31 Backyard Upgrades To Make Your Next Staycation The Best Yet

Promising review: “Very fun for garden decor. Have held up nicely through summer rain storms and continue to shine bright. Worked really well for a garden party.” — Melissa

Promising review: “I used this in the spring to fill out our lawn more, and it worked great! I was worried because I feel like you always hear grass seed horror stories, but I just raked our lawn good, spread seeds all over, and watered it once (sometimes twice) per day and it filled the lawn in beautifully!” — Mariah

Promising review: “Very easy to unbox and get set up. I used an electric pump (not included) and followed the easy directions. Took me only about 10 minutes to get it inflated. Then it only took me maybe an hour to fill with a garden hose. I love the drain pipe underneath that is angled away from the pool so the water is directed out of the area. But I can see that it might not be good for the pool lining if someone stepped on it from inside the pool. So I was careful to let my kids know not to step in that corner. Overall, great quality, good size (fits three full-size floaties in it!), and my kids loved it.” — K M

Faircraft USA is aMechanicsburg, Pennsylvania-based Etsy shop run by a husband-and-wife duo creating beautiful and functional wooden home goods.

Promising review: “Purchased this as a gift for my brother to go with his corn hole boards. It is just as pictured. It seems like it’ll be a little low to the ground for taller men standing around a corn hole board…but better than the beers sitting on the ground or in the off hand. Beautiful workmanship. Highly recommend this product and shop!” — Hayley

This set includes two armchairs with seat cushions and a side table with a tempered glass top.

Promising review: “I absolutely love this set 😍 I cannot believe the price of it. It shipped fast, and was fairly quick and easy to assemble. It’s a hit; I get so many compliments by anyone who rings the doorbell.” — Mrs.Mathews

Promising review: “I used these for the first time the other night and they were exactly what I wanted. I often tend to grill after dark and I can’t see what’s on the grill, but not anymore. These light up the entire grill surface area perfectly. Would definitely buy again.” — Flossie DeGrave

Each light cycles through red, blue, white, and green.

Promising review: “My pool is so old school and boring that I bought these to liven it up and what a difference!! My pool went from ‘meh’ to WOW! The balls are easily inflated by mouth like a beach ball. Once inflated, a few hours in the sun and they are charged and ready to go. They light up after dusk (it has to be rather dark). There is no manual way to power them on or off; they glow all night long. The changing colors are vibrant and very beautiful. They have a loop at the top if you would like to hang them. They would be magical hanging in a tree or from a pergola. I really liked how easy these were to fill and charge, and I like the solar power and the amazing color display. They make my inner child happy.” — J. Matheson

This pressure washer has a powerful 1,800-watt motor, five quick-connect spray tips, a 20-foot hose, and a 40.6 fluid-ounce detergent tank.

Promising review: “This has been one of the best investments we as homeowners have made. This little guy gets the job done; countless things have been cleaned since we bought it three years ago. My favorite is our backyard pavers. The cord may not be long enough for some users depending on how big the space you are washing is, but for us it works just fine. Highly recommend!” — BSanchez

Promising review: “I have ordered four boxes of these light sets now. I love love love these lights. They are gorgeous. I plugged them in while in the package to make sure they all worked. Then I unscrewed all the bulbs to make it easy to hang. I hung them up all around my balcony using a staple gun. When I finished I screwed the light bulbs all in 🙂 I would highly recommend these lights. They are PINTEREST perfect!” — Cora

The mister will cool the surrounding area by 20 degrees, and it comes with an interchangeable flower-shaped misting head for a fun, whimsy detail.

Promising review: “Works exactly how I want it to. Provides a fine, cool mist on the patio, allowing us to enjoy the backyard until sunset without breaking a sweat. Easy to set up. It was out of the box and cooling us off within minutes.” — Debra L. Kusek

This charming set includes two rocking chairs with bottom and back cushions and a matching side table with a glass top.

Promising review: “Put this whole set together myself in about two hours — clear instructions and well-organized packaging of the different tools/pieces. I’ve bought a similar-looking (but cheaper) porch set in the past and was disappointed with the quality of the cushions — I was worried that this set would have the same problem, but I was wrong! The cushions are VERY comfy, and the chair is wide enough for me to comfortably sit crisscross! Absolutely worth the investment!!!” — Katie Swimer

The home projector includes multiple ports (HDMI, two USB ports, AV, and a 3.5mm headphone jack) for widespread device compatibility. It also has built-in speakers, but can easily be hooked up to other external speakers or a soundbar via Bluetooth.

