Backyartisan Rating:
3.85 Stars
The Copper Ridge wooden playset is one of the higher end options that KidKraft offers. With three levels and a tube slide, it covers quite a bit of fun options. In some ways, it resembles the Lookout Extreme playset but in a slightly different color palette and a few other climbing options. I can’t say I’m quite sure why it is priced a couple hundred dollars above the Lookout Extreme, but I trust that KidKraft has done the market research.
The Backyartisan's Verdict
We go in-depth on many different aspects of the Copper Ridge swing set, namely on a 5-star scale. Next to each aspect, we’ve included the weight we give the category and our overall rating. We weigh 30% towards the playset before use, 45% to the use of the playset, and score the overall economic value at 25%. Moving right along, here’s the Backyartisan rating for the Copper Ridge wooden swing set by KidKraft.
Backyartisan Rating:
3.85 Stars
Shipping & Receiving
Getting into the weeds of shipping is more complicated than we should really address in this review. That’s why we recommend you check out our full-blown article regarding the playset shipment process.
Our Copper Ridge verdict: We find the Copper Ridge really simple to unload and inventory for what it is as a triple decker fort. We give it 4 stars for shipping and receiving.
Trucking Company Appointments
You should expect this play set to ship via LTL freight, which is typical in the industry and yet very different from what you probably normally expect from an online purchase. Get on the same page with your retailer, but expect to deal with appointments with the trucking company for delivery. Like most other large companies, you can expect them to set a fairly large window and probably miss it. Such is life.
Dealing with Pallets
When you’re done unloading the five boxes associated with the Copper Ridge, you’ll be stuck with a pallet that is upwards of 8 feet long. Be prepared to deal with it, though you may be able to get the trucking company to take it back with them as they have more use for it than you do.
Unboxing and Taking Inventory
The process of unboxing and taking inventory with swing sets is pretty critical because it’s a big freight shipment and items shift or get lost in the freight process. We’d recommend taking a lot of pictures before you even begin taking the package apart. You’ll be glad to have them if something shows up broken after you start looking into each box.
There are only 4 boxes and a slide to this shipment, so inventory should be relatively easy.
Box Weight and Dimensions
With the Copper Ridge, you’ll get 4 boxes weighing between 65 and 185 lbs. Most folks should easily be able to handle the largest box at 185 and just under 8 feet long. You’ll have a couple of boxes at 93 inches, but they are all flat-packed wood and only around 5 inches thick. The slide is the last of the 5 total components, and it weighs 45 lbs. and is a 2-for-1 slide.
Installation
Once you’ve got the swing set on site, you are going to need to pay particular attention to installation. Check out what we have already put together on swing set assembly here, and if you are not sure you’re the person for the job, read up on hiring a professional.
Our Copper Ridge verdict: We give this swing set 3 stars for an average rating. At almost 2.5 days into installation, you may find yourself wondering how you got yourself into this mess. We tend to agree, but we also find it to be fairly average for the industry.
Tools Required
Assembly of the Copper Ridge swing set requires your general toolbox items. That means you’ll need a tape measure, level, carpenter square, hammer, cordless drill, screwdriver, ratchet set, wrench, ladder, pencil, and safety glasses. Maybe you don’t have a hex key in the right size or some drill bits dialed into the exact size you need, but you should be able to acquire it very easily at your local hardware store. Overall, don’t expect some crazy tools that you have never heard of before.
Ease and Timeframe of Installation
The Copper Ridge swing set is generally designed for ease of installation and shipping. This is a hallmark of KidKraft outdoor playsets. They really like to dial-in the receiving and assembly process. KidKraft comes out with roughly a maximum of 20 hours for the fort and connected tube slide, but we like to add the newbie tax of 20% to 25%, so give yourself roughly 25 or more hours to put it together.
It’s not the most difficult swing set to assemble, mostly nuts, bolts, and screws. It is fairly detail oriented and time consuming. You’ll want to put on your organizational mindset and keep hardware and parts clearly set apart from each other.
