199 (I think it's made by Rainbow). We would have definitely bought it, except we will be moving fairly soon, like I said. The next step down is the $899 Saratoga set offered by BJ's WholeSale Club. It's made by Adventure Playsets (like Walmart's Durango), but uses 4x4 main supports.

I will try to remember posting again after it's been assembled and used for a few days. My first impression is that the quality is quite good. The instructions seem very good. There were two bad boards in the box, I need to call manufacturer, and fully expect they will send replacements without trouble. Luckily, these boards belong to the climbing wall, ie are not critical, so I can proceed to build the rest without them.

This set has very nice features considering the price tag- I consider it a great buy for the money. But it is certainly not heavy-duty. It all depends on your needs.

The manufacturer told me they are having trouble keeping up with the demand, so if you see one at your local Walmart, grab it! Walmart.com shows "out of stock", but my local store had a few units.

So long

daisy1234
08-01-2005, 12:45 PM
We have this set. It is a good cheap set. That said...it is a few steps up from the metal ones. DS loves it...He's only 34#. We didn't want to spend more than a few hundred dollars. I will say that we had 4 guys working together and it took a long full day to get the thing up! The rainbow sets are far nicer but way more money. This one does the job for now! If you have any questions please email me!

Laura

pljames
08-30-2005, 12:34 AM
My husband and I found your comments very helpful. Now that you have assembled the Durango playset, do you have any further opinions/comments? We've also been looking for a playset for our kids, but are hesitant to spend a lot of money. At the same time, the really nice ones tend to be too large for our small backyard.

Regards,
Lynn

traciann
02-17-2006, 02:23 PM
BTT to ask a couple of questions. We are interested in this set for our 1 year old.

Are you happy with it? How is the swingset holding up?

traciann
02-17-2006, 02:24 PM
BTT to ask a couple of questions. We are interested in this set for our 1 year old.

Are you happy with it? How is the swingset holding up?

pljames
02-17-2006, 05:40 PM
Since my last log-on, we purchased the Walmart Durango by Adventure Playsets. Unfortunately, it arrived damaged, with splintered pieces of wood and was not good quality nor sturdy looking (husband is an engineer). Although the set was only a bit under $300, with shipping and handling our bill was around $550. We felt that it was not worth it to try and have thethe pieces replaced or fix them ourselves. In addition, the swings were made of a cheap hard plastic--not very comfortable. And overall, we were disappointed in the set. So we returned it.
We bought the Costco Sunray playset, which is made of high quality Redwood, with a long-term guarantee. The quality is superb and it is gorgeous. It cost $1199.00 and is worth every penny to us, knowing that our children are safe and that the structure is secure and durable for more than 3 children playing at once. Even we adults can use the swings and climb onto the clubhouse. I strongly recommend looking into this play structure and spending the extra $$ for a quality investment that will provide years of entertainment and exercise for your children and their friends.

vsmommy123
02-24-2006, 10:04 AM
I am very interested in the Costco Sunray playset, can you tell me about your experience in assembling it? I noted in the earlier posts you mentioned that your DH is an engineer. I hope that isn't a requirement! My DH and I don't think we could assemble it ourselves, but are trying to get in touch w/ a guy who Costco gave us the business card for. We went to look at the Rainbow playsets, and while they are very nice, they are very expensive. I feel that if we spend about $2000 for the Sunray, w/ pickup and assembly costs, I would be happy since the Sunray has more features than the Rainbow we are somewhat willing to buy if we can't get an assembler. (BTW the Sunray costs $1299.99 right now at Costco. They also sell it online for $1599.99, delivery included.)

vsmommy123
02-24-2006, 10:05 AM
Oops in re-reading your post, I see that you just wrote last week. Wherever you are, Costco is selling it for $100 less than where I am in San Antonio, TX. :-(

pljames
02-24-2006, 11:07 AM
Hi there again,
I made a mistake, we paid $1299 for the Sunray (as you mentioned). Our Costco was nearby, so we were able to borrow a pick-up truck and avoid delivery costs. I can imagine that the assembly could be daunting and my husband is admittedly very skilled at such things. However, there is a CD which walks through each of the assemply steps. Maybe you could find someone to help you out, because it takes 2 to assemble. (Even I assisted in the simple tasks like holding things still and tightening bolt--and I am in my 3rd trimester).

You are wise to assess your situation before making such an investment and I hope you can find someone to help you out (Costco does individuals available for assembly--but it may be a cost issue).

Best of luck to you.

pljames
02-24-2006, 11:09 AM
The ones made out of redwood and other solid woods don't have the weight requirements. It depends on your needs. I would recommend a Sunray or Rainbow system, but as you know, they come with a substantial price tag. All said,once you pay for S&H, you're almost halfway there to the price of a simple redwood construction.

vsmommy123
02-24-2006, 02:13 PM
Thanks so much for your input. The CD might make the difference in us being able to do it ourselves. One more very important question, how many hours did it take to build? Thanks again!

pljames
02-24-2006, 08:44 PM
My husband basically assembled the play structure by himself, with a little help from me and our kids. (There are a few instances where 2 people are required.) He also had to spread out his time over the course of a week (after work). So all in all it took him about 24 hours. With 2 people and on 1 or 2 consecutive days, he thinks it would be much faster.

Regards,
Lynn

vsmommy123
02-24-2006, 09:36 PM
Thanks so much for your response. My confidence is building!:-)