Bartlett 3.5m Hex Deck Water Hammock

Most inflatable lounges this size claim four or five people and get wobbly with three. The Hex Deck is rated for eight adults, and the reason is the construction: drop-stitch double wall fabric held at 4 to 5 PSI, which is roughly double the pressure a cheap platform runs. Higher pressure means a stiffer deck, and a stiffer deck means yours doesn't fold or tip when someone hauls themselves up out of the water. That's the moment a cheap platform lets you down.

This is the difference between a floating mat and somewhere you'll spend your whole afternoon. On a solid deck you're either on it and hot, or off it and swimming, and neither is where you want to be. With the mesh you sit on the ring with your legs through, or lie back into the mesh half submerged. On a 38 degree day that's the difference between your twenty minutes and your whole afternoon. It's also the safe splash zone for kids: they're in the water, inside your ring, and in sight the whole time.

Eighteen grab handles sounds like overkill until you try to haul yourself back onto a floating platform from deep water. There's always one within your reach, and they're on every side, so nobody has to swim around to find the good spot. The six D-rings sit top and bottom, which means you can anchor it where you want it, run a line back to your boat, or tie two setups together. On a windy day, an anchored deck is the difference between it staying put and you swimming after it.

Twenty-three kilos packed to 55 x 45 x 30cm, so it fits in your boot and you can carry it down to the water on your own. The hand pump is in the box, and getting a deck this size to 4 or 5 PSI with a hand pump is a genuine workout. If you'll be inflating it every weekend, an electric high pressure pump is the accessory that makes it painless. The repair kit is in there too, which is the sort of thing you only need once but need badly.

Two habits do most of the work. Rinse the salt off before yours goes in the bag, because salt crystals grind at the fabric and the seams every time it's rolled and unrolled. And don't leave it inflated in full sun on a hot day: the air inside expands and the pressure climbs well past 5 PSI on its own. Let a bit out on a 40 degree afternoon, put yours away dry, and it will still be good in ten years.