As the number of overweight and obese kids in the UK rises year on year more parents and families are seeing the health benefits of owning an outdoor / garden trampoline! Trampolining provides an excellent cardiovascular workout which can improve overall fitness, muscle growth, co ordination, breathing, posture, balance, lung capacity and self confidence.

With such a broad range of trampolines available on the market today, buying ANY trampoline is easy. Buying the RIGHT trampoline can however prove a little more difficult, this guide aims to take you through the various aspects of trampoline purchase and ownership.

Some questions you should consider before purchase are:

1. Who will be using the trampoline?
2. Where will the trampoline be located?
3. What is your budget?
4. How can you ensure the trampoline you purchase will be safe?
5. What Warranty is provided? & are spare parts easily available?

1. Who will be using the trampoline?

Will the trampoline be used by a child, if so, how old are they? and how old will they be in 5 years time?
Although an 8ft trampoline is perfectly suitable for smaller children, if they're approaching double figures now they'll be in their mid-teens in just 5 years time! This means a 10ft or larger trampoline may be more suitable for you to allow space for your kids to grow. If your children are in their teens now (and you have the space available) a larger 12ft or 13ft trampoline may be more suitable.

2. Where will the trampoline be located?

The location for the trampoline is an all to often overlooked question when considering which trampoline to buy.

• Firstly, measure the space you have available in your garden or yard, trampoline sizes are still measured in imperial measurements (feet and inches) rather than metric (meters and centimetres) so you would be wise to take a note of the measurements in feet. Ensure you measure the width and depth of your garden so you know just how much space you can afford.
• Check for any over hanging branches or trees... it's amazing how many people forget to consider the height requirements when measuring their garden. You don't want to be jumping amongst the branches when you erect the trampoline and ideally you should avoid locating a trampoline beneath any height tree to avoid getting excess bird lime or tree sap on the trampoline.
• Check the lay of the ground - is the ground where you will locate the trampoline flat and level? It's not safe to erect a trampoline on a slope as the bouncer will bounce off the trampoline at an angle. If your garden is on a slight slope however it may be possible for you to "dig in" one side of the trampoline and have the other side lay flat on the ground.
• Make sure you allow clearance around the trampoline if you need it, we'd recommend at least 3ft clearance if you need to get past the trampoline to get to the bottom of the garden etc

3. What is your budget?

With such a wide choice of trampolines on the market today there's likely a trampoline for every budget! Don't forget to look at the accessories included when comparing deals, we'd recommend you purchase at LEAST a weather cover for the trampoline, and for those of you with smaller children adding a ladder to the trampoline can be an extremely worthwhile addition!

4. How can you ensure the trampoline you purchase will be safe?

• Always purchase a trampoline with a full safety enclosure net unless you are sinking the trampoline into the ground. The safety net ensures the bouncer stays on the trampoline at all times. This is especially important for younger users who may not have the same fear or self control of an older user and could easily fall off the trampoline.
• All our trampolines conform to ASTM and GS TUV standards - Not to be confused with the EN-71 standard which some trampolines have - this relates to toys and trampolines are not toys!
• Children should be supervised AT ALL TIMES when using the trampoline - if you have a ladder to the trampoline we recommend removing it when playtime is over so the children know that the trampoline is "out of bounds" to them.
• Always read and follow the instructions and safety information in the owners manual!

5. What Warranty is provided? & are spare parts easily available?

All our items come with a 12 month Return to Base Warranty as standard. Our trampolines then generally have extended manufacturer warranties such as the JumpKing JumpPOD which has additional warranties on the following: (Frame: 10 years) , (Jumping bed: 5 years) , (Springs: 5 years) , (Surround Pad and Enclosure Net: 1 year)

We also have available various spare parts for the trampolines we sell, so should you need anything just let us know!