Your Guide To Buying Trampolines

Which is the best Trampoline to buy?

So, you want to buy a trampoline? Well you came to the right spot. Without getting into my history too much at the moment I’ve got quite a bit of experience when it comes to trampolines. I used to be a gymnast (not at the highest level but I did do my fair share of trampoline work) I’m now 41 and have 2 children. If you want here more about me Martin you can follow the link. But for now I will keep it brief. I used to be gymnast and spend a lot of time on trampoline and I thought it would be fitting to buy my children trampoline when they got to an age and I got to a place where financially could afford one.

Buying a trampoline is something in my opinion that you shouldn’t rush into. Mostly because if it’s for either you or your children you need to consider that there is an element of risk. Trampolines can be dangerous and vary tremendously in build quality so it’s sometimes worth paying a little bit extra to get a higher quality one.

The problem with that is that they are already quite expensive to start with. The biggest factor determining the price of a trampoline is going to be materials it’s constructed of, the brand and the size. Personally I have a 14 foot spring free trampoline and it’s awesome. My Son and daughter play on it daily and I get the chance to relive some of my gymnastics days whenever the kids aren’t on it. I’m not alone when I say this but a trampoline is one the best investments I’ve ever made.

On this website I have spent quite a bit of time reviewing different trampolines and hopefully this guide on the homepage will help you to get by on a trampoline that is best suited for.

 

I don’t have time to read all this which trampoline is the best?

I know we live in the internet age and people need instant answers and have less time to spend reading and researching themselves. So without trying to explain which trampoline is best for your personal circumstances I will show you which trampolines are best for most people’s circumstances at different budgets

CLICK HERE TO COMPARE TRAMPOLINES

 

Buying a trampoline where to start?

Ah where to start? So trampolines vary in price, anything from around a hundred dollars can you get you’re a really small trampoline up to around $3000 for a top end trampoline. Yep $3000!

The first thing to consider and perhaps the most important when it comes to determining what trampoline to buy is the amount of space you have in your garden that you can allocate towards having a trampoline. Even though the trampolines can be deconstructed it’s more than likely going to be a permanent fixture in your garden. So work out the amount of size that you can allocate for your trampoline. As a general rule though for trampolines bigger is better but it’s also more expensive. I’ll get into that more later.

 

Who is the trampoline for?

I have two children my Daugther is aged six and my son who is aged 11. Both of them play on the trampoline. To be honest even though it’s only made for one person both of them us it together, they know that they aren’t allowed to do summersaults if both of them are on it and they are pretty responsible given their age.

My kids use it as their go to place to hand out, if other friends come round then all sit on the trampoline in the enclosure. Not necessarily using it as a trampoline doing somersaults, just as a place to hang out. So if the trampoline is for kids depending on the age of your children it can affect the size the trampoline you need. Given that the price of trampolines vary quite a lot I was of the mind-set of buying one trampoline that can accommodate my children now and as they grow up (and also a 41 year old man) and if you can afford it it’s definitely worth it to buy one trampoline that will last rather than having to buy one now and then a few years later get a bigger one as your child grows up or replace it. It’s also not just a matter of them out growing the trampoline but cheap trampolines don’t last and can be downright dangerous. Obviously if you want a go yourself a larger one is also better.

 

SIZE.

I have no idea what size to get, what do you recommend?

Okay so let’s assume that the size of your garden is not a problem whatsoever and you want a trampoline for your kids what size should you get? Well without actually knowing your budget the only way could push you in the direction of getting trampolines tell you that the most common trampolines are 14 foot trampolines. To help visualise how big a 14 foot trampoline would be here’s a picture below with a child. As you see a respectable size and definitely good enough for most circumstances.

8 and 10 foot trampolines really don’t offer a lot of fun they are too small in my opinion. You get a higher bounce and a softer landing on a bigger trampoline as it has more springs and more trampoline mat to propel you up into the air. If you want to buy a trampoline that you can actually enjoy aim for a 14 foot one ideally.

