Trampoline Safety Nets Compared: Which Enclosure Designs Hold Up

A safety net has two jobs: keep a jumper off the ground, and keep them off the springs and frame. Whether it does the second depends on where the net attaches. How long it does either depends on the mesh, the door and how the net is fixed to the poles, and on most models the net has the shortest warranty of any part. The five models below cover both layouts and run from under $600 to over $2,000.

Vuly Ultra 2: springs outside the net, no zip

View at Vuly

The Ultra 2 is a coil-spring round in four sizes, 288 cm to 470 cm across, with a 191 cm net. The mat threads through the base of the net, so the springs sit outside the enclosure where feet and fingers can't reach them. The poles are flexible and curve outward, and the door is a self-closing, full-height overlap with no zip. It is listed as meeting AS 4989:2015 and rated to 120 kg (Small) or 130 kg.

It suits a family that wants the springs outside the enclosure without paying springless prices. The net warranty is 1 year and Vuly puts net life at 2 to 3 years, so a replacement net is a running cost. A 3-year extended warranty on the net, poles and pads is sold separately.

What we like

• Springs outside the net
• 191 cm net
• Zip-free door

What we don't like

• 1-year net warranty
• Net lasts 2 to 3 years

Springfree Medium Round: flexible rods instead of poles

View at Springfree

The Medium Round is a 3 m springless trampoline with the frame under the mat and the net held up by flexible composite rods rather than steel poles, so there is no spring, frame edge or pole to land on. It is the only model here with a 10-year warranty on the net, matching the frame and mat. An owner at 18 months reports no rips in the net and a zip that still works.

The door is a zip, which is the wear point on this design, and the 100 kg per-jumper rating is the lowest here. Assembly is a common complaint. It suits a family that wants the longest net warranty and will pay for it. The rating rules it out for adults who want to share the mat with a teenager.

What we like

• 10-year net warranty
• No rigid poles
• Frame under the mat

What we don't like

• Zip door
• 100 kg rating
• Hard to assemble

Jumpflex Flex 10 ft: net sealed to the mat for under $900

View at Jumpflex

The Flex 10 ft is a 350 cm coil-spring round with a 260 cm mat and a 180 cm net on outward-curved poles. Jumpflex's SafeSeal joins the net to the mat around the whole perimeter, so there is no gap over the springs, and the entrance is self-closing. It is rated to 100 kg per jumper and 150 kg combined, and a ladder is included.

Every part other than the frame is covered for 1 year, no Jumpflex model is listed as meeting AS 4989:2015, and CHOICE's 2021 test recorded minor safety failures on the Flex. Our review covers it in more detail. It suits a small family with one or two young children, and not a household that wants a model listed as meeting the Australian standard.

What we like

• Net sealed to mat
• Self-closing entry
• Ladder included

What we don't like

• Not listed to AS 4989:2015
• 1-year net warranty
• Minor failures in CHOICE's test

Oz Trampolines Summit 10 ft: tunnel door and a 2-year net warranty

View at Oz Trampolines

The Summit 10 ft is a 305 cm coil-spring round with a 264 cm mat. The net is triple-stitched to padded sleeves on eight straight poles and sits outside the frame, with an overlapping tunnel entrance instead of a zip, which Oz says is because zips don't last outdoors. The net warranty is 2 years and the frame 5 years, a ladder and anchor kit are in the box, and it is rated to 130 kg per jumper and 200 kg combined. It is listed as meeting AS 4989:2015.

Because the net is outside the frame, the springs and pads are inside the enclosure. Oz says this makes the net stronger and the jumping area bigger, but a jumper landing at the edge lands on the pads rather than the mat. It suits anyone who wants the standard, a longer net warranty and the extras included for less than a Vuly. It won't suit anyone who wants the springs outside the net.

What we like

• 2-year net warranty
• Zip-free tunnel door
• Ladder and anchor kit included

What we don't like

• Springs inside the net
• Straight poles

Kahuna Classic 10 ft: the budget option

View at Kahuna

The Classic 10 ft is a 305 cm coil-spring round with a 264 cm mat, rated to 100 kg. Kahuna describes the enclosure as keeping the poles and springs outside the net, the same layout as the Vuly at a much lower price, with UV-stabilised net and padding.

Kahuna lists a general 1-year warranty with no separate net term, doesn't publish the net height or door type, and no Kahuna model is listed as meeting AS 4989:2015. It suits anyone who wants the springs outside the net at the lowest price, and not anyone who wants published component warranties or the standard.

What we like

• Springs outside the net
• Lowest price here

What we don't like

• 1-year warranty only
• Not listed to AS 4989:2015
• 100 kg rating

What the net specs mean

Net placement. With the net inside the springs (Vuly, Jumpflex, Kahuna), a jumper who lands off-centre comes down on mat. With the net outside the frame (Oz Summit), the padded springs are inside the enclosure, and Oz argues the net lasts longer sewn to the pole sleeves. Springfree has no springs to place.

Pole shape. Curved or flexible poles hold the net further from the mat edge and give on impact. Straight poles sit closer to the edge and don't move. Springfree's rods flex with the net.

Door. A zip is the part that wears; an overlapping or self-closing door has nothing to break. Springfree uses a zip; Vuly, Jumpflex and Oz use overlapping or self-closing doors; Kahuna doesn't say.

Replacement cost and life. Net warranties run 1 year (Vuly, Jumpflex, Kahuna), 2 years (Oz) and 10 years (Springfree). Vuly puts net life at 2 to 3 years and sells a 3-year extended warranty on the net, poles and pads separately. On a 1-year net warranty, expect to buy at least one replacement net over the life of the frame.