Lifetime Geometric Dome Climber Play Center, Earthtone

The outer box arrived beat to death, but that's not for a PRODUCT rating (unlike what so many reviewers seem to think these days.)Five stars for ease of set-up and utility the kids are getting out of it.From the start, the instructions are pretty simple to follow; toward the in it gets a bit more difficult to see what the picture is trying to imply - but the color picture on the box helps out as well.Now, even on colder wet days the kids are heading out to play in, around and on the "spider web," as they call it.Some days they use the hand-holds and rubber bands to attach sheets and make it a place for a picnic, other days they get out there and climb around and get some exercise. The product is very sturdy and the powder coating is pretty good. This could last quite a few years. Time will tell if the kids will still love it, but I can tell you this much, I haven't seen one of these in any of our neighborhood yards; nor at our two nearby neighborhood playgrounds. It makes for a nice "change of pace" for the local friends, boys or girls. So nice to see them using their imaginations OUTSIDE again.Dad has also found that the V-shaped bars make for a really sturdy Chin-up (L-sit if you are tall) and Dip station for outdoor exercise. The top horizontal bars are also wide enough for regular pull-ups (hands pronated), but don't kip because you might hit your head. If you cannot do chins and dips yet, the first level bars are good for easy angled push-ups and horizontal rows. If your legs can handle it, or you wrap a towel or short swimming noodle around a top horizontal bar, you could hang upside down from it and hit some abs. Or hang inside and do knee-ups after your chin-ups. Throw in a $10 speed rope or other calisthenics next to it for more cardio in the circuit and you can have a quick, intense workout! One could also use it for flexibility training if they were so inclined.The only drawback is also a plus - for mowing, it is pretty large and takes up quite a bit of the yard. It is not too heavy to move with two young adults. However, it is nice to have one large enough for our family of 4 to all fit on or under it depending on the use at the time.The lowest horizontal bar level may be a bit too high for shorter 5 year olds.

I bought three of these, one for my home and two as great gifts. This thing is super sturdy and holds my svelte weight of 250lbs along with three other children without even whimpering, creaking or groaning.It's a great tool for developing, confidence, upper body strength and coordination in youngsters, and makes a terrific outdoors bed spread dryer, oh the wife is sooo imaginative.I will tell you that it is time consuming and somewhat a challenge to put together, but you will love the results.I do have to drag it around my yard to cut the grass beneath it, no problem. It has been through a microburst, nor'easters, blazing sun, damp springs, rambunctious children, all without a scratch, this thing is a tank but...Alas, the red and blue one I have began to rust out at the weep holes the manufacture cut into the crossmember stanchions to allow any water to weep out, considering that it has been out in the elements for 11 years with no care, I'm not complaining at all.What I tell people now is to cover them up for the winter where they won't sit in the snow. I would put some 2" X 4" blocks of wood underneath it to keep it off the ground in winter, it might make it to 20 years of service.

This climber is amazing and very sturdy. We have all climbed this thing and it has no issue holding an adult. We added a swing to the middle based on some of the reviews and it’s my 6 year old favorite! We planned to hook it in the ground, but after building it, I don’t see the need. It does not move! I added several inches of mulch underneath for safety, but my clumsy child has not fallen yet. The only issue was building it - this was the biggest pain to build. Made building my fence seem like a piece of cake. The bottom bolts are very hard to attach with the washers because they are so short and you have to push the bars together very tightly to even try and attach the nut to the bolt (took me several tries before I was successful). The directions also are not as good as they should be and somewhat confusing. But now that it’s built, the kids love it! They play inside it and on it. Very glad we got this one too because it’s a great size and will last us for a long time. My 3 year old is close to being able to climb it (he’s also very short though) and my 6 yr old had no issue (and she’s small for her age too).