Without knowing your personal circumstances if you are going to ask me what size trampolines you should get I would always say try to aim for around 14 foot mark and keep in mind that that is the actual size of the frame. You want to take into consideration the springs and the matting, this will leave you about 12 foot jumping surface. Now in a best case scenario if you jumping in the middle this will leave you a six-foot all around you until you touch the enclosure or springs. It’s very unlikely you will stay in the middle so you will be closer to one side than 6 foot at all times realistically.

This amount of space is an ideal amount of distance from the edges if you want to actually enjoy jumping on the trampoline. You don’t want to be constantly thinking about coming off a trampoline or hit in the enclosure. You just want to switch off from worrying and just purely have fun without the nagging feeling of trying to stay in one spot without hitting the enclosure.

 

What about the size of a rectangular trampoline

With rectangular trampolines they are labelled according to size with their largest dimension. So a 14 foot rectangular trampoline will be 14’ x 8’.

Now if you could imagine that you were jumping in the centre of that trampoline if you take into account the netting the enclosure support and the springs you would have around six-foot in width of actual matt, which means you are just 3 foot from the springs if you are in the centre. This is much smaller than a circular trampoline, this is a factor to consider. If you want a rectangular trampoline you typically have to get a little bit bigger than you would if you want to get circular if it was only one child at a time. Rectangular trampolines are better if you are into professional trampolining but are far more expensive. Most people are more suited to circular trampolines as they are a lot cheaper and that’s what we will focus on here. I won’t be recommending any rectangular trampolines on the homepage here for the reasons above. But you can find our best rectangular trampolines here if that’s what you want

 

Why is bigger better? Why 14/15 foot?

I recommend 14 or 15 foot trampolines to people as a standard size to aim for. Now common sense would dictate that a smaller one would be cheaper so why not get a smaller cheaper trampoline?

 

Now if you look at the pictures above you can probably see my point. A small trampoline just doesn’t allow you to have the same amount of fun. It’s not much of an experience, it’s not much fun. If you get a small trampoline your child will probably use it a couple of times have a bit of fun then never use it again. With a bigger one that bounces far better and actually produces the experience they are after well they are going to use it all the time, like mine. If you buy a small trampoline you are just going to end up with clutter in your garden that never gets used.

You might have small children and think you can get away with a small trampoline because they are small. Guess what they grow up fast and you will have to buy another bigger trampoline at some point, and it comes around faster than you think. If you can invest get a decent bigger one to start with. Buy cheap, buy twice.

 

Cost with size

So bigger trampolines are more expensive but do you pay more just for the privilege of getting a bigger trampoline? With a lot of purchases you end up paying more for the top end goods. For examples with phones or computers the best always costs a lot more than the second best so much so that it’s much better bang for buck to not go for the best but get second or third best. Trampolines are different. If you look at the chart below you can see that price scales linearly with size.

Price vs diameter

As you can see from price vs diameter you don’t pay extra for having a bigger trampoline. The price scales with size. But actually you get more for your money the bigger you go.

Price vs Circumference

Really you should measure in the amount of material you are getting and circumference is a much better indication as the frame is going to go around the circle not across. You get more trampoline for your money the bigger you go. So it’s more economical to buy bigger.

Bottom line try to get a 14 or 15 foot trampoline and if that’s too big for your garden or too far out of your budget drop back to 12 foot trampolines.

 

Clearance

When looking at buying a trampoline you really want to consider the size of your garden and the clearance around the trampoline and above it. For me I like to have 5 foot around it, though some people don’t mind having it closer to objects that’s something I aim for. Oh and 25 foot overhead is something that is recommended. You certainly don’t want to be using it under any low lying power cables. J

 

What’s the best shape?

I briefly mentioned this above but generally speaking for most people the best shape is going to be circular. You are going to find the best value here. You get the most trampoline for your money. Circular trampolines are also the most popular for people in general households and for general recreational use.

