Feels very sturdy. Took a few hours to set up, but would have gone much faster with a cordless drill.  Make sure you really pay attention to which side you are putting the ladder on before assembling the ladder. I had to take it apart and reassemble it, but that wasn't a big deal. Everything was packaged very well so nothing was damaged in shipping. I buy online a lot and this was packaged amazingly well. My daughter loves it and I love the fact that it is now so easy to change out the sheets on her bed. No bending or crawling required! Love it!