What beats floating down the river on a hot summer day? Whether you frequently enjoy floats down your local stream or look forward to a big annual river trip, our list of the best river floating tubes will take your aquatic adventures to the next level!
For those looking for a river tube option that can really handle some abuse, this is the go-to. This model is built with raft-grade PVC, so good luck puncturing this bad boy!
The floor is mesh with a built-in O-ring so you’re not directly in the water with this option. There are two nice carry handles, but no further features. This tube is designed to be absolutely durable, and that’s where the price tag comes from.
Adults over six feet tall will have plenty of room in this tube, it fits everyone! The Octagonal design is unique, comfortable and durable! If you’re looking for a river floating tube you’ll own for years of use and abuse rather than just a season, make sure to check this one out.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. What you see is what you get with this one, but rubber donut tubes are not to be underrated – they hold up, in the long run, (and through river abrasions/abuse) better than vinyl options in my experience.
The safety valve on most rubber tubes (including this one) is like that of a car or bicycle tire, so you’ll need an appropriate hand pump or compressor as opposed to being able to orally inflate these options. As you likely know from driving a vehicle – these valves work exceptionally well so you won’t ever need to re-inflate your tube mid-river trip.
This 36-inch option is built from latex-free, commercial grade rubber. You can even apply paint to this style tube if you want to customize your personal river-vessel with some art or at least name it!
These rubber tubes are also great in the snow for sledding – the material does well in both hot and cold conditions. It’s UV protected so it won’t prematurely deflate in the sun, and exceptionally tear-resistant.
If you don’t need any added features and like the idea of a classic, but reliable river tube option, this is the awesome and affordable option you’re looking for!
Bradley has built some radical covers for their rubber donut tubes that give them even greater abrasion resistance, protect your bum from water hazards with a mesh floor and allow you to link tubes together for group fun!
The tube covers are built from heavy duty 1100 denier plastic-coated canvas and feature a 1000 denier micro mesh bottom that allows water to pass through. It’s a brilliant innovation that makes an already tough rubber tube, even tougher. If you want to have your legs and lower body in the water, you can always remove the cover, or even cut out the mesh floor.
Being able to effectively link up with your friends on the river is also a nice feature as opposed to running ropes through the donut, Bradley even includes one aluminum quick-link with this purchase.
Intex is a one of the industry leaders when it comes to inflatables of all kinds. Their River Run I Sport Lounge is a highly affordable option for river floats that is an excellent overall value.
While the vinyl construction is not as durable as a heavy-duty rubber tube or raft-grade PVC, if the rivers you’re used to floating are wide and slow you shouldn’t have any issues.
This model even features carry handles and two cup holders, two pretty awesome features. Let’s be honest, if you’re floating down a river in a tube, you likely have a beverage in hand – you’d be wise to choose a tube with a cup holder if you don’t utilize a floating cooler.
This 53-inch tube also has a built-in backrest so you can prop yourself up a bit more than most donut style tubes typically allow. If you don’t want to utilize the backrest and want to lay out facing the sky, simply rotate the tube so it’s not behind your head!
There is also a draining mesh floor to protect your bum from abrasion as well as an all-around grab rope for easy linking and towing of the tube. Intex has come up with a pretty killer unit with the River Run I if a vinyl tube works for your needs!
These might seem cheap at first, but they are actually built quite nicely and well reviewed for reliability.
BigMouth Inc. has come up with some hysterical animal-themed river floating tubes with this line of roughly 50-inch inflatables. Options include a beaver, duck, butterfly and the horse pictured.
Each model has a cup holder and a backrest (the butterfly option has no backrest) as well as an all-around rope for easy towing and tube-linking. These river floating tubes also feature a mesh floor to avoid abrasions against your bottom.
The material used is 18-gauge vinyl, so it’s good, but not great in terms of longterm durability. You’ll want a heavier duty tube if where you’re planning on floating is known for protruding rocks, tree limbs and other obstacles.
If where you like to float is a slower moving, deeper river, then don’t worry about the durability of this tube – it will hold up just fine. BigMouth Inc. has furthermore included a patch kit in the event you need to make a minor repair.
Here’s a budget, bare-bones option of river floating tube from Intex that might be all you need.
This 48-inch option is great for the kids, but still totally large enough to accommodate for adults. The River Rat Swim Tube is a great minimalist option for all sorts of contexts!
There is no backrest, cup holders, mesh floor or abrasion resistant cover with this tube – it’s just a vinyl inflatable with an all-around grab rope for easy towing and linking. Intex does, however, include a patch kit.
The tube is built with double valves and two air chambers, so it should retain inflation well even in strong sun. The double air-bladder also ensures you won’t sink straight to the bottom in the even part of the tube becomes punctured.
For leisurely, passive floats down lazy-river type water bodies, this Intex tube is all you need!
Take note of the massive, 72-inch inner tube included here if you like the idea of a particularly large river tube! This company makes a variety of sizes in this style, suitable for kids or adults.
The Bradley Collasal Inner Tube is a great durable option for those interested in an extra-large unit! All tubes are built from heavy-duty rubber and feature a short valve stem typical of an automobile or bicycle tire, so they’re truly heavy-duty!
