Big air mattress, bigger people

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  • heaviest
    Senior Member
    • Jun 2018
    • 501

    #16
    Re: Big air mattress, bigger people

    We're almost out of pool days for the summer. Next one scheduled is Thursday at a public pool, just a few of us going since it's a work day. I'll be bringing an Intex float that will hold a lot more weight than the Swimline air mattress. I still hope to get on it with new girl. Stretch goal is to have my partner on it with us, but I don't think it's large enough to fit the three of us. I already know it holds me and my partner, and it's a given that we'll get on it.

    New girl is bringing someone who has been too bashful to wear a suit to the pool parties. If we get her on an inflatable then there will only be one super large friend left I haven't seen on a pool toy, and I'm pretty sure he'd be willing if we could just get him to show up.

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    • heaviest
      Senior Member
      • Jun 2018
      • 501

      #17
      Re: Big air mattress, bigger people

      Public pool plan fell through, but we did have one more private pool day for the year. I brought the big Intex float. The darn thing didn't hold air for long It held me and my partner for a few minutes, then developed a fast leak.

      The backup was the Swimline double air mattress. It's not big enough for us both, but with the Intex dead we gave the Swimline another shot. I overinflated it a bit to float more weight, and with the help of friends, we both got on it and were stable enough to float. The trick is to not even try to float side by side. It's just not wide enough, and doesn't lay flat in the water with that much weight on it. So she rode more on top of me than next to me, with just her hip to my side. It sunk so much that only the pillow and the bottom corners were above water, but it was stable enough, provided we stayed still.

      Then we got new girl on it. She weighs almost as much as I do and doesn't have the strength to get on it herself, so it took all of us, but we got her floating. Then she wanted me to get on it with her. Hubba! That level of intimacy requires approval from my partner and I got the nod. I overinflated the mattress some more to hold even more weight, we got her back on it, and I tried laying on top of her. Fail fail fail. With her shoulders all the way up on the pillow, though, and people helping, I was able to straddle her legs and lay on her belly without dumping us both. And we floated! She was under water up to her neck, the air mattress was pretty much submerged, and we needed help from other people to balance on it, but the thing floated us both, without breaking.

      There was a big swim ring that was supposed to have a capacity of 500 pounds, but my partner popped it the first time she sat in it. I thought it was the big guy who brought the thing that had popped it, as he just might weigh more than that, but my partner took credit for the pop just now LOL. The rings that weren't rated for 500 survived rough play by the heaviest of us. Go figure.

      I've now seen all but one of the super heavy people in my social circle on inflatables. Bathing suit shy girl didn't make it into the pool this year.

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      • heaviest
        Senior Member
        • Jun 2018
        • 501

        #18
        Re: Big air mattress, bigger people

        I have a twice per month opportunity to use a hotel swimming pool for free, and I finally made it to one of them. Both new girl and new new girl were there, the former almost my size and the latter considerably larger. The three of us got on a four person float. To get new new girl on it we had her stand in the center of it in the shallow water while we blew it up around her, until it got tight around her hips, then we moved to shallower water until it was inflated, and then she just sat down while I and new girl counterloaded the other side

        It's not the most weight I've had on this float, but new new girl is the heaviest person I've had on it, and it's by far the most weight I've seen loaded on it all at once, as all three of us sat at the same time. How to make a huge float look like a tiny toy, holy crap! It has seating for four and a capacity of 700 pounds. Realistically has room for six and easily holds that many, even if one of them is me. Way more than 700 pounds. It gets dicier if they're all big, and we've had more than 2000 pounds on it before. This time it was only three of us. Not a record weight, but pretty close. Next time we'll also have my partner on there, and that will be a record weight.

        The other guests gawked. I was hoping some of them would join us. I know some of them, so it's a possibility.

        Getting new new girl off the float before deflating it was easier than I thought it would be. She just kept rocking side to side, scooting back each time. Once she got her legs out of the hole in the center and on board, there was even more weight on the thing. She just flattened the back of the raft as she moved backwards, until the edge of it collapsed and she just fell off, lol. That much weight, all in one spot, moving on an inflatable even that size will distort the whole thing. Very hot.

        We got her onto a swimline double air mattress, to settle a curiosity. Yep, it holds her. Kinda knew it would, but had to see it. Holy crap, even overinflated she sinks the center and sides of it so the water is up to her hips. I pulled a lot of my weight onto the pillow end and we sank all but the feet end of it. A bit of the corners and a bulge between her calves was all that was above water. When I got on top of new girl on one of these rafts, we had all but the very ends of the pillow under water. Not enough privacy to do that this time.

