Pool Ring Floats
Header photo: A blue swim ring lying on a pool deck beside a sun lounger. Photo: Steven Depolo from Grand Rapids, MI, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Before the unicorns and the swans, there was the ring. The humble swim ring is still the most practical float in the pool: cheap, quick to inflate and easy to share. Add sprinkles and it becomes a donut; add a crust and it becomes a pizza.
Ring floats by design
- Classic swim rings come in children's and adult sizes. Adult rings are usually 90 to 120 cm across, big enough to sit in with your legs draped over the side.
- Glitter and printed rings add sequins, tropical prints, watermelon slices or marble patterns to the basic shape.
- Animal rings add a head and tail: ducks, toucans, peacocks, sharks and crocodiles were all on the original Floatys list.
- Donut floats are rings printed as glazed, sprinkled or chocolate donuts, usually with a slightly fatter tube than a standard ring.
- Food floats go further: pizza slices, watermelon wedges, pineapples, avocados, ice-cream cones and popsicles, most of them lie-on loungers rather than rings.
Sit-in rings versus lie-on food floats
| Sit-in ring or donut | Lie-on food float | |
|---|---|---|
| Comfort | Good for an hour of sitting and chatting | Better for a long sunbathe |
| Inflation | One chamber, quick by mouth or hand pump | Often two chambers; a pump helps |
| Space in the pool | Small | Medium to large |
| Wind | Moderate | Flat, so less sail-like than giant birds |
| Storage | Folds small | Rolls into a medium bundle |
Is a ring float a swimming aid?
No. A swim ring keeps you afloat while you are in it, but it can slip off, tip over or be pulled away by a breeze. It is not a substitute for swimming ability or for a properly fitted life jacket, and children using rings need an adult within arm's reach. The pool and water safety basics explain the difference between toys and real buoyancy aids.
Bagels, donuts and a 6-0 set
Ring and donut floats have an unexpected cousin in tennis slang. A set won 6-0 is called a "bagel", after the shape of the zero on the scoreboard, and a 6-1 set is a "breadstick". A "double bagel" is a 6-0, 6-0 rout. The terms are more than jokes for people who bet on tennis: set-score and correct-score markets are among the most popular ways to bet on Wimbledon, which falls conveniently in the middle of pool season, and a bagelled set is exactly the kind of lopsided outcome those markets price. If you plan to follow the grass-court fortnight from a donut float, our guide to summer sports betting by the pool explains match, set and game-handicap markets in plain English, and poolside poker and card games has ideas for the rain-delay hours.
Looking after rings and food floats
Printed finishes such as sprinkles and pizza toppings are usually on the surface, so sunscreen, chlorine and rough pool edges wear them down. Rinse after use, keep sunscreen-covered skin off the print where you can, and dry before storing. A small puncture in a ring is one of the easiest float repairs; see how to patch and store a float.
Party math: for a pool party, one ring per two guests is plenty. Most people swap and share, and a ring stack by the pool steps doubles as décor. More in how to pack for a pool party.
