These pool floats may need a lot of air to inflate them. When we were using a huge pool float during a recent to Florida, it took all my breath to partially inflate it. My mom and aunt had the bright idea of bringing it to a tire pump to inflate it. That was amazing. If you don't have a tire pump nearby, you can use an air pump for inflatables instead. Those are typically used for air mattresses, rafts, things of that nature. When you're buying an air pump, keep in mind that there are manual or automatic ones. Manual takes more effort, but automatic air pumps are more expensive. So keep that in mind while you're picking the one to buy. Some air pumps will actually deflate your inflatables as well. Look for one of those when you're purchasing an air pump because it's a lot easier to hook one up to deflate your pool float than trying to lay on top of yours, hold the plastic piece perfectly, and get the air out.