        We blew up a slim one-person raft and new new girl sat gingerly on it at the edge of the pool. These have always gone flat on her, but this time it held, and I sat on the little bit she didn't cover. There was only room for half of me. The pillow grew and grew, but we got off of it before it popped. We chickened out with all the people around. We regretted it, added air, and got back on it. New girl knelt behind her and leaned on her. The pillow grew so much that people noticed and gave us weird looks. We tried to pretend we didn't notice it, but really, how can you not keep looking at it? New new girl kinda freaked out anticipating a big boom, but we held our ground. But it didn't pop. She bottomed out on the raft and the pillow didn't explode. Then it just got soft. We didn't even hear a leak. Biggest letdown ever.
        Last edited by heaviest; 18-12-2018, 09:49.

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        • Bamman27
          Junior Member
          • Jan 2019
          • 15

          #19
          Re: Big air mattress, bigger people

          I just bought an intex mega toucan that can be flattened under big heavy sweaty men! Plus that yoga ball i have, because it fits with the workout equiptment

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          • frankfrank
            Empathetic Harmonizer
            • Feb 2018
            • 262

            #20
            Re: Big air mattress, bigger people

            This is a lot of fun, reading about weight-testing on inflatables! It's something I've often thought about, but up until now (this being a new thread to me...I haven't been here in a few months) I'd never read even an iota about such real-life testing.

            I look forward to more when the weather heats up again, heaviest et. al.
            People who don't know the difference between BURRO and BURROW, can't tell their ass from a hole in the ground.


            There's been a lot of thefts of helium-filled balloons recently. More so than in the past, so they're going up. I think inflation is to blame.

            "Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking." - The Scarecrow, WIZARD OF OZ, 1939

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            • heaviest
              Senior Member
              • Jun 2018
              • 501

              #21
              Re: Big air mattress, bigger people

              Originally posted by Bamman27
              I just bought an intex mega toucan that can be flattened under big heavy sweaty men!
              Those things will hold someone my size no problem. When new people see me get on a big float they still think I'm going to pop it, so it's still fun, but it takes a second person to make it interesting.

              Out of the pool they feel awesome because you sink into them so much, but they hold the weight no problem.

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              • heaviest
                Senior Member
                • Jun 2018
                • 501

                #22
                Re: Big air mattress, bigger people

                Originally posted by frankfrank
                I look forward to more when the weather heats up again, heaviest et. al.
                I have two indoor pool events I could go to every month, but I haven't made one since December. And my patio room is too cold.

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                • heaviest
                  Senior Member
                  • Jun 2018
                  • 501

                  #23
                  Re: Big air mattress, bigger people

                  Yesterday's pool event featured a double air mattress, two double swim ring figure-eight floats made for two people, a swan made for I think two people, and some beach balls. None of it belonged to me, as a car swap happened and I forgot to swap my air mattresses into the new car. D'oh!

                  Also missing was new new girl, so I was the heaviest person there, followed by new girl at about 570 pounds and my partner at about 440. The other people I can only guess at weights, but the heaviest of them was perhaps 525 and there was a couple who were about 350 each.

                  The mattress was an Intex suntanner. I don't know if they even make the double wide anymore. It was badly bloated on the pillow end because the inner supports under the pillow had broken in a pile-on before I arrived. D'oh! I would have liked to have been part of that. I made sure it was fully inflated and got on it to see what it was like to ride it like that. With so much bulk under my head I was almost seated upright, which focused my weight on my behind and sunk the middle of the mattress quite a bit. I loved it and wanted to get someone on there with me, but I also didn't want to destroy this raft, which may be difficult to replace, so I reluctantly got off of it.

                  I saw four normal size people pile on the swan. Maybe 600 pounds. It looked overloaded but not by a lot. I've been on it before with someone who weighs 200 or so. It's definitely overloaded like that, but floats that much no problem. I was on it by myself yesterday. Not even very interesting with just me on it.

                  The double swim rings were a lot of fun. The two 350 pound people got on one of them and expressed concern they would pop it. They sunk it quite a bit but it floated them. I overinflated the other one before I got on it. My partner joined me and and we just about sunk it. People gawked. I made sure to make a lot of unnecessary movements so my skin made boomy sounds on the vinyl. The thing was unstable with that much weight, made worse by our weight imbalance, and it was my partner who suggested someone my size should get on it with me. It was new girl's turn. She didn't have the strength or the balance, though, so mostly we just punished an inflatable trying to get us both on it. It made a lot of noise LOL. We got it submerged a couple times and we never did get balanced on it.

                  My partner got back on it with me, and she convinced another woman to get on her side with her. We had it balanced and submerged for just a moment before it dumped us all. Tried again to the same result.

                  It didn't pop, even overinflated and with 1200 pounds on it!

