Trampolines are fun and keep the kids entertained for hours. However, they stop being fun in storms and high winds. Then, a trampoline can act as a parasail, and when the wind gets underneath the mat, can send the trampoline soaring across your yard, into your neighbors’ yards and even down the highway.
You can use store-bought or DIY 25-50 lb sandbags to hold down a trampoline. Add tie down straps to secure the top of the trampoline to the base of the legs. This is a good solution to hold down a trampoline on concrete, decking and sandy soil during high winds or a storm.
Let’s read on to see more of the details. If you want a comprehensive overview of all of the options to secure a trampoline in the wind, check out this article here.
Why Do Trampolines Need To Be Secured?
In high winds, the trampoline safety net acts like a giant sail. The wind can catch it a little, and push it so that it tilts the entire trampoline. One leg lifts off the ground just enough for the wind to get under the trampoline mat.
The trampoline mat is even more like a sail. The mat has fewer air holes than the safety net. This means that it catches the wind even better than the net. Once the trampoline is tilted, and the wind can get under the mat, the wind can push the entire trampoline over.
Once it is over, it can tumble across the yard, over fences, down the street like a leaf in a stiff breeze. This can lead to pretty bad property damage.
How To Use Sandbags To Secure A Trampoline In Windy Conditions
Sandbags are a good option to secure a trampoline on concrete, a deck or on sandy soil.
Use four 25 lb sandbags to hold down a trampoline in light to moderate wind conditions.
If the wind is moderate to high, you may need a total of eight 25 lb sandbags.
Put a sandbag (or two) on each of the trampoline legs. If you have enough, put an extra one on the side that the wind is coming from. This will help hold the trampoline flat and not let it tilt in the wind.
Use tiedowns or ratchet straps to hold the top of the trampoline frame to the trampoline legs. This will prevent the top of the trampoline coming loose from old corroded bolts breaking.
How to Use Sandbags to Secure A Trampoline In A Hurricane
If the wind is very strong or hurricane conditions, you’ll want to take every precaution with your trampoline to prevent it from blowing away.
If you have only a few minutes to prepare, take down the safety net. It’s more important to get the net down than the supporting poles, so take that off first.
If you have a bit more time, get the trampoline jumping mat off as well. Use a spring tool or alternative to remove the springs, and store the mat inside.
Use four to eight 25-50 lb sandbags to hold the skeleton of the frame down. The more weight you can put on the legs, the better.
Why Are Sandbags A Good Option For A Trampoline?
In high winds, trampolines can be secured with corkscrew (auger) anchors, with U-shaped anchors (wind stakes) or sandbags.
Whilst corkscrew anchors are generally the strongest way to tie down a trampoline in the heavy winds, they don’t work well in sand, and they don’t work at all on concrete or on decking.
Sandbags are very simple to install, and fairly effective at holding a trampoline down in strong winds or a storm, especially if you are on sand, concrete or a deck.
They are also the quickest to install out of all of the options. You don’t have to use a hammer as you do for U-shaped anchors or drill into hard ground as you do for corkscrew anchors.
How Many Sandbags Do I Need To Secure A Trampoline?
I wrote to a trampoline manufacturer to see how many sandbags would be needed to secure a 12-foot trampoline. This manufacturer sells 26 lb sandbags in a pack of 4, so I expected a good answer.
“The 12ft has 4 U shape legs so the sandbags suit 1 bag per U shape leg. We are not onsite so it is your responsibility to ensure that the weight will be enough as it’s too hard for us to give that accurate information as to how much wind will be coming your way. Fill the bags as full as you can to have as much weight available.”
Craig from Customer Service, OzTrampolines
I guess they were trying to cover themselves from liability.
You can try to use four 25 lb sandbags to hold down a trampoline in light to moderate wind conditions.
If the wind is moderate to high, you may need a total of eight 25-50 lb sandbags.
Just remember, in a hurricane or twister, sandbags or even corkscrew anchors may not hold. It’s best to get the safety net and the mat off the trampoline, as well as put sandbags on the frame so there is less of a sail for the wind to grab.
How To DIY Sandbags To Hold Down A Trampoline
If something becomes a specialized piece of equipment, such as sandbags for a trampoline or sandbags for fitness, the price seems to go up dramatically.
You can make your own sandbags fairly reasonably.
These sandbags will be good for holding down a trampoline, but won’t be suitable for flood protection.
Depending whether you make a 25 lb or 50 lb sandbag, you probably won’t want to move them very often, so we’re aiming for sandbags that should last at least a year in the outdoor elements.
Materials Needed To Make Four 25 Lb Sandbags
8 Contractor Bags (42 gallon) 3mil black Polypropylene
100 lbs of pea gravel
2 rolls duct tape
Method
1. Place 25 lb pea gravel in a contractor bag. I like pea gravel as it won’t go moldy. It is also small enough that it will sit over the frame of the trampoline neatly. And the smooth edges means that the contractor bag will resist getting torn.
I like these 3mm contractor bags as they are super strong and tough. The white 7mm woven polypropylene are stronger when you first get them, but they can deteriorate in the sun and elements over time. The 3mm black ones should last a while.
2. Once the first bag is filled, fold it over so that it goes into the shape you want. This might be 12” wide, a few inches tall, and about 24” long.
3. Use a couple of strips of duct tape to hold the shape of this first bag.
4. Put this first bag inside a second bag, and fold over the ends to make it snug around the first bag.
5. Wrap the entire bag in duct tape. It should look like an Egyptian mummy when you are finished. You want to make sure that gravel is not going to spill out on the ground. You also want to ensure the black plastic is protected from the sun. It will be fine in the rain, but the sun will break down the plastic over a period of months.
6. Repeat for the other three bags.
7. Place these on the U-shaped legs of the trampoline.
8. Be sure to check every 2-3 months that these sandbags are still secure. You don’t want them to deteriorate. When a big wind comes, the bag can break and spill out pea gravel. This won’t hold the trampoline well at all.
In Summary
Sandbags for trampolines are excellent for holding down a trampoline on sandy soil, concrete or even a deck. If you have sandbags on site, they are very quick to install as you just put them down on the legs. If you have a hurricane coming, also take down the safety net.
