Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Outdoors

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

5 Best Above-Ground Swimming Pools to Buy for Your Backyard

By

The temperatures now are perfect for outdoor activities without getting scorched. One of those activities is lounging around in your very own personal flotation device in your brand new swimming pool.

Your backyard should be your own personal space where you can relax, unwind, and recharge. It’s great for the mind and the body as well. You can get plenty of exercise from swimming laps — much better than doing all that cardio in the gym. It’s not always about relaxing, however. Maybe you want to throw a lavish pool party. In that case, here’s a list of the best above-ground swimming pools on the market today. Set up is easy and you can be enjoying your day by the pool in less than 24 hours. Not too bad if you ask me. We even found an inflatable hot tub that is perfect for those cooler nights or sore muscles.

Recommended Videos

Related Reading:

Intex Ultra XTR Frame Round Swimming Pool Set with Sand Filter Pump

Intex above ground swimming pool
Image used with permission by copyright holder

This 20-foot-wide, 4-foot tall Intex above-ground swimming pool will keep everyone cool. It is made from a powder-coated steel frame and laminated PVC siding material. It has 3 layers of material for added strength and durability to last several years. The easy-to-assemble pieces fit together without any locking pins and could be ready to fill with water in about an hour. The Intex pool holds almost 8,000 gallons of water. It includes an Intex Krystal Clear 110-120 volt, 2,100 GPH sand filter pump, pool ladder, ground cloth, and debris cover. There is a drain plug that connects to your garden hose for draining the pool and a dual suction outlet fitting to help improve water circulation.

Coleman Power Steel Frame Swim Vista II Round Swimming Pool Set

Coleman Swim Vista II Round Swimming Pool Set
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Coleman Power Steel Swim Vista Series II is a big pool at 22 feet wide and a little over 4 feet deep. It’s a second-generation pool with built-in portholes. The Vista Portholes are reinforced and fortified into the sides of the pool, allowing parents to keep an eye on children or so you can wave at people like an aquarium. The pool doesn’t require any tools for setup and is made of a  rust-resistant steel frame with Coleman’s Seal & Lock System for a sturdy and secure frame connection. The puncture-resistant liner is made from ultra-durable Tritech material and the exterior design is a natural-looking rattan wicker print. The Coleman pool set comes with a filter pump, step ladder, and pool cover.

Intex Metal Frame Round Above-Ground Pool

Intex above ground swimming pool
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Intex Metal Framed Above Ground Pool Set will let you beat the heat for the season. This above-ground pool is 18 feet wide and 4 feet tall and is the perfect size for cooling off. The easy-to-assemble and maintain swimming pool is made of durable PVC material and is an affordable alternative to steel-walled pools. The swimming pool includes an Intex 1500 GPH filter pump, filter cartridge, ladder, pool cover, ground cloth, and instructional DVD. Intex has designed this pool for easy assembly and is ready for water in an hour. When it comes time to drain the water, the convenient drain plug works with your garden hose.

Bestway Steel Pro Max Above-Ground Round Swimming Pool Set

Bestway Steel Pro Max swimming pool
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Bestway Steel Pro Max swimming pool is an easy-to-set-up pool with a corrosion-resistant steel frame and DuraPlus enhanced three-ply reinforced PVC material. The swimming pool is 14 feet wide and the water depth is 4 feet, enough to cool off the entire family. The set includes a filter pump with a 1,000 GPH flow rate, extra filter cartridge, safety step ladder, and a pool cover to keep out leaves, bugs, and whatever else may be floating around. Best of all, no tools are needed for set up and when the season is over, the built-in flow control valve attaches to a garden hose for easy draining.

Intex Oval Above-Ground Pool

Intex oval above ground swimming pool
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The oval-shaped above-ground swimming pool by Intex is 16.5 feet wide and 4 feet tall. This swimming pool is everything you need for backyard pool parties. The pool is made with a metal frame constructed of steel tubing and puncture-resistant three-ply liner material. This durably swimming pool takes up to an hour for installation and includes a 1,000-gallon pump, pool ladder, ground cloth, debris cover, and instructional DVD for setup. It is also equipped with a Hydro Aeration Technology pump for improved circulation, filtration, improved water clarity, and increased negative ions at the water surface.

If the swimming pool isn’t enough, you can also pick up this highly rated and recommended inflatable hot tub.

