thinking of getting a zip line

[dragons in the flower bed]

But I have a bunch of questions.

 

Is the Fun Ride Deluxe kit that Heartsong sells a good choice?

 

Does it come with a brake system?

 

Do I need to use a tire or block brake? Do I need a brake system, I guess I mean.

 

Does anyone want to try to scare me off? Are the neighbor kids going to kill themselves in my backyard? Have you had bad experiences with a zip line?

 

Alternatively, would you like to cheer me on? Do you love your zip line?

[CalicoKat]

But I have a bunch of questions.

 

Is the Fun Ride Deluxe kit that Heartsong sells a good choice?

 

Does it come with a brake system?

 

Do I need to use a tire or block brake? Do I need a brake system, I guess I mean.

 

Does anyone want to try to scare me off? Are the neighbor kids going to kill themselves in my backyard? Have you had bad experiences with a zip line?

 

Alternatively, would you like to cheer me on? Do you love your zip line?

:lurk5:

[2squared]

:bigear:

 

I was just thinking about getting a zip line.

[celticmom]

:lurk5:Dh would like to set one up for dd7 who can manage to make pillows dangerous when she is in certain moods.

[threeturn]

:bigear:

 

My kids would LOVE this.

[AmyontheFarm]

My son would go crazy if we installed a zip line.

I'd have a heart attack!

We have a huge yard and live on a farm, so space is no problem. Check with your insurance company, I'm betting they won't like it. You could of course have the neighbor kids have to get parents to sign wavers first before using it. But, I think I'd be more worried about some of the men around here playing on it first.:lol:

[Sophia]

I saw this thread earlier and was hoping you'd have several people selling you on the idea by now...because we are thinking of installing one this spring, too ;).

 

Several of our friends have one and all the kids have so much fun on them.

The only reason we are hesitating is because our little boys have a way of thinking up stunts that their older siblings would never have considered :blink:.

We might just might make it shorter and lower though~of course, that won't be fun for the older sibs, though.

[gardening momma]

I have had wonderful experiences with zip lines (in Hawaii!!).

 

I have also been on a zip line inside my great grandparents barn. That one is more scary now that I'm an adult and realize how badly that could have turned out. It went from one hayloft to another, and down below was a flatbed trailer with various tools on it (can't remember now what they were, but I wouldn't want to fall there). :001_huh:

 

I also went on a zip line at a friend's house. It was tied to one tree about 2 stories high and then tied at a lower point to another tree. They used a piece of rope that they put over the zip line and held both ends of the rope. I didn't realize how tightly I needed to hold on and it slipped out of one hand. I figure I fell almost 2 stories? I landed on my back; it knocked the wind out of me. I was ok--I was more concerned with where my glasses were than how I was.

 

ETA: I probably was lower than the full 2 stories when I fell.

 

Considering all that, I'm not sure how I feel about backyard zip lines. When we went on a zip line tour in Hawaii, we wore a harness and we were clipped onto the zip line. We could let go and not fall. This is where we went.

Edited March 16, 2012 by gardening momma

[AmyontheFarm]

I could just imagine my kids unloading a hill of straw at the end of this thing so they could jump into it before the zip handle slowed down. :glare: Yeah, so not happening here!

[Mom23Boys]

We have a zip line and my kids love it. I am not sure of the brand, my brother bought it for my kids for Christmas 2 years ago. We have had one injury - my oldest fell and broke his wrist. It was the first warm day since we had gotten it and his hands were sweaty. We taught him how to make sure his hands were dry and a few weeks after getting his cast off, he was back on the zip line.

 

He was also using it without the seat then, I think he prefers to sit on the seat now, but he does it both ways.

 

My kids climb trees higher than the zip line goes, and I am not going to make them stop climbing trees so the zip line doesn't bother me.

 

Ours did not come with a brake system, so until we got the angle of the line right, my DH stood at the bottom to keep them from hitting the tree. It was trial and error until we got the angle/tightness of the line right where the kids slow down on their own.