Help choosing Trampoline

Ok fellas, the wife has finally agreed to let me get a trampoline. I have got about $500 bucks to spend on a tramp and an enclosure.

I was thinking that I wanted to get a rectangular trampoline just because the ones that I have looked at so far are longer than the width of any of the round ones that I have seen in stores. I have this fear of falling off of the tramp when flipping. I found a ParkSide Rectangular trampoline and enclosure at Sports Authority for $500, the tramp was 10ft x 15ft.

Do you guys have any suggestions on Trampolines? Rectangular vs Round? I have never owned a trampoline and I obviously want to try to make the best purchase possible.

i like the round personally, without an enclosure. I will take my chances with the ground instead of getting tangled up in the mesh of an enclosure. Just me 2 cents.

Plus, with a round tramp, you can really get a good double bounce!!!

I don't have a tramp myself... but will get a round one with enclosure hopefuly. with what i have seen it seems rectangular ones allow you to go higher. but im not a pro on the subject

Yeah the rectangular ones will bounce you higher I think. Personally I've got a round one just because that's what they sell at Sam's. As for the enclosure, I thought I wanted one at first but they didn't have them when I bought my tramp. However, if you tie a rope and handle to a nearby tree and use that to simulate wakeboarding then it turns out it will also keep you from falling off. I've never actually fallen off mine but I definitely would have without my handle. Plus, if you had an enclosure it would probably interfere with your rope. I would say rectangular with no enclosure.

I thought an enclosure would interfere with the rope but with my friends tramp the net just goes down with the rope and while jumping the rope will be above the net anyway so it wont interfere with your trick or whatever, but im not so sure about the landing

Thanks for the input guys. Anyone have some other opinions out there?

We used to have a round and stepped up to rectangle. With the rectangle you get good bounce all over and with the round the good bounce is in the center. Try doing a flip starting in the center, guess where you'll end up. D-ups on the rectangle are off the hook. My kids have almost flown out of enclosure.(And my 14 year old is 6'3") We have the jump sport 10 x 16. If you are going to purchase a tramp, don't skimp because you may not be happy with the bounce. Good Luck.

I bought the exact trampoline a few months ago. get it, it is very well built and a lot bouncier than the round ones. It really is a more professional version and as such you have to be a little more careful. The only drawback is that it is heavy and a pain to move around, so if you can, put it together where you want to keep it. If you want me to put a few pics up for you to see it put together, let me know.

We bought a used round one 13' on Craigslist for $75.

I have used a variety of trampolines and the rectangle ones will give you a much better bounce. The thing to consider is the width is narrower than a round tramp so the risk of falling off the sides is greater. If you get a rectangle with the nets then this is no worry.

Awesome info guys, I now just need to wait for Sports Authority to get in the rectangular tramp that I am looking for, or find one of the jump sports 10 x 16. Thanks for the heads up Byrd, I will make sure and keep that in mind when setting it up. Byrd, if you have some pictures and would not mind posting them, I would love to see them.

Mark

Hey Byrd, if you get a chance would you mind posting a picture of the tramp?

(Message edited by mhsb1029 on February 27, 2007)

its not the tramp that hurts you its the ground... only from experience

I have the a 15' jump king now and I put extra springs on mine to stiffen up the jump. This is my 3rd trampoline. I personally like the rectangle ones better for a higher jump. They are more money and they are not a wide so you can get closer to the edge easier. I also had the 14' Jump King and I thought it was a better spring for height.

So to break it down.

rectangle 10 'x 16' to me was the best
then 14' round
last 15' round

The 15' round just does not have the spring back effect and it seems that I had to work harder for the higher jump that is why I added more springs, but it still is not as good as the 14'. The 15' is good for the kids so they have more room to dodge each other.

Sorry for the long message.

The main thing you have to know is to make sure you are getting 8.5" compitition springs. If your getting a jumpking you have to order them aftermarket. I personally love the 15' jumpking but i had a buddy that had one(15') with the standard 7" springs and it just didn't have the rebound that you'd want.

Definately go with rectangular...round just sucks

Safety net is a must if you have kids

+1 on the longer springs. Get the longest springs that fit your mat and frame

I paid about 1K for mine + the safety net. The nice ones are a little pricey but definately worth it...Then again I don't have any experience with the $500 rectangular ones so I may have paid too much.

Later

Bakes