Yahoo Finance 8 best trampolines for keeping kids entertained in the garden
There’s no denying it: kids and the young-at-heart cannot resist the joy of jumping on a trampoline. They’re fantastic for getting children moving and also tiring them out, so a trampoline is sure to be the most-loved piece of garden equipment you could invest in.
Understandably some people are wary of trampolines due to safety concerns but many now come with a host of amazing features to help keep jumpers safe. From non-zip nets to netting inside the jump zone, trampoline manufacturers have many clever ways to make jumping as safe as possible.
When selecting a trampoline, it’s wise to think about the size and shape that’s going to work for both the jumpers and your garden.
Rectangular ones are great for fitting at the end of a garden and offer those wanting to master serious tricks the best space to do so, while oval ones are also great for tucking away without creating too much of an awkward shape. Round trampolines tend to be the most readily available – though trying to locate trampolines in shops come the warmer months is no joke.
Make sure you measure your space for the size of your trampoline. It would be easy to underestimate quite how large some of these trampolines are. Take a look at how high your chosen one is with its net – some are quite imposing – but all trampolines should have one – even if you go for an in-ground option.
How we tested
During our testing, 11 children bounced for hours and hours, and hours, to find the best trampolines. We looked at fun factor, bounce quality, durability, how easy they were to put together, aesthetics and safety features during our testing.
The best trampolines for 2022 are:
Best overall – Akrobat orbit rectangular 10x6ft trampoline: £729.99, Johnlewis.com
Best bounce quality – Berg black rectangular ultim favourit: £529, Wickentoys.co.uk
Best for multiple jumpers – JumpPro black oval trampoline: £399, Trampolines.co.uk
Best for toddlers – TP early fun toddler trampoline: £49.99, Tptoys.com
Best for small spaces – Plum magnitude 8ft round trampoline: £229.95, Allroundfun.co.uk
Best for safety – TP 10ft infinity octagonal trampoline: £499.99, Tptoys.com
Best value – Salta pink round comfort edition with enclosure 10ft trampoline: £414, Epicplay.co.uk
Best for junior jumpers – TP 6ft hip hop junior round trampoline: £149.99, Tptoys.com
Akrobat orbit rectangular 10x6ft trampoline
Probably the best-looking trampoline we tested is this rectangular one by Akrobat. The 10ft x 6ft jump zone is a generous space to try and master your tricks. The orbit has a specially designed spring system that claims to offer durability, quiet operation and a powerful bounce. Certainly, there wasn’t even the mildest squeak from the springs, and the bounce was excellent. Even adult testers remarked on how bouncy it was. The spring pads feel really good quality, and the black design looks smart.
This trampoline comes with a ladder – one of the few that we tested that does. It also has some very decent guarantees – the frame is guaranteed for life, the springs for 10 years and all other parts for two to three years. Putting up this trampoline is a two-person job, but it has a click-together frame, so it was relatively quick. However, it doesn’t come with a spring-loading tool and you definitely need one to put it together. Overall, this trampoline, while expensive, certainly performed well against all our criteria.
Buy now £729.99, Johnlewis.com
Berg black rectangular ultim favourit
This trampoline scored highly in all areas of testing. It’s got a really great bounce to it and was one of the bounciest we tested, the rectangular shape was great for trying new tricks and the jump zone was generous. It got a huge thumbs up from all the younger testers who tried it out. The pads are well padded and extra wide for added safety, while the safety enclosure is zip-free, so there’s no having to remind kids to do the zip up 100 times a day.
Although the trampoline is large, it is all black so it doesn’t impose too much on the garden compared to some others. The frame is made from galvanised steel and is coated so it feels like it will last the distance. The entire trampoline comes with a two year guarantee, which is generous. It did take a while to put together, for all its durability there are a lot of bolts holding it together. Luckily, it’s so good you won’t want to take it down any time soon.
Buy now £529.00, Wickentoys.co.uk
JumpPro black oval trampoline
The oval shape of this trampoline means there are multiple jump zones and you don’t automatically bounce back to the middle. We really liked this feature as it felt safer to have more than one jumper on at a time. The weight limit on this trampoline is 23 stone, so it’s suitable for all the family to enjoy (but perhaps not all at once). The frame is powder coated to help it last longer, and it also looks nicer with the black finish.