A big boy option for particularly heavy river floaters, or a luxury tube with boundless space for normal sized floaters, this classic option has it going on!
This 48-inch vinyl river floating tube from Lucky Bums is another great value option worth checking out if you’re shopping on a budget. This is a very standard vinyl tube, but the inclusion of carry handles, cup holders and a protective nylon cover make it more than worth the cost.
This tube is not a top-quality option by any means, but it does, however, offer features typically included on more expensive model inflatables. If you’re willing to be particularly careful not to puncture this option on any nasty water hazards, it should hold up for you fairly well in the long run.
The quality of the vinyl and inflation valve are not impressive, so don’t expect this one to last a lifetime by any means.
That being said, the features of this tube are more inclusive than a lot of more expensive options, so if where you float is “friendly” in terms of rapids and potential abrasions, this inflatable option will perform just fine for you.
What you see is what you get with this one, it’s an enormous UV protected, heavy-duty rubber tube that implements a short valve stem typical of rubber tires. This unit is BIG, making it a great option for not only river floating, but snow tubing, lake drifting and even some beach-fun out in the waves!
If the river you like to float allows for larger, bulkier inflatables, then you’ll love this party-platform from Intex. This four-person river float is great for rowdy groups of friends who want to share the same down-stream transportation.
There is a rope with plastic steps for getting in and out of the Relaxation Station, as well as an all-around grab rope. The weight capacity is 700 pounds, so you can theoretically even throw a fifth person in there depending on the river conditions.
The 18 gauge vinyl is not the most rugged material by any means (as the lower price tag indicates) but it’s solid enough to withstand some decent abuse. If the river you’re planning on floating with a group is particularly rough and/or ridden with shallow spots, you’ll likely want something a bit more durable to avoid popping – especially considering all the weight you’re ultimately going to put in this vessel.
All in all, this is a reasonably durable, spacious and comfortable four-person river inflatable that provides everyone with their own cup holder at a great price point – need I say more?
Here’s a double version of the Intex Sport Lounge that has a few additional killer features! This option is highly affordable and has excellent customer satisfaction in all sorts of aquatic contexts.
This is the same style vinyl river floating tube as the other options by Intex listed here, but features a built-in cooler and storage well in the center of the tube.
Even if you’re alone, you’ll love the ability to bring along lunch or a bunch of beers in your inflatable! The “center console” is also great for a waterproof speaker or maybe even for rigging up a shade umbrella!
The Intex River Run Connect Lounge is very comparable to the River Run Sport Lounge I previously listed, but designed with a buckle system for super-easy connection with other tubes. Both are great value vinyl tubes for the cost that will perform awesome on slower, more passive rivers.
This option is otherwise more or less the same as the previous tube – there’s an included backrest, mesh floor and cup holder just like the Sport Lounge I. The only real difference is the all-around grab line of the Sport Lounge I is traded for the connecting component of the Connect Lounge.
Here’s a different approach to a river float with friends. If you like the idea of having some actual steering and navigation ability on the river as opposed to free-flowing down current, this inflatable kayak/lounge is right up your alley.
This option allows you to kick back, lay out, and relax in style but also gives you the option to captain your inflatable as a real functioning kayak. There is no real hull with this vessel (instead there are three plastic fins), so don’t expect it to behave like a hard-bodied boat. You’ll still love navigating it around the river and paddling circles around your buddies in traditional tubes.
The TubeTracker Standard River Tube Kayak is 60 inches long and 40 inches wide, so there’s plenty of room for essentially any sized paddler (although it’s only designed for one rider). A single Boston valve controls air input and outflow.
Extra heavy-duty, 30-gauge vinyl makes up the exterior of this inflatable. It’s not delicate by any means, but it’s also not particularly rugged against abrasion so make sure to keep this float away from any protruding rocks or tree limbs.
A paddle holder and cup holder furthermore keeps your hands free when you need them – Tube Pro has really come up with a fun and functional vessel with this one. For the cost, this is no doubt a great river floating tube that you’ll likely end up using for all sorts of other fun in the sun on other water bodies!
Ok, this one clearly isn’t exactly a river floating tube, but we wanted to turn you on to the Intex Explorer 300 none the less. This bad boy could be a ton of fun for river floating if the river you enjoy cruising down isn’t too intense.
This is a heavy-duty vinyl boat so it will pop if put through too much abuse. That being said, I’ve owned several of these Intex rafts and they are pretty impressively tough. If the river(s) you float are mostly deep and slow, then you’ll have no issues.
Using the 48-inch oars to navigate this inflatable around is more effective than you might imagine – this bad boy is really responsive! The oar locks are furthermore welded on, so you don’t have to worry about losing any small parts or pieces of the boat.
Sporting a 410-pound weight capacity, up to three people can embark in the Explorer 300, so get ready for some absolute hilarity with friends. There is also a grab rope on the bow of the raft for easy towing and linking with other inflatables.
Considering the large volume of air it takes to inflate this vessel, Intex includes a high output manual pump with this purchase. The price is wildly low on this one for such a righteous water toy so you can buy in confidence knowing you’ll get far more than your money’s worth.
Whether you often float your local stream or look forward to an annual river trip, our list of the best river floating tubes will ensure your next float is enjoyed in comfort and style.