With a circular trampoline when you bounce on it the trampoline usually pushes you towards the center. This means the matter where you land is going to be pushing you again towards the centre and also forces equally distributed throughout the frame more so than with a square or rectangular trampoline. However if you can have multiple people on a trampoline at once square may be better or if you have some specific training or if you’re even type of size a square trampoline might fit your yard a little bit better than a round trampoline.

But generally speaking the normal shape most people get is circular because its far cheaper.

 

So why would people pick a rectangular trampoline?

Well in my opinion they are better but with that comes its price. Typically rectangular trampolines are a lot more expensive and often chosen by professionals are people who like to compete or just want the best bounce from trampoline. A square trampoline has a higher bounce and also absorbs more of the jumpers power when the land so that a softer landing as there is more springs involved to dissipate the impact. They also require more support in poles and circular trampolines. If you want to bounce higher though square trampoline will get you there. They are also much better if you want to practice tricks and flips. Just check out some of the videos on YouTube of people bouncing on trampoline and you’ll be surprised.

 

Premium trampolines

There are 2 trampolines that really stand out from the rest the first is the springfree trampoline which I have and the second is the acon 14 foot trampoline. Both are excellent and should be your first considerations.

 

1. The Springfree trampoline

If you know anything about trampolines probably no surprise that all that put the springfree trampoline as one of the best. I have the 13 foot version (Which is square with rounded edges making it 14ft actually) and while it is expensive, there is no denying that, it is worth every penny. You might be wondering how a springfree trampoline works it kind of defies logic. NO springs… on a trampoline?

But it does work.

Why spring free? Well simply put, safety. This is by far the safest trampoline you can buy. They claim to be 90% safer than traditional trampolines and I believe them. There are quite a few safety concerns with trampolines. I have seen some nasty injuries during my career so I know what can happen. This trampoline removes all the springs which is great as falling through the springs can be nasty. You can hurt yourself pretty badly depending on how you land. It’s not just about removing springs though because you can do that with a good enclosure like the acon trampoline but then you introduce a steel frame to hold the enclosure. The spring free doesn’t have a steel frame but rather a flexible frame. Just watch the promotional video and you will see all the points of danger of a traditional trampoline are addressed.

Our Rating

I do have to admit though that the bounce is different I think it’s slightly firmer on a springfree trampoline and I wouldn’t say it was as good as the acon trampoline but it is still good, better than a budget trampoline. If you just read some of the reviews on Amazon you going to see that it has raving reviews especially for the price if you have the money to put down a trampoline and safety is a big concern this is well worth the extra investment. In their own words it’s the world’s safest trampoline.

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2. Acon 14 foot trampoline

if you only get a good trampoline in my opinion there are two that really stand out one is a spring free and the other was a con 14 foot. Both of these do cost quite a bit more than other trampolines of similar size. But the construction quality of both of them far exceed any other trampoline you going to buy. All you would need to do is read a few of the reviews on Amazon and you will properly see as well that this trampoline is definitely worth the extra money.

It’s of a solid construction and all the materials are going to last for a long time. This is also an exceedingly safe trampoline for a lot of people safety of the children is going to be paramount. I’ve seen many cheap trampolines crack and the frame snap whilst the been used and it can imagine this usually amounts to a serious injury. That’s always a concern of mine if I was gonna buy cheap trampoline and in fact that’s why I didn’t and would never buy a cheap trampoline.

This is an outstanding super duty trampoline and should be the one that you consider.

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3. zupapa 14 foot trampoline

Review to come.

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Mid Budget trampolines

now with ventured into the area of budget trampolines I recommend you purchase with caution. I’m really not fun of cheap trampolines were manufacturers of compromised on materials in order to try and produce cheap trampoline. Eventually going to break. That being said there are two that really stand out the crowd the budget trampolines.

