How to Winterize a Trampoline: Easy-to-Follow Guide

Winter is a fun season, but it has its fair share of ups and downs. For example, nothing beats a snowball fight or making a snow angel after a snowy night. But on the other hand, you do not get to use your trampoline. To me, not using the trampoline is a massive downer.

But what if I told you there was a way to keep using your trampoline over the winter? Does that sound too good to be true? Well, let me explain how trampoline winterization works.

How to Winterize a Trampoline

In layman’s terms, winterizing a trampoline means making it suitable for winter, and it is essential if you are planning to use it over the cold season. It can prevent damage to your trampoline and also lets you get a couple of jumps in every now and then.

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Even if you overlook the part where you can damage your trampoline, without winterizing, your trampoline becomes extremely risky to use during the winter. The mat gets slippery, the frame freezes up, and even the net feels razor-sharp without treatment.

So, what are your options? How do you exactly winterize your trampoline? And are there any special tips for winterizing a trampoline with a net? These are the questions that I will address in this article and help you figure out what you should do to protect your trampoline in the winter.

Easy-to-Follow Guide on Winterizing a Trampoline

Winterizing a trampoline can mean two things; you are either disassembling it and storing it away until the spring hits, or you want to leave it out and give it as much protection as possible while having it ready to jump on.

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Don’t worry, I will talk about both options, and you can decide for yourself which route is better suited for you.

Disassembling Trampoline for Winter

Putting your trampoline together for the first time can be quite challenging. But taking it apart is not that hard. Here are the steps you want to follow to quickly disassemble your trampoline without damaging any of the parts.

1. Cleaning the Trampoline

Your first order of business should be to give your trampoline a thorough wipe down before you put it away for a long time. You can simply use a dry towel to wipe down the mat and the frame of the trampoline. While you are at it, it is also a good idea to check for any rust in the frame.

2. Removing the Enclosure

Most trampolines these days come with safety net enclosures around them. You should start the disassembly steps from that. Take apart the netting at first, and then disassemble the screws hoisting up the poles. You can either store the poles separately or in the same box as the rest of the metal components of your trampoline.

3. Removing the Safety Pads

With the poles and the netting removed, you can move on to the safety pads. Since this is a softer component compared to the frames or the springs, you should keep it in a separate box. However, I always store my safety pads in the same box as the jumping mat.

4. Removing the Jumping Mat and Springs

Removing the jumping mat and springs should be done carefully as you can hurt yourself. Slowly remove the springs stretching the jumping mat one by one. I would recommend wearing a sturdy set of gloves to protect your fingers when you are removing the springs.

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The last thing you would want is for your fingers to get stuck between the springs. It is a good idea to store the springs in a box of their own. Also, make sure you inspect for any rust in the springs and wipe each of them down thoroughly using a dry towel. Avoid dampening the towel as it can lead to further rusting.

5. Disassembling the Frame

Finally, you can start disassembling the frame. Refer to the owner’s manual for disassembly instructions as the process varies from one model to another. In most cases, you just have to locate the screws holding the frame in place and take them apart one by one.

I usually store the metal parts of the frame in the same box as the safety net poles. However, when it comes to the screws, I put them in with the springs.

Getting Your Trampoline Ready for Winter

If you would rather use your trampoline in the winter, you cannot just disassemble it. But jumping on a trampoline during winter can be dangerous unless you take proper precautions. Here are a couple of simple tips that will reduce a lot of the risks.

1. Clean Frequently

The last thing you want is to have snow build up on the trampoline during winter. After a heavy snowfall, you want to go out and brush off all the snow that gathered on the jumping mat. The weight of the snow can damage the mat and also poke a hole in it. But if you clean it regularly, you should not have to worry about that.

2. Use Weather Covers

When you are done using the trampoline, make sure you cover it up using a weather protector or a tarp. Weather covers for a trampoline are pretty inexpensive, and they do a great job of protecting it against heat, snow, or even rain. So, if you plan on leaving your trampoline out during winter, this is a must-have for you.

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3. Use an Anchor

Snowfall is not the only thing you have to worry about during winter; you also need to think about the wind. A strong gust of wind during a winter storm can easily blow away your trampoline. So, you need to use an anchoring kit for your trampoline to make sure it stays tethered to the ground and tackles strong winds.

