Swing-N-Slide Mountaineer Cedar Play and Swing Set Review

Review of the Swing-N-Slide Mountaineer Cedar Play and Swing Set

As of this writing, there are 375 customer comments and 155 answered questions for the Swing-N-Slide Mountaineer Cedar Play and Swing Set. I’ve read the customer feedback, and then condensed the results into this review. I hope that this helps you when shopping for a swing set.

Best Features

check Swing chains are UV protected
check Made from cedar wood
check Holds up to 800 pounds
check Lots of fun features
check Meets or exceeds ASTM safety standards

Item Specifics

The Swing-N-Slide Mountaineer Cedar Play and Swing Set is built for children that are 3 to 11 years old. However, it can be used for older children and adults as long as they are not over the weight limit. This swing set can hold up to 800 pounds. It is made from cedar. The cedar wood, along with the stain, prevents it from rotting, decaying, or getting insect damage. It is made from heavy duty, solid 4 x 4 wood for the framing, and the beam is made from 4 x 6 wood. The swing chains are UV protected. They have a soft rubber grippy plastic coating that prevents the chains from getting too hot. This added feature will help prevent your child from getting burned.

The rock wall and climbing rope have 10 rocks, which allows your child to climb up to the 4 foot tall deck. This swing set includes an alpine wave slide, extreme tube slide, rock wall with climbing rope, deluxe rope ladder, safe entry ladder, 2 belt swings, trapeze swing, tic-tac-toe panel, steering wheel, and telescope. This swing set meets or exceeds ASTM safety standards. The dimensions are 20’W x 11’H x 14’6″D. It is recommended to have a 6 foot perimeter around the playset for added safety.

About This Company

Swing N Slide has been around since 1985. They have been creating children’s swing and slide products for over 30 years. Their vision and desire is to design quality made swing sets and other playground products for residential properties. To see all of the Swing and Slide products, visit their website at swingandslide.com. You can also visit Swing N Slide’s store in Janesville, WI.

A Challenge to Assemble

You will need to expect that a swing set of this size and intricacy will take some time to set up. However, from the reviews left by parents, apparently this play set took more time than many people realized. Also, it was frustrating for many customers to put together. Here is one of the comments, “I am a very handy person and so is my husband. We have spent numerous DAYS putting this thing together! All the boxes came labeled with what sections it was supposed to be. However, they were scattered between the boxes. There were bags of screws and bolts that don’t match up and we were shorted a TON of 2 inch deck screws and had to purchase more. The whole swing set is almost all square bit screws (which are not used often any more) and comes with ONE square bit, good luck!! We also had to purchase more square bits. My daughter loves the swing set but I would highly recommend paying a bit more and getting it from a box store that will deliver and install, trust me it would be worth every penny with the frustration you will get with assembling this thing!”

You May Receive Extra Parts

Don’t be surprised or confused if you receive extra parts. A customer explains, “I would give this a five star review if the directions were not so terrible. Be warned that you will receive extra parts not required, we were also shorted one plastic window but the manufacturer did ship to us with no hassle. Separating the parts before you begin is helpful, but I did not realize there was extra wood in the box so I thought I was shorted some wood when I actually could have cut one of the extra pieces. I found this out after buying and cutting a new piece of wood.”

Sturdy and Should Last for Years

This swing set received good reviews for being sturdy. Here is one of the comments left by a customer, “Like others have said, this was a pain to put together. But, now that it is assembled, it looks great, is very stable and sturdy (both my husband and I have been on the top deck, I sat on the picnic bench, and we have both climbed up the steps with no sign of stress on the structure. While we are not overweight, if it can survive us, it can certainly survive children), and it appears it will last for years of play. If it wasn’t for the pain of assembly, it would get 5 stars.”

Mounting Lumber Not Included

Be aware that the lumber needed for mounting this swing set it not included. A customer explains, “I did not understand this it did not come with the wood as pictured. It does say “Requires additional lumber for mounting (not included)” but I thought it was additional lumber to attach it. My bad! Much longer than I thought so needed some adjustment. All in all it’s great!”

Complaints of Varnish Coming Off

There were some complaints of the varnish coming off and revealing a poor quality of wood below. Here is one of those comments left by a customer, “First of all, the wooden pieces all appear to have been dipped in a varnish that is supposed to make them look like redwood. Unfortunately for me, Swing N Slide did not let the wooden pieces dry thoroughly before packing them. So, several pieces of wood got stuck together, and in unsticking these pieces of wood, the varnish was torn off and revealed the true color of the wood below.”

Good Price

The majority of those who commented on the price, were very satisfied with what they got. However, there were a lot of people who were not happy with some aspects of this swing set for what they paid. For example, many people felt that the wood was too cheap for what they paid. Others thought that the price should have included pre-drilled holes.

Some Reported Warp Boards

You may receive some warped boards, if you receive what some customers received. There were not a lot of comments of warped boards but there were some reporting boards being warped right out of the box.

Screw Issues

There were some reports of issues with screws. Some people said that the screws were not long enough for the intended use and that they didn’t grip correctly. A customer explains, “My biggest issue with the product is that some of the screws provided are not long enough for their intended use and so do not grip as they should to the bottom boards. Also, all the hardware comes in various bags (<10) that are unlabeled, and most bags have multiple screw sizes. Makes it difficult to locate the correct hardware that matches the directions. Aside from the assembly, we’re very happy with the assembled product.”

Pros

plus Fun for kids
plus Attractive when finished
plus Good price

Cons

close Directions are hard to follow
close Holes are not pre-drilled
close Takes a long time to assemble

Swing-N-Slide Mountaineer Cedar Play and Swing Set Conclusion

The Swing-N-Slide Mountaineer Cedar Play and Swing Set received mixed reviews. First, many customers felt that the directions were hard to follow. Second, the assembly time took longer than most people expected. Keep in mind that you may receive extra parts. That threw some people off. Third, be aware that you will have to pre-drill all of the holes. Many customers found that frustrating that they were having to drill hundreds of holes. For the price that you are paying, a lot of people felt that the holes should have been pre-drilled. Fourth, mounting lumber is not included. Lastly, a big complaint was that people found that the varnish came off and made parts stick together and reveal a low quality of wood under the varnish. On a plus side, a lot of people were satisfied with the quality of this swing set. Many felt that it was sturdy.

Common Questions

Here are some top questions that I found for people considering buying the Swing-N-Slide Mountaineer Cedar Play and Swing Set.

chevron-circle-right Is it sturdy enough or do I need to bolt it to the cement ground? The set is sturdy, but you may want to anchor it for added stability.
chevron-circle-right Is the wood pre-treated? Yes, the wood is pre-treated. It is recommended to re-stain the wood once a year, in order for the swing set to last a long time.
chevron-circle-right Can we add a simple plastic spinner swing under the deck (where there is space for a sandbox)? You could, although there isn’t much room for one. Your child may hit his/her legs or head if you were to install a spinner swing.