Quality of Directions
At roughly 110 pages, the Copper Ridge instruction manual is very thorough. It lacks color and it’s diagrams, which to us is a fairly simple addition that goes a long way for user experience.
KidKraft puts everything into easy to read English. That’s not always the case with brands that have foreign manufacturing.
Space Needed
The use zone of your Copper Ridge playset is 32.5’ x 28’, which is how far removed your offense or any other obstacle should be from the installed Copper Ridge. The full height from the triple decker fort maxes out at just under 8 feet. Keep that in mind when determining how much mulch you should have for your play area. See more here about using wood mulch for your backyard.
Stability & Durability
You’re going to want this playset to last year for at least as long as your children want to play on it. Ideally, it would last far beyond that as well should you have visitors or want to eventually sell it.
Our Copper Ridge verdict: We gave the Copper Ridge 4 stars, as it is a higher end version of KidKraft’s offerings. Overall, this will last you a little longer than the average swing set. It may not last you as long as some of the heavy duty items out there, but I think you will be pleased with it.
Joints & Hardware
For joints in hardware, KidKraft typically uses your normal off-the-shelf metal plates and bolts. We don’t find them to be anything extremely heavy duty or special. They just kind of get the job done.
KidKraft is known for engineering their products to the exact dimensions and specifications to hit a price point, no matter what the price point. I guess what we’re saying is that you should not expect anything remotely overboard or overachieving about the parts here.
Wood Thickness
We find the wood used for the Copper Ridge to be a little lacking at this price point. You will find other playsets costing this much will have a true 4”x6” crossbeam. At 3”x5.25“, we just think that this crossbeam is going to show a little give sooner rather than later.
The upright posts are 3”x3”, which is decent. The entire rest of the playset generally consists of 1.5” boards throughout. Overall, this seems okay.
Plastic Thickness
The thermoformed double slide and spiral tube slide are going to feel heavy duty. We are generally pleased with the thickness of the plastic used for the Copper Ridge. KidKraft generally is making strides towards optimizing slides around shipping, so do you expect long-term changes to slides that may include cutting weight and/or breaking down into multiple pieces. This is an old school, and in our opinion rather good, approach to manufacturing the slide.
Pay particular attention upon receipt to make sure they weren’t damaged in transit, because any scratches or slices in this rather thick plastic could prove pretty dangerous for your youngsters.
Wood Stain & Finish
The Copper Ridge swing set is a distinct burnt orange. KidKraft spreads the stain out evenly and well, so you really don’t have much to worry about in terms of spots. In my opinion, not many playsets do colors very well.
Weight Limits
KidKraft generally sticks with a maximum weight of 110 pounds per child across all of their playsets. That just seems to be their company standard. That should take care of most children 10 and under, and we aren’t recommending any adults get into the mix. Read up on our perspective on swing set weight limits.
The manufacturer recommends no more than 16 children on at a time, which seems like quite a bit, but as you see three swing positions, two slide positions, and one spiral slide, you can quickly see how a few more kids on the fort and playing below will get you quickly to a full classroom.
Ongoing Maintenance
To get the most bang for your buck out of the Copper Ridge Place said, we recommend routine inspection and maintenance. As previously mentioned, this playset doesn’t strike us as a very heavy duty product, so the more you can spot issues ahead of time and take care of them, the longer your entire playset will last.
Take a hard look over our article about maintaining your playset and do keep up with the checklist.
Play Elements
Here’s where we get into the playset from the perspective of your child, highlighting all of the primary elements and components that will make up the fun that you’ll have in the backyard.
Our Copper Ridge verdict: We give the Copper Ridge 4 stars for its play elements. It certainly hits on a few good options at this price point. Namely, the slides and swings are spot on for your children. We do like the tube slide, and the double wave. The third story on the fort is also a great touch!
