Rectangle trampolines are favored by many over round trampolines for a large variety of reasons. For starters, they are made with thicker frames, but this is not all. Let’s go over the most important aspects of a rectangle trampoline.
Narrower Mat –
A Narrower mat means that there is less width or surface area of mat for a child’s weight to compress the springs when bouncing. The bounce is more responsive as well. An 8x12ft rectangle trampoline is preferred over a 12ft round one, and a 9x14ft rectangle trampoline is better than a 14ft round particularly for kids doing gymnastics type tricks.
The double bounce factor
Rectangle trampolines also have something that is called the double bounce factors. As kids jump from one side to another, they alternate the weight load evenly, so that the mat is not forced to support a lot of weight in the same area for a long period of time. This also gives the kids a higher bounce.
(do note that this can be dangerous for the lighter child - so if 2 on at a time best if the children are of similar weight - an if not the heavier child should take extra care)
The thick steel of the frames
Rectangle trampolines are made with 2.5mm thick steel, due to having long straight sides they have always needed to have a robust thick steel frame tubing and diameter of around 6-8cm while round trampolines are made with 1.5mm or less thick steel; the diameter is also a lot less around 2-3cm. The engineering behind this is good as there is greater strength in a circle than there is in a rectangle so hence round trampolines we able to me made a lot cheaper therefore making trampolines more affordable and accessible to more families across all demographics. (Early in the introduction of round trampolines to the marketplace department stores brought in frames that were very thin and flimsy so that the springs over a short period of time would tear away at the frame) Some quality trampoline suppliers are now importing with a 2mm frame to ensure that the round trampolines will start to last longer. This small difference actually makes for a great difference, because rectangle trampolines last longer largely due to the time it takes for the frame to wear or rust through.