Skywalker Trampoline

The skywalk trampoline is the best budget trampoline I’ve seen. It doesn’t hold a candle to the acon 14 foot trampoline but it’s the best if you’re on a cheap budget. Don’t worry though you are not alone this is probably one the most popular decent trampolines you can find. It has a lot of Amazon reviews and you can see most of a very positive. For this price range you not gonna do any better than this trampoline.

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Ultega Trampoline

Okay for whatever reason you don’t fancy the skywalk trampoline this ultega trampoline is another excellent choice. It features most of the modern safety features of the good modern trampoline. I also managed to do so at very competitive price to read more about the alter ego trampoline here. Or you can visit is on here

 
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Upper Bounce Trampoline

and Enclosure Set Equipped with The Easy Assemble Feature

It’s a really heavy duty trampoline with no given on materials the stitching involved on the mat is exceptional and is very unlikely to tear. The frame is constructed from galvanised durable coated steel and is resistant to the elements. I like that the safety poles for the name away from the trampoline itself and the enclosure also separates the children from the springs. I really feel like this trampoline it’s a decent constructed 10 foot trampoline and really good from a perspective of safety.

It’s also quite easy to construct and take down, just in case you want to dissemble your trampoline during the winter this is so easy to assemble and disassemble.

This is a pretty good 14 foot trampoline not quite up to the quality of the skywalker or ultega but better than a lot of other trampolines on the market. but if it’s outside your budget lets look at a little cheaper one.

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Smaller Trampolines

Okay so if you can’t afford a 14 foot trampoline let’s look at some 10 foot trampolines. But seriously there isn’t a huge price difference but there is a huge difference in how good they are for having fun. For most people If you are already going to pay for a 10 foot anyway it’s worth paying a bit more and getting a 14 foot version. But if you really can’t do that here are some 10 foot trampolines.

 

I have enough money to get an alright trampoline

Okay so not quite ready to commit to dropping a few thousand dollars on a trampoline you do want a good one the next recommendation if you’re not interested in the the trampolines mentioned above you can get a smaller 10 foot trampoline like this upper bounce trampoline.

skywalker 10 foot trampoline

The skywalker 10 foot trampoline with enclosure springs is quite a good bargain if you not looking to pay too much for your trampoline it has got a patented enclosure that stops the jumper from managing to hit the springs. You can see even from the promo shots that it is not as good as a bigger trampoline the enclosure could definitely benefit from having 6 support poles instead of just 4. That makes the enclosure a square rather than a hexagon. But this is a budget trampoline. As you can tell from the reviews most people are relatively happy with the trampoline. The weight capacity on this is only hundred and 175lbs so it is made for a child if you compare that to the Ultega a trampoline at the same size it can carry 445lbs

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I can barely afford food but want a trampoline help me out

Stamina 36 inch
That’s not good positions to be in but if you really that desperate to get trampoline instead of food why not look at this trampoline it is only 36 inches and obviously doesn’t have any enclosure. But perhaps you could have some happy bouncing until you can afford a better trampoline. This is a last resort if you want something bouncy and can’t afford a large trampoline there aren’t a lot of options available.

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These examples are 10 foot trampolines these are probably the best within their respective budgets. Choose the trampoline for which you can allow to budget. Just Remember sometimes if you buy cheap that means you going to buy twice. Then you need to do is select the size of these trampolines are available in different sizes.

 

Safety

Okay maybe this section could be closer to the top of the article as it is pretty important, although way more boring than getting ready to buy your new trampoline. Anyway you should be aware of the safety risks involved with a trampoline before buying one, because they do exist. With a little bit of knowledge and by implementing these tips you should have no trouble with trampolines and injuries.

I won’t get into the personal injuries I have had when I was practicing trampoline at my gymnastics club but I did see a few things that were pretty bad and hurt myself a couple of times. Mostly because of the type of trampoline mat had holes in and wasn’t a solid mat like most you buy now a days. Though you should get some reassurance from the fact that modern trampolines are much safer than ones from 20 years ago. But there is still an element of risk.