                  Some time later 525 pound guy got on one of the double swim rings and my partner joined him. It's almost as much fun watching that much weight on an inflatable as it is being part of it.

                  Outside the pool four normal sized people sat on one of the double rings. New girl jokingly asked to join them. They were willing to make room and two offered to get up for her, but she told them she was joking. I would like to have seen that.

                  There were beach balls and a woman joked about sitting on one and I told her it would hold someone her size no problem. She carefully sat on it and freaked out about how much is squashed. She was maybe 150 pounds and of course it held her, but she got up. New girl grabbed it and put it on a lounge and leaned on it. People gasped. Once it was squashed low enough she was able to start sitting more fully on it. I noticed the plastic slats of the lounge were bending like crazy and I told her she'd break the chair before she popped the ball, so unfortunately she got off the ball. Handed it back to the woman very stretched and she looked at it like it had been part of a magic trick or something. It recovered some as we watched, but the woman didn't sit on it again LOL.

                  At the end of the day one of the double rings had gone flat. Not sure what did it in. I had wanted to sit on one with my partner or new girl outside the pool, but I figured it would look too much like I was trying to pop it. I think if we were careful to evenly load it, it would survive. I'm so curious I want to buy one to test. I think if I were to sit on one end of it on the concrete it would just pop, but if I loaded it evenly over one hole I could even get someone heavy over the other hole without popping it. I've been on single swim rings without popping them. I've also loaded them unevenly to pop them, of course

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                  • heaviest
                    Senior Member
                    • Jun 2018
                    • 501

                    #24
                    Re: Big air mattress, bigger people

                    I found a great price on those double swim rings and bought quite a few of them. The Swimline one. I ordered one Bestway, too. Only one because it wasn't cheap. The Swimline ones came today.

                    I've sat on it on the floor with my partner and it holds us but it feels really tight. When I sit on one side, the other side comes up off the floor. It actually feels less like it's going to pop when she sits on the other side, but it does get even harder when she sits on it with me. When we do the reverse, when I sit on it while she's already on it, she says she's sure it's going to pop.

                    This float is like a figure-8. Two 45 inch tubes stuck together. It also has two pillows, and the whole thing, including the pillows, is a single chamber. I have to be careful not to rip the pillows off, because then the main tube will deflate. I kinda wish those could be left uninflated.

                    The middle of the float bulges nicely. The very center has a crease that runs from one hole to the other, until you load the thing or overinflate it. To take the picture on the box, I'm pretty sure they overinflated it.

                    The outside of swim rings generally aren't tight, but the outside middle of the figure-8, the narrow part, is tight. Not as tight as the inner seams, but still unexpectedly tight. The center looks like where all the stress is when you load both sides.

                    I'm not ready to sit on it on the floor when it is overinflated, but I'll take it in the pool overinflated.

                    We got a bit rough with it. We re-inflated it once we'd stretched it, and it still holds us. This thing is a lot of fun.

                    Right now I'm sitting over the holes, or a little off center when I dare to unevenly load it. When I'm ready to pop it I'll sit on the very end of it and see if it holds me there. I also want to get my partner or someone heavier on my lap over one hole and see if the other side explodes.
                    Last edited by heaviest; 24-02-2019, 03:33.

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                    • frankfrank
                      Empathetic Harmonizer
                      • Feb 2018
                      • 262

                      #25
                      Re: Big air mattress, bigger people

                      Oh, a question...have you ever found any BALLOON that isn't too large to straddle (as, for instance, a 6-foot balloon), and yet holds your weight without popping?

                      I've seen balloons which I think "Hey, I bet that would hold more than 300 pounds!" but that's about as far as I can think, because I weigh about 190 and I'm figuring "around 300" when I'm really hard-riding and "full bouncing" a balloon,
                      People who don't know the difference between BURRO and BURROW, can't tell their ass from a hole in the ground.


                      There's been a lot of thefts of helium-filled balloons recently. More so than in the past, so they're going up. I think inflation is to blame.

                      "Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking." - The Scarecrow, WIZARD OF OZ, 1939

                      Comment

                      • belcatball
                        Junior Member
                        • Apr 2017
                        • 28

                        #26
                        Re: Big air mattress, bigger people

                        Interestingly, a similar question came up in a different forum section. My reply is pasted in below. You might find that 300 pounds isn't strong enough given yoga balls have static and dynamic weight limits that are 3x apart. Trying it for yourself is the only way you'll really know, though. Good luck.

                        ------------------------------------------------------------------------

                        For tougher balloons I've found the following works:
                        1) Larger sizes like 24"/36". A lot depends on how tall you are, too.
                        2) Balloon quality matters. Here's what has worked for me (I use clear ones):
                        . Europe -> Belbal, Cattex
                        . US -> Amscan 24"
                        3) Inflate to 70-80% of rated size
                        4) Double stuff the balloon

                        If that's still not tough enough there's other things you can do, let me know if you want to know more.

