Looking for a new tube for the upcoming summer but can’t decide which is the best option for you? There are so many tubes out on the market made by all kinds of different brands that it can be quite difficult to tell a good tube from a bad tube. In order to make this process easier for you, we have made a buying guide so that you can get a better idea as to the features that you should look for within a towable tube in order get the most out of your time at the lake house this summer.
Price
This is one of the most important aspects of a towable tube as you will notice a difference in the overall quality of a tube based on the price that you pay for one. A more expensive tube will be made out of a thicker more durable material and will be much less likely to pop if you were to run into something. It is important to set yourself some kind of a budget based on your financial situation and how much you are going to use the tube because a good quality tube can get up in price quite quickly.
Capacity
This is always something that you should be on the lookout for when you are thinking about purchasing a tube. Not only will some tubes only be capable of fitting a couple of 
people but you should also be aware that most of the tubes on the market will have a weight limit and it is important to make sure that you don’t exceed this limit as it will likely void any kind of a warranty that the unit has on it. Different tubes have different ways of allowing more people to be able to fit on the tube; some tubes incorporate walls into the design in order to try and keep you from falling off of the tube and to separate you from the people that are beside you. Other tubes will just have a flat platform with a variety of handles so that you can fit the extra person on the tube.
Warranty
This is an extremely important factor to consider when you are buying a tube especially if you are buying one of the more expensive options on the market. It would be a shame to have an expensive tube pop after only a few uses and not be covered by any kind of warranty. It is important to read the warranty to not only give you peace of mind but to also know the types of things that get covered by the manufacturer should you run into problems with the design or any other aspects of the tube. It is also a good idea to check out the return policy to see if you need to keep things like the original packaging so that you can store these things somewhere in case you come across a defective product.
Handles
Different tubes will incorporate different types of handles into their design and if the person towing you around is quite hard on the throttle this may be one of the most important aspects of a tube so that you don’t end up hurting yourself. Often times a tube pops at the handle location because this is where the most amount of pressure goes as you are pulling up on the tube in that location on a consistent basis. It is a good idea to look for something that has some kind of reinforcement in this area so that you are less likely to come across a tear in the fabric at some point in the future.
Towing Points
Different tubes will incorporate different towing locations in order to be able to tow the tube around. Some of the higher end tubes on the market will occasionally have more than one different tow location in order to provide a unique riding experience. This is another one of the points on the tube that has the most amount of pressure and it is a good idea to look for something that has reinforcement in this area of the tube so that you aren’t shopping around for a new tube shortly after you make your purchase.
Seating/ Laying Area
Many of the tubes on the market will have some sort of a foam padding on the top portion of the tube in order to make it more comfortable for the user. Other types of tubes will even incorporate backrests into the design. Many people use tubes very aggressively and the driver tends to try to make the tube riders fall off of the tube into the water. Getting a tube with a backrest may seem like it ruins the fun but it allows you to pull around older people who are more fragile as well as younger kids without having to worry as much about them potentially falling off of the tube when you are travelling at a high speed and having them end up hurting themselves.
Color & Design
Many people like to base their purchasing decisions solely off of how something looks. Although it is nice to get something that looks fancy it is much more important that it functions properly and is made out of a durable design so that you can get as much use out of it as possible. With that being said there are quite a lot of tubes out on the market that comes in a wide variety of color options and it is fairly likely that you will be able to find something that suits your personal tastes. Just make sure that the product you are purchasing meets all of the other features that you are looking for and is made up of high-quality material so that it will last you for a long time. It may be worth sacrificing some looks in order to have your tube last you for a few extra seasons as it will save you a lot of money and you will get a lot more fun out of it the longer it lasts.
Material
Generally, you will find that most of the average and high priced tubes on the market will be reinforced with double stitching and PVC material. You will also find that many of the tubes incorporate nylon into their design in order to reinforce everything and to improve water resistance. If a tube does not list the material that it uses in the design you should definitely be skeptical of the tube and you maybe should consider purchasing something else because they may have just used cheap materials in the design of the tube which is why they purposely neglected to say what it was made up of.
Check out the original article from SportsConsumer.com for a review of the Top 10 towable tubes on the market!
Posted by Scott Freerksen “The Lake Guy”