If you research into trampolines and safety it’s probably very likely that you will come across the American Academy of Paediatrics statements on trampolines and injuries. They state that around 25% – 40% of injuries occur from falling from a trampoline. Thankfully 75% of trampolines sold come with a safety enclosure included which would stop most falls from the trampoline. I recommend you always get a trampoline with an enclosure, it just makes sense.

“75% of accidents occur when the trampoline is being used by more than one person at once – and the lightest person is the most likely to be injured.” So I wouldn’t allow double bouncing where multiple people jump on the trampoline in an effort to launch one person higher.

If you take the necessary safety precautions you can eliminate most of the safety issues with a trampoline and it becomes no more dangerous than any low impact sport such as jogging. Here are some of our tips for the trampoline itself. Most of them are pretty obvious.

 

Secure the trampoline to the ground

Like most of these safety precautions they are pretty obvious but often overlooked. The first one just securing the trampolines the ground makes a lot of sense. I can imagine how horrified it would be to see you trampoline been picked up by a gust of wind and blown out the garden. This does happen this videos on YouTube of trampolines being carried by storms down the road. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a big storm but you don’t want the trampoline been lifted up by a gust of air especially if you child’s on it so secure it to the ground.

Area around the trampoline

Make sure the area around the trampoline is clutter free. Now I try and make sure I have 5 foot around the entirety of the trampoline that is free of obstruction. Not everyone follows this practice some people at the trampoline flush against a fence but obviously presents at danger if you do have it close to objects you can collide with.

Clearance above the trampoline

Clearance above the trampoline might sound a little bit silly but don’t have anything overhead don’t but you trampoline underneath the tree or a power line. The last thing you want to do is jump on a trampoline and bounce into something midair.

Replace worn parts

Most manufacturers of trampolines offer spare parts. If something the trampolines looking a little bit one or worse for wear don’t wait for it to break should try and replace it straight away. Prevention is far better than cure.

If your mat looks worn or starts to fray replace it. The same goes for springs, replace them if they start to rust or look worn.

Use your enclosure

Seriously as we mentioned above a lot of injuries, around half are reported from people falling off the trampoline. Get a trampoline with enclosure and use the enclosure.

Nothing underneath the trampoline

As in this one quite a few times actually in homes where they have a lot of toys for the outside sometimes some of them will end up on the trampoline. Even if it’s temporarily I just wouldn’t ever put anything in the trampoline. It’s good to keep in with the practice of keeping ants in the trampoline. You don’t want to bounce hard trampoline end up in something hard underneath.

 

Winter and weather conditions

Bad weather and UV radiation from the sun Increase the rate at which the parts of the trampoline will degrade. When it gets too cold and wet to use in the winter season I take away the jumping mat, enclosure, springs from our trampoline and store them in the garage away from the elements. Also I have seen cheaper trampoline enclosures degrade from UV until the point where they are too weak and tear when stuck against.

Also while we are on the winter weather note you can see another good illustration as to why you don’t want to buy a cheap trampoline.

No decent trampoline should break under that load. That’s more than likely a combination of a cheap trampoline and its not been taken care of.

 

Best practices on the trampoline.

Okay so above I’ve spoken about addressing and minimizing the “mechanic” failures that can happen the only other factors that will influence the safety of the users of the trampoline is the practices they engage in. So these are some of the rules I try to inforce although I am reasonably flexible. Use your own common sense and judgement. It also depends on what the trampoline is being used for. Just sitting on and chilling as my kid’s do a lot is different from bouncing and again is different from doing summersaults and flips like a ninja.

 

Tell your kids to use their own common sense

That’s my first tip, Let your kids know that they are in charge of their own safety and they should exercise some common sense. You can’t realistically keep an eye on them all the time. Hopefully this will give them some self-awareness to taking risks.