Promising review: “Perfect for Halloween projections on windows for spooky decor. Always works great for regular watching shows and movies outdoors! The unit isn’t that loud, but the Bluetooth connection makes it perfect for connecting to a Bluetooth speaker for louder volume.” — ashley

Grampa’s Weeder is a family-owned small business that’s home to a standing weeder design that’s been around since 1913.

Made with a bamboo handle and powder-coated steel, it uses a simple lever system to made weeding easy.

Promising review: “Oh my god, I friggin’ love this tool. I bought this on a whim given we bought our first house and know nothing about caring for a yard. Boy has it come in handy. Our new house had a ton of weeds in the front yard and this tool helped me get most of them out in no time. In fact, the process of yanking out the weeds was strangely satisfying! I don’t think anyone can say that weeding is fun but this tool made it as close to fun as you can get, especially when you see a long root along with the weed you pulled.” — JG

Promising review: “My dog loves this! He is 11 years old and I hate for his older bones to lay on the bricks or concrete. He loves this bed and we can easily move it from the back to front yard.” — Kristin M.

Promising review: “You will not be disappointed. I just moved out to the country and have been working out in the garage late at night. With the weather getting warmer, I’ve had the garage doors opened and mosquitos, gnats, and everything else have been finding there way into my garage, so I had to do something about it. I bought this and hung it next to my garage door opener because there’s an outlet there and it is way better than expected. I have dead bees, stink bugs, gnats, mosquitoes, and other bugs that I do not know what they are. My 8-year-old son keeps asking me to remove the bottom tray so he can see all of the dead bugs that got zapped. Again, you will not be disappointed, I’m extremely happy I bought this!” — Chris & Jenny

Copper Hummingbird is an Etsy shop run by Nancy Higgins. In 2006, she invented a bee-proof, drip-free hummingbird feeder for use in the hummingbird aviary at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, Arizona where she was a zookeeper for 22 years! After receiving so many non-zookeeper requests for her feeders she decided to open up a public-facing shop.

Promising review: “I love these feeders, nice weight, and quality craftsmanship. Arrived quick and packaged nice. Highly recommend these feeders. Easy to keep the nectar fresh given the size, which is perfect.” — Linda Victory

Promising review: “Such a good deal! Easy and fast setup and very sturdy. This is exactly what our backyard needed! The carrying case is nice quality, though the frame is a bit on the heavy side so I’d probably only take it camping if no hiking was involved. The fabric had a musty smell right out of the box, but it’s nothing that a little airing out can’t take care of. We are so excited to enjoy it this summer, and the quality of the frame and hammock fabric seem like they will last years to come.” — Coffeegirl

It takes two and a half to three hours to fully charge, and one charge can last from two to 18 hours depending on what speed its running at.

Promising review: “Love it. I will probably buy a second one. Easy to move around — porch, backyard, etc. Easy to recharge and will run while recharging. Like the indicator lights to let you know how much charge is left. Very quiet. Puts out plenty of breeze for a small unit. Plan to take it to the beach house with us when we go to use on the deck.” — A.P.

Promising review: “This little device was surprisingly WONDERFUL! My hubby hesitated to put it on his ‘precious’ Yeti cooler, but after putting it in, we both were astounded! We never thought about how much easier it would be on our tent camping trips to be able to easily see into the cooler after dark! This was a game changer for us! It works exactly as described. It comes on when opened and goes off when closed — just like your fridge!” — Suzyzzle

This incognito cooler can hold up to (40) 12-ounce cans with ice.

Promising review: “Love love the table cooler. It’s just the right size and great for cans and bottles. It’s not too small, not too big. Great size also for a side table next to my wicker bench,. It’s easy to move around and clean. Great price for this product.” — Efrain Sostre

This swinging hammock chair comes with two cushions and installation hardware.

Promising review: “Back to basics — simple, chic, and comfortable. Perfect addition for the backyard, porch, anywhere you’d like to lounge. There were no installation directions, but they do provide a number of options to work with based on your needs.” — afytasuki

Snag a compatible weighted base so your umbrella doesn’t blow away!