We also liked that the springs are outside the enclosure, minimising the risk of accidents, with a sturdy L-shaped zip that makes getting in and out easy. This trampoline also comes with a decent ladder. It is one of the more complicated trampolines to put together, however it is possible to pay extra for an installation service, which makes the whole thing very easy!
Buy now £399.00, Trampolines.co.uk
TP early fun toddler trampoline
Our mini testers went wild for this toddler trampoline. It’s compact enough to have inside but is durable enough to be outside too. There are some nice thoughtful touches with this trampoline. The handle has a padded foam hand rail, which was great for keeping our bouncers on the relative straight and narrow, and there are rubber stoppers on the legs to stop the trampoline damaging flooring. The quality of bounce feels exciting for little ones without being over the top. It’s an easy construction too, and took one person about 30 minutes to put together. This is a great trampoline for wearing out little ones, and is suitable for kids over 12 months.
Buy now £49.99, Tptoys.com
Plum magnitude 8ft round trampoline
Kids seemed to flock to this trampoline when we had all the trampolines up together, so it definitely ticked their boxes. The bounce is on the gentle side compared to others we tried, but we found this good for the inexperienced bouncers in our testing cohort. The curved enclosure allowed for extra jump space, and it definitely made the trampoline feel bigger than its already generous 8ft diameter.
This was a fairly complex build, and required a lot of screws. The recommended maximum weight limit of this trampoline is 13 stone, so it’s only suitable for one adult at a time. Although the frame didn’t feel the sturdiest out of all that we tried, it comes with a five-year guarantee, while the bed and pad have a two-year guarantee.
Buy now £229.95, Allaroundfun
TP 10ft infinity octagonal trampoline
This huge 10ft trampoline is not messing around. It definitely looks imposing but our testers were hugely excited to give it a whirl. Less exciting was putting it together – it was no mean feat and took us a good three hours. The octagonal shape gives a decent vertical bounce across the entire jump zone, yet it didn’t feel wildly out of control.
The older jumpers especially liked that the safety enclosure has an “igloo” door, which you crawl through and doesn’t require parents to remind young jumpers to keep zipping up the tent. The mini testers loved crawling through the tunnel to get in and out. And the net goes on the inside of the springs and pads, keeping jumpers clear of the springs.
The legs bow out at an angle, which doesn’t help when it comes to taking up space, but this design is to provide stability on uneven ground. This trampoline feels very premium – the frame is coated to prevent rusting and comes with a 10-year guarantee against rust causing failure. The price tag on this trampoline is quite punchy, but it rated very highly on fun factor, durability and safety during our testing. This one is also back in stock in June.
Buy now £499.99, Tptoys.com
Salta pink round comfort edition with enclosure 10ft trampoline
Sure, this 10ft trampoline makes an impact on your garden, but for the size of it you get a really decent jumping zone. It feels really solid in its construction, but was actually one of the easiest to put together out of all the trampolines we tried. The galvanised steel frame is coated black, which makes it look more appealing, while the net feels very robust.
We’d rate this a medium bounce – which felt about right for our medium-sized testers. The maximum weight limit is 18 stone (120kg), so suitable for two fairly light adults at once, and the frame comes with a two-year warranty. We felt like this is a really fairly priced mid-range trampoline that would be a great family option. If pink isn’t your thing then it does come in green and black too.
Buy now £414.00, Epicplay.co.uk
TP 6ft hip hop junior round trampoline
This trampoline has been designed with little jumpers in mind. It has a low height frame, so it’s easy to scramble on to independently, and the enclosure is a zip-free Igloo-style one, which jumpers can easily crawl through. And the bounce is a gentle one – perfect for those just starting out on their trampolining career.
We were so impressed with the quality of this trampoline – it felt just as premium as the best-quality larger trampolines we tried. Putting it together however was a less joyful experience – there’s a lot of threading of the net to do, so it took about two hours for two adults to put it up. We really liked the fun design on the jump mat, which we used to play games while our testers jumped. This trampoline is suitable from three years up, and has a maximum weight limit of 50kg.
Buy now £149.99, Tptoys.com
The verdict: Trampolines
The Akrobat trampoline tested really well against all our criteria: it’s a lot of fun, easy to put together and feels premium and durable – plus it comes with a ladder. However, if you’re looking for something that’s a bit more affordable then the Salta is a fantastic mid-range option that feels like it’s built to last.
For more fun garden buys, read our review of the best kids’ paddling pools and the best swing sets
