Feedback please on trampolines - size, shape, brand and budget.
Looking for a “fun” trampoline for the bambinas. Eldest is 13 and twins are 8. Youngest twin is on the autism spectrum and this would be good core strength exercise building as well as balance. Plus she loves it whenever she bounces on a tramp. It needs to be safe.
Round tramps are most popular but when a couple of kids are one at once they tend to bounce toward the center and collide. rectangular tend to have 2 sweet spots and can bounce in tandem with less risk of collision.
springfree brand is really expensive and not sure if worth the cost?
Jumpsport trampolines claim to be very safe. Any feedback.
Any brands that Dopers would endorse?
I’m been on and off again on craigslist looking for a used one.
I live in the seattle area, so the tramp needs to be able to stand lots of rain.
Make sure you check to see if there are insurance concerns. A friend bought one, installed it in the yard, and got a call from their insurance agent. He drove by, saw it, and called them to let them know trampolines were specifically exempted.
Yep, trampolines (and swimming pools) are what insurance companies refer call an “attractive nuisance”. In other words, it’s something on your property that is enticing to others (especially minors) and it exponentially increases the chances of someone being injured on your property!
The majority of major insurance companies just add a $50-$100 annual surcharge to the policy to cover it. But there are some who won’t insure a home with one on the property or will non-renew you at the end of your current policy for getting one.
Check with your insurance agent or company first. You might consider shopping around with an independent agency if your existing insurer has a problem with it.
Also, if there is ANY chance of your kid’s having friends over who will use it, check to see what your “Personal Liability” limit is (usually Item D listed on your Policy Declarations Page). $100k is usually the base amount, but if you have a pool or trampoline, you should seriously consider raising it to at least $300k, but I recommend $500k to be safe. The increase from $100k to $500k should be under $50 per year (plus any surcharge for the trampoline), but if someone gets innjured, it’s SO worth it!!!
Please take it from an Independent Insurance Agent who has seen single parents and hard working couples lose EVERYTHING because they didn’t have enough liability coverage on their home AND autos! BTW, a lot of agents recommend 100/300/100 as sufficient liablilty limits for auto policies and it was 20 years ago…go for 250/500/100, it usually costs $3-$4/month more than 100/300/100 and can save your home/business/savings/kid’s education fund/reitrement…seriously, it’s important! Especially with three kids, you need to protect yourself AND their financial future…
They attract children the way fish attract stray cats. Don’t be surpised if you look out the window to find three or four random kids bouncing around.
Two trampoline stores for you, take from them what you will:
A friend bought one for his kids and within a week a freak windstorm had picked it up and carrried it over a block away. Fortunately it didn’t come down on anyone. Tie that thing down.
We had had ours for over a year and the kids (teenaged boys) were generally well behaved … when I was looking. One day I came out to find the tramp pushed up below the deck. A kid from down the street was standing on the deck railing, two stories up, wearing a skateboard deck bolted to some old sneakers on his feet, ready to leap. Teenaged boys will push the envelope.
We LOVED our trampoline as kids, and, growing up in the tropics, slept on it overnight on many occasions. Nice cool breeze through the fabric. We also turned it into a waterslide sometimes, propping up one end on blocks, soaping the surface and running the hose down it.
Anyway, have you considered an in-ground trampoline? It’s a bit more of an investment, in terms of semi-permanent alteration to your yard, but it seems much safer.
It was 15 or 20 years ago that Costco had a sale on these blue, backyard trampolines. My neighbor had one.
So later that Saturday, as we were waiting in the hospital to get my son’s broken arm set, the nurse came out to chat and the first thing she said was, “Costco trampoline?” Yes I said.
