Tarp: If you are planning on using your bounce house outside, then a tarp is a great insurance for your bounce house to protect it from the elements. If you have one already in your garage that you can use- that’s great. Some people like to purchase one specifically for their bounce house and store it together so it’s more convenient. If you’re in the market THIS is the one we suggest. It is durable, waterproof and comes in a variety of weights and sizes.
To pick the best weight for your tarp, consider where you plan to set it up. If you are generally always going to use it on soft grass, then a light weight tarp should be perfect for you. It will protect it from water, dirt and mud. However, if you plan to set it up on a cement slab than I would definitely recommend the heavy-duty thick tarp to protect the bounce house from wearing thin as it rubs against the rough surface.
When you are picking the size of your tarp, be sure to get a tarp that measures larger than your bounce house so that it covers all the necessary surface area. If the tarp is slightly too big in some places it can easily be folder under, however if you have to stake the tarp down and then put the bounce house on top of the stakes if the tarp is too small, than the bounce house could be punctured by the tarp stakes.
Which stakes to get is a no-brainer. THESE tent stakes by Eurmax are awesome! The t-shaped topper makes the world of a difference for both installing and removing the stakes. I LOVE that it is easy enough for my kids to push down themselves when we put the bounce house on soft grass. However, I would definitely recommend that you get the ORANGE ones! It comes in orange and green. I suppose if you didn’t want the stakes to show in the grass than green would be helpful, but if you are anything like us and always seem to lose a stake- than the bright orange color is extremely helpful! These are so much stronger than the traditional peg stakes and do not easily bend out of shape.