Coleman SaluSpa Four-Person Hot Tub Spa

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The 4-Person Coleman SaluSpa is equipped with 60 AirJets, digital button controls for temperature, bubbles, and an auto-lock setting when you find the right temperature and bubbles. The hot tub heats up quickly and is made from durable Tritech 3-ply material with inflated walls for durability and cushioned floor with a convenient drain valve. The Coleman comes with the AirJet system, pool liner, cover, spa pump, chemical floater, 2 filter cartridges, an air pad protector, and repair patch kit.

Editors’ Recommendations

Joe Morales
Joe Morales
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Joe Morales is a trained chef with over five years of experience working in fine dining and Michelin recommended restaurants…
We love this Tribit StormBox speaker for cookouts, beach days, more — $35 off
Tribit StormBox Flow Bluetooth speaker Prime Day deal

It's summertime, which means you may be spending more time outdoors. Maybe you'll be exploring the wilderness, visiting a beach, or doing some camping or fishing. Either way, wouldn't it be nice to have some tunes? You can certainly achieve that thanks to an Amazon Prime Day deal on the Tribit StormBox Flow. It's a fantastic option for cookouts, beach days, and camping because it's tough, waterproof, and built to take a beating. Oh, and it sounds awesome, too. Usually $80, the Tribit StormBox Flow is down to $64 for Prime Day, but you can clip an on-page coupon to get the price even lower, to $45, saving you $35. Get pulsating, punchy beats with 9dB of power, up to 30 hours of battery life and customized equalizer modes through the Tribit app.

 
Why we love the Tribit StormBox Flow for outdoor adventures
First, it's a Bluetooth speaker, and you can't have a decent speaker without good sound. Outperforming many comparable options, the Tribit StormBox Flow sounds incredible, and you don't even have to bother with the Tribit app. It sounds great out of the box. That's thanks to clear treble and pounding bass, which is surprisingly impressive for such a small device. That's made possible by Tribit's proprietary XBoss tuning DSP technology, which helps boost the bass to a 9dB power rating. If you know nothing about specifications, all you need to know is that it's powerful, pulse-pounding and has exceptional audio fidelity.

Read more
Best Blackstone Prime Day deals
A man using the Blackstone 36-inch Gas Griddle Cooking Station in a yard.

If you're going to grill the steak of your dreams you're going to need the perfect grill, and Blackstone grills are offering up some savings among all of the Prime Day deals going on. We've made our selection for the best Prime Day Blackstone grill deal, and we've tracked down some other selections that offer some great savings. Read onward for a look at the best Prime Day Blackstone deals going on right now, and make a purchase quickly if you see something you like. Prime Day deals are known to end abruptly and inventories are likely starting to run low.
Best Blackstone grill Prime Day deal
Blackstone Adventure Ready 2-Burner 22-inch Propane Griddle -- $124, was $147

If you’re keen to cook outdoors more but you’re also planning on traveling a lot, you need the Blackstone Adventure Ready 2-Burner 22-inch Propane Griddle. It’ll work well in your yard, but it’s also portable enough that you can take it with you while you camp and travel on many different adventures, hence the name "adventure ready."

Read more
Still Available: Jackery solar generator deal has two solar panels for $1,400 off
Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus early Prime Day deal with two solar panels

The Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus is essentially a 2,042-watt-hour portable power station with ultra-fast charging. However, typically, you have to buy the accessories separately when you buy the station. As part of a pretty crazy Prime Day deal, however, you can get the Jackery solar generator and two 200-watt solar panels in a bundle for a ridiculous price. Usually $3,299, the bundle is just $1,899 for a limited time, saving you $1,400. It's a fantastic option for home power backup to keep your necessities on during an outage, but you can also use it for off-grid living, travel if you're on the road, or even around your home -- like to power some electronics in your backyard. The solar panels make it even more versatile as you can charge it virtually anywhere with access to reliable sunlight.

 
Here's why you should buy the Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus bundle with solar panels
We know, we know, it's not officially Prime Day yet. That happens later this week, on July 16 and July 17. It usually makes sense to hold off on buying anything until the main event because you never know how good the deals will be. That said, in the past couple of years, most of the deals have remained the same; if not, many good deals were available early and went away. If you're interested in this Jackery bundle -- an incredible deal -- you might want to shop it soon before it's gone instead of waiting.

Read more