If you have a climbing frame in your garden...

[Whoami24601]

Did you find it a good investment? If so, what company did you buy it from?

We're just about to buy our first house, which will have a good sized garden for our 2 DCs (4 and 1) and looking for something to keep them entertained.

Thanks!

[salsamad]

We had the TP Explorer Frame, Playform and Den £149 (£40 off at the moment) and we added the TP crazy wavy slide to it £129 (we also added a walkover bar and monkey net but i don't know if they are still available). They were from Early Learning Centre (it's on their website) and it lasted us years - they can be built from a low height for younger children (18mths plus) - you save the xtra pieces and then add them to the frame as your children grow.
Our DS and his friends loved it. The tent/den sides on the top could be left up or down with Velcro. We had quite a smallish garden at the time and it didn't take up too much room, we had a small crash mat for the very bottom of the slide as the grass wears away with constant use!
We had it from when our son was about 21 mths old until he went to high school and then passed it on to our neighbours who had 3 children and it was still going strong when we moved house.

[TwoLeftSocks]

We have the same but without the slide. It's been very sturdy but was a bit of a bastard to assemble.

[pollyblack]

The TP explorer is fab, we have it with the den and the slide and my kids have used it loads over the last four years, they are now 6 and 10 and are slightly outgrowing it but still like using it as a den.

[SisterViktorine]

Yes, DS has this one from Selwood, although we only paid £500 for it.

He's now just 6 and he had it for his 4th birthday. It has been brilliant. He and his friends love it- it now forms part of a wider activity/ den area that DH has added to with cargo nets etc.

I'd love to have a much bigger set but they are darn pricey. Bugger to build, bugger to move house with.. but ours has been well worth it.

[lostscot]

My husband built one for daughters 2nd birthday and it's still going strong now she's 10. It's was a nightmare to move house with but I was told no they weren't too old and it had to come with us!
Whatever you buy I'd get the sturdiest / largest you can.

[NeedAnotherGlass]

TP frame, slide & swing - had many, many years of use.

[Questionsmorequestions]

We had the TP one, bought in the sale and then sold 8 years later on eBay for the same price as we paid for it . 4 children, used it daily and loved it. First had it when ds1 was 2 and it grew with him

[ChunkyHare]

We had TP climbing frame that grew with the children. I was a bit heartbroken when Ds1 got too heavy/tall for it.

We did get a good 9 years of use from it though. Well worth the investment.

[Whoami24601]

So the TP one seems to be popular! I hadn't thought about getting a metal one- had been looking at wood tbh. I think maybe I just thought they were more sturdy! Some good suggestions thanks!

[PuraVida]

We've got an old old tp explorer and a posho wooden one. The wooden one gets ignored in favour of the metal one

[ChippyMinton]

A TP timber set, bought when the youngest was 2, with tower, slide, swing and double swing. It's awesome. TBH the DC have out grown it now but it's sturdy enough for me to swing on {smile]