Puzzle Stow and Go

One reviewer actually gave this product a 1 one star rating based on the fact that it consists of an inflatable tube that is "sure to pop" and straps that are "bound to get lost" and the felt mat that comes folded and will not lie flat. The reviewer is right - this product includes a felt mat that is folded, a blow up tube and straps that are not attached to the felt or the tube. It is for these exact reasons that I give this product a 5-star rating. Here's why: 1. The inflatable tube is a genius idea. Yes, it's true, it may pop - if you use it like a blow-up light saber. But don't worry - it's made of durable plastic, much like a pool float. The inflatable idea is actually a plus - not a minus. You can control the firmness of the tube based on how much air you add. For puzzles with larger pieces, you don't want too rigid a cylinder, because your pieces will be bent. Because it is deflatable, it can be stored in a much smaller space than, say, a cardboard tube of the same dimensions. Also, being able to fit into a smaller box helps keeps the cost of this item down. Larger packages = higher price for the customer. 2. Yes, the felt was folded (and creased) when we received it. Again, being able to be folded into a smaller container helps to keep the price down. And as another reviewer mention, you can iron it. Over time, it will eventually flatten on its own. However, I'm not too concerned about that as we refold it for storage when not in use. Again, I'm glad to have something that will fit into a small space. 3. And finally, that's right, the straps are not attached. Are you afraid you might loose the straps? Honestly, if you are scared off by the possibility of loosing track of small objects, then I don't think that puzzling is the pastime for you. However, in my assessment, the fact that the straps are not attached it a plus, not a minus. Why? This offers maximum flexibility. First, it's important to be able to completely remove the tube and the straps so that they can be placed elsewhere and not take up space on the table (or, worse yet, hang off the edge of the table and pull the entire felt sheet and your puzzling work to the floor)! It also means that you can put the straps as close together or far apart, and as close to or far away from the ends of the tube, as you choose, based on the size of your puzzle. This is meant to be a simple, inexpensive solution to help you work on your puzzle and then remove it from the dinner table when it's time to eat ... or play a board game. It's not water proof. It will not withstand nuclear blasts. And if you carry it under your arm like a loaf of french bread, you'll probably drop puzzle pieces like Hansel and Gretel leaving a trail of breadcrumbs. But if you just want a way to move your puzzle aside with relatively little disruption, this is the answer! P.S. Before I purchased this, I looked into making a puzzle mat on my own out of PVC and felt. It actually would have been more expensive (and used up more of my time) than ordering this from Amazon. Don't expect miracles. But do expect a good product for the price! :-)

I wasn't sure if this was really going to work, but it did! I have a puzzle that cannot stay in the same place it gets worked on and needs to travel well. This stow and go really does both! I haven't lost any puzzle pieces and it's easy to roll up and secure. It's not complicated and only takes a minute to lay out or roll up. It's a perfect gift to include with a puzzle.

Great product. It does what I need it to do. It is essentially a big piece of felt fabric and a blow up stick like you would a beach ball. Because the felt comes folded, it doesn't flatten completely. I did not try to iron it out. I rolled up my unfinished 1000 piece puzzle nicely. I haven't opened it back up yet but I didn't feel like any pieces should have moved in the roll-up process. The two straps are held by Velcro. I haven't used this long enough to see how long he Velcro will last but gave it four stars because it wasn't perfect to me. The price was reasonable ($11), product did what was advertised, but minus one star for folded felt that didn't flatten well.

Amazing product! I was a bit skeptical before buying it as I wasn't sure how exactly this contraption is supposed to work. Upon arrival, I was even more wary of the product when I realized that it's a felt mat. In the past I used a large cardboard oaktag as my work surface. However I was too excited to start working on my puzzle to deliberate any further and opened it up. Surprise, surprise! I couldn't have been happier with this product!! It took some time getting used to the felt surface as the puzzle pieces tend to stick to the surface vs. what I was used to. However this is precisely what makes the product work! I ended up liking the felt as it keeps the pieces safely on the mat, virtually no worries of pieces gliding off the surface and getting lost. Additionally, I love the idea of just rolling up the entire puzzle in one neat and safe piece until I get to work on it again. I want to point out that when rolling/unrolling up the puzzle, the puzzle pieces stay nicely in place with just a bit of shifting which is totally okay. Another great thing about this product is that you can reuse it indefinitely. Really happy I discovered this product!

I have used one of these for years and was ready to replace it. While the mat is the same size, the tube is at least 3.5 inches shorter. It is also thinner. That leaves quite a bit of a flap open after rolling so it might not hold the edges of the puzzle securely. Some of the puzzles I work go almost to the very edges of the mat. I am disappointed but it is too much of a hassle to return it.

I bought this so that my grandchildren could use it to keep all the puzzle pieces in place and together while they worked on a puzzle at my house. We just roll it up and put it away when they leave, ready to unroll the next time they come over to keep working on the puzzle. I did take the time to iron the felt fabric piece so that there wouldn't be any creases from being folded in the box it comes in. Blowing up the plastic tube wasn't hard at all and I'm happy to say the tube has remained inflated over a few weeks now. The tube itself reminds me a beach ball type plastic. The Velcro tabs keep the rolled up puzzle together nicely.

I have cats. I don't think I need to explain any further why this item was purchased for our home. My husband and I enjoy doing puzzles but don't have the inclination to. complete it in one sitting. This is great in a couple of different ways. The felt keeps the puzzle from sliding around on the table and keeps them ON the table so the cats don't walk away with a piece. When you are done for the day, just roll the puzzle up around the included inflatable tube and secure with the Velcro straps. We keep our puzzle in the closet when we're not actively working on it. When we get in the puzzle mood, we unroll it and give it another go. I really like the fact that the Stow and Go allows us to take the puzzle anywhere because sometimes you just need to work on your puzzle outside with a glass of iced tea.

It works. I rolled up a thousand piece puzzle that we were missing a piece on while waiting for that last piece to come from eBay. Keeping pressure on it while rolling and unrolling is key. I had no issue with pieces falling out or anything. My main negative issues are that the yellow felt is too big for a coffee table. It slid all over and my 4 year old kept bumping it and knocking pieces off edges. A kitchen table would be better for it. It will work great for travel for us! The other negative is that all the little paper bits get caught in the felt. This is just the nature of felt. But, it looks ugly and they don’t come out easily. Otherwise I am happy with our purchase and the ability to be mobile with puzzles. I will not use it a ton, though, because we have a smaller table we do puzzles on and it was a little annoying with it being bumped. I may trim it, but I am not sure if it will increase our use of it. The good thing is felt is cheap. The tube is what I want to last!