Why most trampolines fail the kids bounce test.
Understand why trampoline mat and spring combinations matter to kids.
There is a lot more to consider when buying the right trampoline for your family than what meets the eye. We know kids are repeatedly being disappointed by the actual bounce of trampolines, no matter how much money parents spend. A quality high bounce is required for kids who want to use their trampoline for certain routines or tricks e.g. flipping. Being able to achieve height with the least amount of effort, greatly benefits kids as they are able to clear their necks more easily when completing higher risk tricks. Furthermore, having an effortless bounce on a trampoline means kids are able to stay out and play or train for longer before fatiguing, especially with the right-sized trampoline. Taking the time to match your kids to the right trampoline will ensure they will use their trampoline, will reduce their screen time, and may even save you a lot of money!
The mistaken belief pitched to us all in almost all areas through marketing, is that the biggest and most expensive is best. This, however, doesn't apply when buying a trampoline, it is not always the case that the biggest and most expensive is the right fit.
This article will focus mainly on the mat and spring combinations and which is best.
Our rectangle trampolines now have further options of the different mat and spring combinations to better match kids with the right size and bounce that they want out of their trampoline.
A little background story here why we even have these options:
We have been selling trampolines for just on 15 years now with an ever-growing display of all our trampolines in Geelong, Victoria. This range includes the trampolines with different mat and spring combinations for testing and comparing.
The display has had thousands of kids through, test bouncing over the years, and we have observed their bounce and listened to their feedback, often delivered with passion and brutal honesty.
With all the feedback we go to work on improving and developing our product with a particular demographic of kids in mind. Often the combination of their age/size and the sport or tricks they are aiming to achieve; front and center as our focus.
Our samples then go on display for feedback for the general public to try. We also get feedback from our larger meetups of GeeTramp enthusiasts, which include kids who use their trampoline for training in their sport of either gymnastics, cheerleading, parkour, freestyle jumping, diving, board sports like snowboarding, just to name a few.
With their feedback and possibly some further tweaks we are equipped with a better trampoline and a good understanding of who will like what. This is most beneficial when talking to people who don’t have the opportunity to test our trampolines but have the frustration that their kids want a trampoline with better bounce than what they have had in the past.
What are the differences of a Standard spring, Heavy Duty Spring, AU or NZ spring?
Standard Spring
Standard Springs of varying lengths to suit different size trampolines and generally made from 3.1mm diameter wire with approximately a 24mm coil diameter and manufactured in China.
Heavy Duty Springs/ “HD” Spring
Heavy Duty Springs are typically the same length as the Standard Spring that is used for the equivalent particular sized trampoline, however, they are made from 3.4mm wire with approximately a 26 to 32mm coil diameter and made in China.
The thicker wire and larger coil size add more strength and spring rebound capacity. This is especially required on the 10x17ft and 14x16ft to get the best benefit out of the high bounce mat. (A HD spring isn’t required to get the benefit of the high bounce mat on the 8x12ft or the 9x14ft.)
Australian Galvanised Spring
Higher-Quality spring steel made by an Australian steel company based in Australia. This spring wire is then used by an Australian spring maker. These springs do stretch further and combine really well with high bounce mats, especially the larger rectangle trampolines. This makes them more responsive to lighter weight kids providing them with consistent height, effortless bounce, and they will be able to play and train for longer before fatiguing.
The galvanizing coating on the spring steel is similar to fencing wire which provides a higher corrosion-resistant lifespan, trampolines on the coastline benefit from this especially. These springs are up to 5 times the cost of a Chinese manufactured spring, so the majority of trampolines distributed into the Australian and New Zealand markets are no longer supplied with the more expensive springs as they were 40+ years ago.
Not applicable or required on the 7x10ft, 8x12ft as the bounce is already excellent for the demographic it is designed for.
New Zealand Galvanised Spring – Same as Australian Galvanised Spring above, except the spring maker is a New Zealand company based in New Zealand.
What are the benefits to kids of Standard, HD and AU Springs?
We sell with the vision in mind that your family will have the most benefit for the longest time before replacing mat and springs in the future. So, the guidelines below are just that, a guide. Kids can still use a trampoline outside of the recommended age range, but the bounce may not be optimal for them comparative to their recommended demographic. We can help guide you based on where the kids are at the time of buying with the vision of them getting a long life out of it.
Standard spring
7x10ft – ideal for little kids under 10 (standard only - no other spring or mat options).
8x12ft – not applicable, as now superceded with the HD spring on this size trampoline.
9x14ft – not applicable, as now superceded with the HD spring on this size trampoline.
