749.99There’s a pond on my family’s northern Wisconsin farm that, years ago, had a wooden platform strapped to some empty oil barrels floating out in the middle of it. It wasn’t much to look at, but trust me when I tell you: it was the ultimate kid swimming launch pad. That old dock is long gone, however, and we’ve been looking for a replacement that was modern, sturdy, and (of course) fun for all ages. Enter: the Retrospec Siesta Dock XL 10’ inflatable platform.
When the boxes arrived from Retrospec, it became clear that I should have timed the delivery closer to my drive up to northern Wisconsin. As shipped, the Siesta Dock XL was the size of a loveseat, taking up a significant chunk of my living room. I also got the Retrospec digital inflator and anchor kit, each in their own comically small boxes compared to the massive dock box. Big as it was, the shipping box itself was sturdy and well made, hinting that the platform inside was built to handle serious floating fun.
Getting the dock up to that farm in Wisconsin (from Chicago, about four-ish hours’ drive away) was an adventure in creative packing. If you don’t have a roof rack, pickup, or a three-row SUV (at minimum), ship this thing where it’s gonna be used.
In the end, we unlocked our deep, OG Tetris mastery and settled on lowering the right-side third- and middle-row seats in the Volvo XC90 and shoving it all the way in. Loaded up, the Siesta Dock XL didn’t ruin the front passenger experience – but you knew there was something behind you.
Packed in
Once we got the dock to the pond, it was time to unbox it. Despite the Siesta Dock XL’s size, the canvas-y bag it was packed in pulled out of the box easily enough, and unfolding the dock onto the grass felt just like unfolding an inflatable stand-up paddle board (or SUP, which Restrospec also offers).
Even deflated, the first thing you notice when you unpack the dock is the sheer size. I think my college dorm (1994-96 era) was “just” 8×10’, and this dock – at 10×10’ – looked pretty room-sized to me. The non-slip “wood” deck pad, made from textured EVA foam, and thick sidewalls immediately impressed, too, thanks to Retrospec’s AerGlide-Lite drop-stitch construction and thick, layered vinyl.
It’s SO big, you guys
We made a quick check of the handles, stainless steel D-rings, and threaded accessory mounts, and quickly lost count. Suffice it to say that this swim platform is loaded with more attachment points than you’ll probably need, making it easy to tie down a seat, secure a cooler, or even attach another Siesta Dock platform via the Retrospec EasyLink system.
Inflation is easy — with the air pump
I cannot stress the following enough: read the manual, before you inflate the dock. If you have the valve pin in the wrong position, the amount of air that you’ll lose will surely upset you.
After getting it wrong on the SUP (twice), my wife made it very clear that she should never, under any circumstances, be asked to manually inflate anything again. Luckily, we had it easy this time. The Retrospec Breeze iSUP electric pump did the job in about thirty minutes. It did shut itself off after twenty minutes (by design), forcing a re-start after a brief cool down, but still – the pump did its job, even stopping itself once the two-stage system got the board to its pre-set, 10.0 psi air pressure.
At $119, the Breeze iSUP isn’t cheap, but the “set it and forget it” operation makes it a no-brainer. By the time we’d unpacked our bags, had some snacks, and gotten the kids into their swimsuits, the Siesta Dock was ready for action.
On the water
Once in the pond, the Siesta Dock XL provided a surprisingly solid, floor-like experience for an inflatable. The 10×10′ platform provides plenty of room for kids to bounce around and adults to lounge on beach chairs without feeling cramped. The textured EVA foam deck, which will feel instantly familiar to anyone with SUP experience, is comfortable enough underfoot, offering decent enough grip for even the wettest little feet to launch themselves off the thing at full speed.
The Dock XL was so stable, in fact, that I started musing out loud about cohesion (the surface tension of water, or the thing that makes water molecules stick together), and how 100 square feet of continuous platform probably made for lots of it. But regardless of the whys and hows, two elementary-school-age kids bouncing around barely made it wobble, and even the adults moving around didn’t upset it enough to worry anyone or spill any drinks.
9to5Toys’ take
My memory may be playing tricks on me, but I think the Retrospec Siesta Dock might even be sturdier than the old wooden/barrel platform it’s replacing, despite being an inflatable. And that’s high praise, since I’d held off on buying one of these for at least two years, mistakenly believing that an inflatable would feel too unstable, too disposable to justify the expense.
I was wrong on that front.
I would also be wrong if I didn’t mention another little factoid about the Retrospec dock. Once we’d had our fun, dried it off, and deflated the big swim platform, it folded right up, with minimal fuss, and went back into its storage bag. After literal decades of struggling to get sleeping bags and tents and all other manner of outdoor “fun” back into the bag/box it came in, I was shocked at how easy it was to put the big dock away.
At $749, the Retrospec Siesta Dock XL is well out of (my) impulse buy territory – but compared to other inflatables this size, it’s a steal. And, even side-by-side with my (more expensive) BōTE brand SUP, it didn’t feel cheap or underbuilt, and I wouldn’t know how to put a price tag on the kids’ summer fun.
You can get the Retrospec Siesta Dock XL through the Retrospec website. If at all possible, get the $119 Breeze iSUP electric pump along with it.
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