Even if you have a son as accident prone and high risk taking as mine sometimes letting them know they are responsible for their own safety rather than telling them “be careful” works wonders. You will know your own kids best though. So if they are using the trampoline to do flips and bounce these are some of the things I try to tell them

No Jewelry – pretty obvious you don’t want an earing to get hit on landing

Appropriate Clothing – wear appropriate clothing use your common sense with this but I like No hooks or drawstrings, becareful of zips.

Take care getting on and off the trampoline – Some trampolines come with an inbuilt ladder others don’t so you might need to buy one separately or improvise a step. Just take care getting on and off the trampoline, that’s the most common time for a fall and its moving from 2 completely different surfaces.

Only one person at a time – This is generally if people who are bouncing and it depends on how hard they are bouncing and if you have a round trampoline that’s smaller it’s much safer to have one person at a time. You could have more than one if it’s bigger but if your kids collide it’s going to hurt them. Gentle bouncing with my 2 kids is okay in my opinion, use your own discretion. If you want to be super safe enforce only one person at a time at all times. This is up to you obviously I let my kids go on at the same time but If they are doing flips on the trampoline then it’s certainly only one kid at a time.

To flip or not to flip?

Okay, I do let my kids do flips on the trampoline. I have a 14 foot springfree trampoline with an enclosure. I tested it and I’m more than happy that it’s pretty safe. Even if you land on your head its hard to hurt yourself on this trampoline. So yes I don’t mind my kids doing flips, only one at a time though but it’s up to you.

Avoid stepping on the spring pad

If you have a trampoline with springs avoid stepping on the springpad it’s not really design to take weight. It’s made to cover the springs.

Don’t use the enclosure net to pull yourself up

When getting on and off the trampoline you might be tempted to grab the enclosure to pull yourself up, don’t. It’s not designed to do that. You should get a step and use that. Also close the enclosure door and either zip it up or buckle it if it has the functionality. Otherwise you could fall off through the entrance.

Don’t use if slippy or in high-winds

Pretty common sense.

Oh and i mentioned it before, get an anchor kit and attach it to the ground.

 

Extra Considerations

We have covered the basics of finding the best trampoline. The biggest concerns would be the size, safety and also the cost. There are a few of things to consider when you buying trampoline that would not covered in great depth here.

Enclosures

Obviously this is categorised as part of safety but I just want to mention trampoline enclosures briefly. Always buy a trampoline with a safety enclosure. The number one cause of injury from trampoline is falling off it and if you have an enclosure it is going to  stop a lot of the falls from the trampoline. But enclosures do vary in quality quite a lot. Generally speaking more expensive trampolines have better enclosure. Check them for signs of wear and tear periodically. Just pull them occasionally, I have seen them tear from being weakened from UV damage so check they are still strong occasionally.

Trampoline Pads

These vary quite a lot in quality too. Again the more expensive a trampoline is the better the spring pad is usually going to be. Cheap ones tend to be filled with cheaper foam and bend, compress and warp not covering the springs very well. You can see by looking at the acon trampoline what a quality trampoline pad looks like. Thick, Firm and going to stay in place.

Ladders

A ladder as well is also worth considering as it can help younger and older jumpers for that matter get access the trampoline. Some trampolines have ladders built in but usually higher in retail trampolines. It can be an afterthought you could just buy a small little stepladder the trampoline if you wanted to do so.

Anchor Kit:

I mentioned that you should attached your trampoline to the ground and anchor kit does just that.

 

Final Note

Finally if you have found the information here helpful in anyway then please share. Happy Bouncing J Big M

As with many things in life you get what you pay for. This is certainly true trampoline good one is going to last a long time to seriously minimise risk of injuries. The trampoline can be one of the best things you can do and this I was a fun to have across many years. One the best buys a made my children.

I assume the Springfree is outside most peoples budget so the best trampoline to buy for most people will be the acon it’s a fantastic trampoline, unmatched for quality of construction. If that’s too much money for you then go for the 15 foot skywalker trampoline.