The mansion of Playhut tents -- this one has its own screened porch!
Written: Mar 15 '05 (Updated Mar 23 '05)
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Pros: Big enough for many kids to stand and play.
Cons: Sometimes too big
The Bottom Line: If you have the room this makes a tent that can be played with for many years.
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| xyzwyatt's Full Review: Playhut Luxury House |
Do not underestimate the enormity of this Playhut tent. They call it a Luxury House because it is huge! The house measures 60 inches long, 60 inches wide, and 60 inches in height. The permanently attached screen room is also large and measures an additional 60 inches in length, 60 inches wide, and 50 inches in height.
This is a pretty fancy house. It is colorful with red, blue, and green Playhut nylon material. There is a pretend mailbox and windsock sewed on the front for decoration. The door to the house is securely attached and can not be removed. We usually throw it over the top of the roof if we’re using it to go in and out of. There are two windows for looking out. The inside is just large, there isn’t anything covering the floors or any unique designs inside. The screen porch also has a door that is permanently attached. It can be rolled up and clipped up. My daughters have a problem getting the button undone so we usually leave it up or down. The house is I have seen other play structures with the exact same title but is plain without the windsock and mailbox decoration. The house part does have a metal stick that easily inserts in the top of the tent to keep its form. It is not required however the roof will sag if it is not in place. The stick folds instantly into 3 piece pieces for easy storage. This is compatible with other Playhut tents so it is possible to attach another tent to make a bigger play area.
The first obvious thing is that it will take up a lot of room. This does not fit in the kids’ bedroom. When we put it up in the family room we have to move all of the furniture. I don’t mind it up so much inside because they go inside a play quietly.
It is possible to set up one side and not the other. Sometimes we put up the colorful house part and leave the screen folded which makes the house smaller and more useful for indoor play.
My 5-year-old usually takes all of her cooking gear in there and makes a meal in the tent. Sometimes she takes her Table Set in to color and read books. The kids usually play inside the house rather than coming in and out which is nice because it reduces the risk of tripping. The door is cut out of the side so there is a piece of material at the bottom which must be stepped over to get out. Exiting could cause tripping which should be considered when finding the location that it is set up so they don't go through something like a window.
My 11-year-old uses this for a clubhouse outside. We typically only fold this so it’s compact but we don’t curl it to fit back in the back. It is very large and although he could carry it on his own, two people are better for the task so the tent doesn’t drag on the bottom.
Other elementary age kids gathered inside the house for their club meeting. The school age children are able to set it up, take it down, and carry it around on their own. All the kids really enjoyed it. The tent was big enough for 10 of his friends to be inside with room for more if needed. We have two jumbo tents like this but this one was preferred because they liked the screened room. You can feel the breeze through the screen part and you are able to look out and see what everyone else is doing.
This is not designed for sleeping. There isn’t any way to tie the tent down so it may not be able to be used outside on a windy day.
We have many Playhut items but this is the largest that we have I think. They are all popular but each tent has its own unique feature. This one comes out the most when friends are over because so many kids can fit in it. It is primary colors so can be used by both boys and girls.
This is made with the Playhut EZ Fold technology. This huge tent folds down and is placed into a little carrying bag within a minute. I usually just fold this until it’s flat and lean it up against the wall in my sons room. It stands pretty tall so have to be careful not to get it in the fan or the hanging lights when we’re moving it around and setting it up.
The tent is safe for children however when the tent is folded it can pose a hazard when it springs into shape. It has a fairly forceful spring so could get a child in the eye or knock them off balance. The more compact the tent is the more spring action you’ll get which is why we don’t fold it.
Folding it only takes a minute but is very frustrating to me. I can’t do it but my husband can. If you lose the directions they can be found on www.playhut.com
This originally sold for $60 but can now be found at Walmart.com for $45. We have had our tent for two years now and the kids still play with it. Even though it’s been toted around outside and on road trips it still holds the proper form and doesn’t have any holes in it.
Playhut, Inc.
368 South Cheryl Lane
City of Industry, CA 91789
Website: www.playhut.com
Phone: 888-752-9488
Other Playhut Structures:
Playhut Disney Princess Castle
Playhut Princess 5 in 1
Care Bears Canopy
Playhut Megahouse
Playhut Train and Ball Zone
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 50.00
Type of Toy: Other
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years
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xyzwyatt
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