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                        • frankfrank
                          Empathetic Harmonizer
                          • Feb 2018
                          • 262

                          #27
                          Re: Big air mattress, bigger people

                          Thanks belcatball - is your name inspired by Belbal, by any chance?

                          Actually the question was directed at heaviest and similar very big people, and it's mostly a question of curiosity. I'm doing more than adequately well with balloons that do what I want to do, regarding weight.

                          And you're right...and I don't ever inflate them to anything near 100% "rated" before I sit on them, I like them with a lot of air but still enough leeway that I can possibly even grab latex into my hands with half-fists or full-fists and ride the balloon without it popping. Party City 24"-ers are particularly good for this, and almost by definition this will never work with something less than 16 inches.

                          The Party City 24 inch (which, of course, ARE the Amscan 24's you mention) are more than amply strong for my purposes (including some VERY rough sit-riding with my full weight of 190 pounds, with the aforementioned latex-grabbing), so I'm guessing that with some amount of inflation less than 100% they'll hold somebody at least 300 pounds, or maybe more, without bustin'.

                          I was kind of wondering about the limits of the strongest SINGLE balloons, and I'm talking about reasonable size. 36" would be the upper limit of size I'd consider in this question because anything larger is basically very difficult to actually SIT ON, and even 36 is iffy. I prefer 18 to 24.

                          By double-stuffing, do you mean one balloon inside another? I've actually found that to be a little more iffy, sometimes, under extreme circumstances, because there are often differences (not noticeable by just looking at a balloon) in how quickly some "localized" parts of one of the balloons will stretch compared to the other, causing stress on that part of the one that doesn't stretch 100% as readily in that specific spot. As an example, I've had Party City 24" pop when I do what I mentioned in the "The Party City..." paragraph, with two balloons doubled up. I can only guess it has to do with these localized differences in stretch, I can't think of any other reason.
                          People who don't know the difference between BURRO and BURROW, can't tell their ass from a hole in the ground.


                          There's been a lot of thefts of helium-filled balloons recently. More so than in the past, so they're going up. I think inflation is to blame.

                          "Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking." - The Scarecrow, WIZARD OF OZ, 1939

                          Comment

                          • belcatball
                            Junior Member
                            • Apr 2017
                            • 28

                            #28
                            Re: Big air mattress, bigger people

                            The name is short for Belbal-Cattex-Balloon. So you're right about the Belbal part. Congratulations for finding a balloon that really works for you.

                            Your question -> What's the strongest balloon out there and how much can it take? is a vexing puzzle and I found it just generates more questions. Examples:
                            - If you're talking about pressure you want a low diameter/thickness ratio
                            - If you're talking about weight you want high diameter.
                            - Double stuffing a balloon increases thickness at the risk the balloons locally fusing.
                            It's tradeoffs all around.

                            That leads to:
                            - How many bounces/sessions do you want the balloon to last before it busts?
                            - Do you want to bounce on a marshmallow or a rock? Something in between?
                            - How do you want the balloon oriented? (e.g. no neck/max neck)

                            The Belbal/Cattex/Amscam seem to be the high end today, but I can bust any single 24"-36" of those in < 50 bounces and I'm about 40 lb lighter than you. 36" on average takes a little longer, not much, and I'm fairly small so 24" is a better size for me, too. Inflating to 18"-20" seems to work best. I don't like rough landings or loud explosions, so I found some other ways to make a stronger "balloon".

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                            • heaviest
                              Senior Member
                              • Jun 2018
                              • 501

                              #29
                              Re: Big air mattress, bigger people

                              I've tried balloons just a few times, and not recently. Of course how long they last is a matter of how underinflated they are. I saw a video of a 350 pound guy who bruised his ribs popping a balloon, and that's why I don't mess with them But I've had all my weight on a balloon before, probably about 500 at the time. It was larger than the ones you're talking about, though. It's been a long time and I don't remember how big they were.

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                              • heaviest
                                Senior Member
                                • Jun 2018
                                • 501

                                #30
                                Re: Big air mattress, bigger people

                                All the remaining pool days have been canceled, so I had just one more to go to. New girl and new new girl weren't there, 525 pound guy wasn't there. My partner and I abused a double swim ring two-person float, and didn't destroy it. It went in the pool overinflated, and it was still overinflated when we sat on it outside the pool. Still didn't destroy it, but we were more careful outside the pool. Still kinda surprised it didn't blow. When it's warmer we'll load it unevenly and see just how sturdy it is.

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