The long slip and slide
Length is the single feature that separates a big slip and slide for adults from a novelty purchase. Everything else — width, material, water — exists to keep a long run working from the first foot to the hundredth.
One hundred feet, in one piece
Our long lane ships as a single continuous 100 foot roll of heavy-duty white polyethylene sheeting, about ten feet across. One piece matters: joined sections leave a seam across the run, and a seam is what catches a hip at twenty feet per second. There is no printing on it and nothing inflatable attached to it.
How much room a long lane needs
For the 100 ft, measure about 110 feet of clear lawn plus 10 to 15 feet of soft run-out past the end of the plastic — nothing hard in the stopping zone. You also want the full ten feet of width clear on both sides for anchors and for sliders who drift.
If that does not fit, the 50 ft lane is the same sheeting at the same width and needs roughly sixty feet. It is still a big slip and slide by any normal standard; it just gives you a shorter ride and a shorter line.
Keeping a long run slick end to end
The mistake people make on a long lane is watering only the top. Water spreads out and soaks in as it travels, so by seventy feet the plastic can go tacky. Use a hose splitter and put a second oscillating sprinkler about halfway down. On very hot days, run both continuously rather than in bursts.
A gentle downhill grade helps a long run more than a short one, because the extra distance compounds the advantage. You do not need a real hill, and a steep one is a bad idea — stopping gets harder the faster you arrive.
Long lanes and big groups
A long lane also solves the queue problem. With 100 feet of plastic, one person can be halfway down while the next is already starting, so a party keeps moving. See slip and slide party ideas for how to run heats and brackets on a long run.
Common questions
- What is the longest slip and slide you can buy?
- Our longest lane is a single continuous 100 foot roll. Because it is one piece of sheeting rather than joined sections, there are no seams across the run to catch a hip or a knee at speed.
- How much yard do I need for a long slip and slide?
- About 110 feet of clear length for the 100 ft lane, or about 60 feet for the 50 ft, plus 10 to 15 feet of soft run-out and 10 feet of width. The lawn should be flat to gently sloped and free of rocks and sprinkler heads.
- Does a longer slip and slide go faster?
- It stays fast longer. Speed comes from water and grade, but a long lane gives an adult enough distance to actually reach top speed before the plastic runs out — which is exactly what short lanes never do.
- How do you keep a long slip and slide wet all the way down?
- Put a garden hose or oscillating sprinkler at the top, then use a hose splitter and a second sprinkler roughly halfway down. That keeps the bottom half of a 100 ft run as slick as the top.
Pick your lane
Same heavy-duty plain white sheeting, about 10 ft wide. Choose the length that fits your yard.
Back to the full slip and slide for adults guide, or read the 100 ft vs 50 ft buying guide.