10x17ft – suits kids who want space but not too fussed on bouncing for height– cheer and tumblers – For height, good for 75kg upwards.
14x16ft – difficult bounce for most users of any age on their own. Ideal for cheer and tumblers as it many ways replicates a spring floor. Great for parkour training teens and freestyle happy jumping teens for wrestling and ball games. Highly social families where everyone wants to jump together most of the time.
Heavy Duty (HD) spring – (not available on the 7x10)
8x12ft – ideal for little kids to early teens – happy jumpers, dancers and junior cheerleaders.
9x14ft – suits best from 10 to Adult. Optimal bounce – up to 75kg.
10x17ft – The change of mat and spring opens this trampoline up to be a great bounce, giving height for kids in their early teens. From about 50kg compared to 70kg for the standard mat.
14x16ft – To have just a High bounce mat and no change of springs there was less than a 10% improvement. Combining a high bounce mat and a full set of HD springs there is a total increase benefit of approximately 15% which doesnt sound much but is quite noticeable when doing a jump test, this is overall a better bounce for the kids than on the standard.
Australian or New Zealand Galvanised Springs.
9x14ft – Great clean bounce which is ideal for light and younger kids of 30kg+ who want a high and effortless bounce. We recommend buying for kids up to the age of approx. 13 for use on their own. If the combined weight of the larger portion of use goes over 85kg then the benefit of the AU/NZ spring is reduced, resulting in the mat feeling softer.
i.e. if two kids are on together most of the time and together weigh more than 85kg then some benefit is lost.
10x17ft – Ideal for pretty much all kids who are after space and height on a big trampoline. The number of time users can spend on the trampoline is greatly increased as well due to how much more responsive the springs are.
14x16ft – Overall the benefit by percentage is less on this huge almost square trampoline compared to all the others but most users feel the change the most. A high bounce mat and Aus / NZ springs make this trampoline highly useable for larger families and all kids who want a lot of space for tumbling, tricks and want to enjoy a social space jumping with friends. Teen boys who aim to do a lot of quads and quints will typically still choose a 10x17ft if they are mainly on the trampoline on their own
The benefit of each size and spring combination
Standard springs - Ideal for little kids under 10, optimal bounce up to 50kg.
HD Spring – Not available for this size trampoline.
AUS/NZ Springs – Not available for this size trampoline.
Standard springs – Not available for this size trampoline.
HD Spring – ideal for little kids to early teens – happy jumpers, dancers and junior cheerleaders (high bounce mat makes a significant difference on its own approx. 25-30% better bounce)
AUS/NZ Springs – Not available for this size trampoline.
Standard springs - Not applicable
HD Springs – these are now provided with the Standard and High Bounce Mats, suits best from 10 to Adult. Optimal bounce up to 75kg.
AUS/NZ Springs – Great clean bounce which is ideal for light and younger kids of 30kg+ who want a high and effortless bounce. We recommend buying for kids up to the age of approx. 13 for use on their own. If the combined weight of the larger portion of use goes over 85kg then the benefit of the AU/NZ spring is reduced, resulting in the mat feeling quite soft.
Standard Spring - kids who want space but not too fussed on bouncing for height– cheer and tumblers – For height, good for upwards of 75kg
HD Springs- the change of mat and spring opens this trampoline up to be a great bounce giving height for kids in their early teens. From about 50kg compared to 70kg for the standard mat.
AU/NZ Springs - Ideal for pretty much all kids who are after height on a big trampoline as well as space. The amount of time users can spend on the trampoline is greatly increased as well due to how much more responsive the springs are.
Standard Springs – difficult bounce for most users of any age on their own. Ideal for cheer and tumblers as it many ways replicates a spring floor Parkour training teens and freestyle happy jumping teens for wrestling and ball games. Highly social families where everyone wants to jump together most of the time.
HD Springs – To have just a High bounce mat and no change of springs there was less than a 10% improvement. Combining a high bounce mat and a full set of HD springs there is a total increase benefit of approximately 15% which is low but quite noticeable and overall a better bounce for the kids on the standard recommendation.
AU/NZ springs – Overall the benefit by percentage is less on this huge almost square trampoline compared to all the others but most users feel the change the most. A high bounce mat and Aus / NZ springs make this trampoline highly useable to larger families and all kids who want a lot of space for tumbling, tricks and want to enjoy a social space jumping with friends. Teen boys who aim to do a lot of quads and quints will typically still choose a 10x17ft if they are mainly on the trampoline on their own
This should all make your decision easier and give you greater confidence in knowing which trampoline will give the best bounce for your kids. If you wish to clarify anything please feel free to message us, or phone (03) 5292 1100.
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