4. Remove Safety Pads

Even though you are not disassembling the trampoline, taking the safety pads out when you are not using them is a good idea. Safety pads are pretty easy to take out, and since they are vulnerable to getting wet, you should always take them out and store them in a safe place when you are done jumping on the trampoline.

5. Make Sure the Trampoline Is Dry

Before you hop on the trampoline, make sure the jumping mat is completely dry. Jumping on a wet trampoline can be risky as the mat gets quite slippery. It can lead to awkward falls and injuries. After heavy snow, it is best to give the trampoline mat some time to dry up before you start using it.

How to Winterize a Trampoline with a Net?

Winterizing a trampoline with a net is really not that different from the basic steps. If you are planning on a complete disassembly, then you need to disassemble the net as well. So, there is nothing extra that you have to think about if you are planning to go that route.

Even if you leave your trampoline out during winter, you do not need to do anything special to protect the net. The perforated design of a trampoline safety net really requires no extra protection against winter. So you do not have to worry about it all that much.

Some people, however, use a tarp to cover up the enclosure to make sure the net remains relatively warm. I never felt the need to do that, but if you are worried about the net freezing up and becoming stiff, this is a good way to prevent that.

Do You Need to Winterize a Trampoline?

You may have heard about winterizing your backyard pool, which makes sense as the water can quickly freeze up. But do you really need to winterize a trampoline? As long as nobody is using it in the winter, it should be fine, right? Well, not necessarily.

Heavy snow can damage a trampoline during winter, which makes it essential to winterize it if you plan on leaving it out during the cold months. Now the extent you have to go to protect your trampoline depends on where you live. If your area does not get too cold, you might be able to get by without extreme winterization.

However, if you live in a state that sees a decent drop in temperature and frequent snowfall, then leaving your trampoline out in the open without any protection is really not a wise idea. Your trampoline mat, frame, and even the springs can get severely damaged if you do not winterize it properly.

So, to answer your question, yes, you probably need to winterize your trampoline if you plan on keeping it out during the winter. Thankfully, the steps are pretty easy, which I will talk about in a later portion of this article.

Should You Disassemble Your Trampoline in Winter?

Disassembling your trampoline and storing it away in the garage is really the wisest move if you want to protect it against heavy snow. However, if you are like me, you probably want to get a few jumps in once in a while when the weather is not that harsh. In that case, disassembling it does not seem like an appealing idea.

Frankly, whether you should disassemble your trampoline in winter depends on a few different factors. Firstly, you need to think about whether anyone will use it during the months. If the answer is no, then you can easily pack it up and store it away.

Another thing you need to think about is how intense the weather gets in your area. In some states, you can get by by just using a weather cover to protect your trampoline against the snow. But if your area sees strong gusts of wind along with snow, packing up your trampoline should be a no-brainer.

The obvious advantage of disassembling your trampoline during winter is that you do not need to worry about it at all. But if you want to leave it out in the yard, then you need to inspect it and clean the snow every few days to make sure it is not damaged in any way.

Trampolines, in general, are made quite strong. Most manufacturers still recommend disassembling your trampoline and putting it away during the winter or rainy seasons. Personally, though, I had no big issues with using my trampoline during winter as long as I made it winter-ready and checked up on it from time to time.

Do I Need to Cover My Trampoline in the Winter?

If you want to leave your trampoline out in the winter, it is essential that you cover it with a weather cover. Trampoline weather covers are designed to protect it against all sorts of elements. So, whether it is snowing or raining, using a weather cover is a great way to safeguard your trampoline.

During winter, trampoline weather cover will prevent snow from settling on the jumping mat. What that does is it protects the mat from getting too slippery. So when it is time for you to use the trampoline, you can simply remove the cover and start jumping without having to wait for it to dry.

Furthermore, weather covers also protect the safety pads inside the trampoline, which means you do not necessarily have to take them out with you when you are done using it. A wet trampoline during winter is not exactly safe. And a weather cover protects your trampoline from getting wet. So, getting it is a no-brainer.

Now That We’re Here

To me, a trampoline is a year-round backyard toy. And I cannot take it if I can’t use it over the winter. Thankfully, with proper winterization, using a trampoline during winter does not have to be risky at all. I hope my tips on how to winterize a trampoline could help you out. Now you can also enjoy your winter afternoons on your trampoline without any worries. Good luck!