So me and the kid were going on a cruise, and one of the many, many add on options was renting a floating foam mat at the cruise line's private island for a stupidly high sum of $ for only a few hours' use.There had to be a better option - and THIS IS IT.1. First off, this raft deflates flat, and takes up very little space in your bag.2. Even after you inflate it, it's not heavy at all or a pain to drag around the mile-long dock while en route to the beach.3. You get that nice water flow all around you because of the mesh, keeping you cool and comfy while in the water. Those foam mats can keep water from circulating well to your back when lying down. Yuk.4. Choice of colors. That was NBD to me, but to the kid, it was everything. She got her favorite color and was super happy about that. No worries about "I don't like the mat color" emotional breakdowns.5. Even with arthritis, it wasn't difficult for me to switch from a "raft" to a "chair" while using this.6. Looks pretty well made to me.7. It traps the air in the cushions well. I popped open the air entryways after we were done, and it didn't want to deflate on it's own. I had to sit on them *and* squeeze the entryways' bases open to get them to deflate. I figure that's good if you are using this in the water - last thing you really want is for the air to rush out if the caps on the air entryways pop open.8. The kid didn't feel like she was missing out on anything in comparison to everyone else who had a raft. In fact, she was convinced a couple other kids were jealous of her raft. That made her feel better about mommy being a bargain hunter. ;)9. Nothing stupid/cutesy in the design that will embarrass you while using it. The stripes are classic beach decor - there's no dumb looking animals, silly prints or cartoon characters.and finally10. Liked them so much I think I'll buy ones for the rest of the fam who didn't go on our "girls only" trip.I'm looking forward to enjoying these rafts for years to come.