Ups, Downs & Acrosses
In terms of getting up and down the Copper Ridge, do you have a standard ladder, rock wall, and interior fort ladder to the third story. Coming off of the fort is a 5 foot high double wave slide and spiral tube slide. For a playset of this size, this is pretty good. For a swing set at this price, it is also pretty good. We will say that once you are on the fort there’s not really a whole lot of additional moving around it, such as a clatter bridge or other crawling elements.
Swings
There are 3 swing positions on the cross bar, including two belt swings and an acrobat bar. This is a nice touch compared to a budget rate swing sad that might just have two belt swings. Also, this is where you may want to consider adding a glider, infant bucket seat, or other accessory, as they are pretty interchangeable.
Social Play Accessories
There aren’t very many social play elements in the Copper Ridge. In general, a lot of its toys are solo play and accessories. Your kids may interact over the pretend kitchen and will enjoy sliding down the double slide together, but you won’t find any chalkboards or other items that lead to interaction between the kids.
Solo Play Accessories
The Copper Ridge has plenty of the solo play items, though it doesn’t give you too many of the plastic and ugly doodads. You’ll find a telescope and steering wheel along with the kitchen. This playset generally hits the normal highlights, though.
Roof & Kit Options
There are no kits or roof options available with the Copper Ridge. Some swing sets may include vinyl tarps or other roofs, but you get what is in the picture with the Copper Ridge. You could, however, replace some of the swing items with other swing accessories. That would include things like an infant bucket seat or a glider swing seat.
Price & Value
Finally, we get into the intersection between your kid’s fun and your wallet’s lifespan. We dive into a handful of categories to consider when making a swing set purchase.
Our Copper Ridge verdict: At four stars, we definitely think that this is a playset worth considering if your budget can afford it. We think you get some real good value at this price point of $2,200. It’s not a steal, which is why we’re at the 4-star level.
Overall Value
We think that the Copper Ridge swing set is a very good-looking and well outfitted product for your backyard. With three decks on the fort, and a tube slide, this really does offer more than your typical swing set at this price. Add in a few of the other accessories and the double slide, and we feel like this is definitely above average. We give it 4 stars.
Shipping Costs
You will generally find retailers selling the Copper Ridge swing sets with free shipping. For anyone who has read other reviews and articles by us, you’ll know that swing sets are anything but free to ship. You’ll want to check out return policies for any retailer you use, because you will likely be on the hook for paying shipping both ways if you decide to return it. That could cost you upwards of $600 for this particular playset, as one-way shipping is roughly $300.
Installation Costs
Plan on spending $800-$1,000 to install this playset, if you decide to go that route. When looking at a total of 20 hours to do so yourself at a minimum, you may find that amount very much worth it, as it will include at least one helper and a total of two people.
Warranty
For the Copper Ridge, KidKraft has a slightly different warranty than we’ve seen in some of their other playsets. You’ll have roughly 90 days from the date of purchase to make sure you get all of your parts that were missing, if any. For the first year, you won’t pay anything for a defective part or wood rot. For years 1-5, you’ll pay for shipping of any parts, but no parts’ cost. For anything over five years, you’ll be on the hook for the entire product and shipping cost.
We want to point out that you may find quite a bit of limitations to claiming any warranty replacements for the wood. There are plenty of reasons why KidKraft reserves rights to reject warranty claims. Just don’t feel like it is a done deal with this particular warranty on wood parts.
Backyartisan Rating:
3.85 Stars
We give the Copper Ridge an overall rating of 3.85 stars. We’d like to think that we do all of our reviews with a critical eye, so you just won’t see many 4.5-5 star playsets on Backyartisan. This really is a good score in our book.
We think that this is a playset that you really will serve its purpose for ages 3 to 7. That’s not exactly the age range that they give, but we think you’ll find some of the older children not terribly excited at the 5 foot slide height. That said, we think this is a good playset for that subset of children and it made our Short List of the best playsets with slides of 2023.
Thanks for reading our review of the Copper Ridge swing set by KidKraft! Please reach out if you have any questions or suggestions.
