My daughter loves this. She has a lot of complex medical needs and this is a great toy for her to use outside. That said she rarely gets to use it because it retains so much water. Last year we kept it up most of the summer, but any rain would mean that the pod had several of inches of water and the nylon stayed soaked for days. So this summer we started taking it down when rain was in the forecast, but it is hard to reinstall without help. I'm trying to figure out how to build a cover so this isn't an issue, but considering this is a very expensive toy that is marketed for the outdoors, I did not expect this to be an issue.

I ordered this as a replacement to my former well-aged huggle pod hangout. The first time it rained I was dismayed that it filled and retained more water than previous one. When I tried to tip the water out as I usually do with the old one, I found that it was very, very difficult if not impossible to get water out. I discovered there was a zipper below the door entrance and that released a lot of water but not all, as previously mentioned. I have mine on a tri-pod huggle pod stand and I am practically lifting it over my head to get the last of the water out so it can dry out. The door threshold is higher than the previous design - why can't these all be standardized - which makes it much harder, near impossible to get all the water out. It is also a lot more awkward to get into and out of.

I bought the hugglepod and family hangout stand to put in our backyard for the grandkids, and hoped my 8-year-old grandson with ASD would especially enjoy it. He likes close spaces and sensory experiences like rocking chairs, swings, wind, breezes, waves. So I had high hopes for the cocoon-like, snug environment of the hugglepod and thought he would enjoy reading or using his iPad in it. But initial reactions were not positive as the spinning motion, even gently, makes him dizzy - even when he's not reading. And it's pretty hard to keep it motionless when you're inside it. And what would be the point of that, anyway? We've got a conventional tent. At this writing, he's given it 3-4 more tries with the same effect. The other grandkids like it well enough but it isn't the attraction I had hoped it would be.