Promising review: “I like this umbrella because it has a sturdy base and spines instead of those thin, wiry spines on some umbrellas. Much better to prevent being upended in the wind. It also has the tilt feature, which is great to be included in this price point. The cloth covering is thick and will hold up to the elements. Also, the size is perfect.” — Sarah

You’ll need to secure this umbrella with a weighted base, which is sold separately!

Promising review: “I love this umbrella. It suits perfectly for my patio. I bought the navy blue color, and it looks beautiful. It is really easy to assemble as well. I compared lots of other patio umbrella and decided to buy this one, I am glad I made the right decision. It definitely worths the price. The material is high quality, and it provides large shadow areas, so I can sit in my patio to enjoy my breakfast and lunch without worrying about rain or sunshine. It only took a few seconds to fully open and fully close, very easy to operate, and it is also very stable. Overall, it is a fantastic product, and I cannot wait for the summer to enjoy my time in the patio.” — Marina

Five Metal Design is a Neenah, Wisconsin-based Etsy shop creating metal ring fire pits featuring intricate (and often times custom) designs.

Promising review: “This is EVERYTHING they said it would be. Always hard to tell if something will look as amazing as the picture. In this case it’s as great or better than the picture. Fast delivery great friendly service! I highly recommend this company. Best purchase yet on Etsy!” — pjmklm2004

1Man1Garage is a Tennessee-based small business owned by artisan Marcus Williams. He sells a wide variety of handcrafted wooden items.

Note that the “Mini” kit is only suitable for use with a candle. The “Basic” and “Deluxe” boxes can both be used with fuel (not included, but you can buy some on Amazon), but the “Basic” kit requires that you provide your own heat-resistant sand to disperse the heat of the flame away from the wood.

Promising review: “Very good quality, and easy and fun to put together. We had a good time with this and it will be featured at our cookouts this summer.” — onemuseleft

Rumpl is a small biz creating blankets inspired by warm and snuggly sleeping bags. They use only 100% post-consumer recycled materials, and are now recycling over 5 million discarded plastic bottles through their supply chain every year. They also offset all their carbon emissions with carbon credits!

Promising review: “Took this quilt camping and it was perfect! Kept me warm and cozy all night when temps dropped down to the upper 50s. This is my new favorite summertime quilt and won’t leave home without it!” — K. Kovaleff

These chairs have six preset back positions, two footrest settings, and fold up for easy storage during the off-season. Plus, absolutely ZERO assembly is required.

Promising review: “They are comfortable and easy to clean. I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to lay on my stomach for tanning since they aren’t fully flat, but they work just fine. I would definitely buy them again.” — Mascha K Fujimoto

It also comes with ground stakes to keep the tunnel in place while your dog tears through it.

Promising review: “I got this to help teach my dog to go through an agility tunnel and practice in between his classes. It does the job. It comes in a portable carrying case and expands as soon as you unzip the case. It has held up well, but it does get dirty with dog footprints. When placed back in its case, it takes up very little storage room.” — lkelly9988

Promising review: “This is the first bee house product I’ve ever ordered, and I am so happy with it! It is definitely high quality at a reasonable price. Not only is it an eye-pleasing design, it is sturdy, and should last outdoors for a good two years at least. You can hang it anywhere. I am turning a little patch of dirt in my garden into a flower bed, and it will take a place of honor among the blooms. Hopefully, the sweet buzz of bees will once again come drifting in from my garden!” — Linda H

My family LOVES Kan Jam. It’s got the chill backyard vibes of cornhole (and is also played with two teams of two) but it’s much lighter and easier to transport.

Promising review: “Very fun backyard game. Shipping was great; came immediately. This product is very durable and will not break. All you have to do is put the stickers on yourself and you are ready to play.” — NateG125

The air couch includes a compact pouch for on-the-go lounging, and weighs just 2 pounds!

Promising review: This is a fabulous product! After seeing someone using one in a park, we ordered two. Once we figured out how to inflate (took a couple of tries to get the knack), it’s super easy. So comfortable, so easy to use/carry/store. Has been wonderful to have during quarantine — we lounge in our yard reading and relaxing. Invariably, neighbors stop to ask about them. We absolutely love our Wekapos!” —KCHWriter