DIY Project: ZIP LINE

Hello Readers!!

The hot days have arrived!! well, at least here in the South they have.

During our family vacations my wife and I realized that our children spent most of the time on Bungee Jumpings, Trampolines and Zip lines rides. It is one of the many reasons we spent our summer vacation at The Boardwalk.  

I ran my ingenious idea by my wife and she was intrigued, I must admit, my wife never likes my ideas because she thinks some of them are too difficult to do on my own.   But what she didn’t know was that I already had spent a good amount of time researching the internet on how to build a zip line.  It’s not as difficult as most people may think. 

Therefore, here I am, writing this short blog post, which I will edit later on with written step by step instructions on how to do it and what hardware to buy to make this easy project. 

Although the ideal place to build your zip line is in the backyard, I decided to build ours on the front yard due to the fact that our only trees are on the front side of the house.

I spent a little bit less than $150.00 in hardware and many sweat and tears, okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit.  It took us approximately an hour to build it.

  

This is something that can easily be turned into a “Father & Child” project, my son was very involved and helped many times when it was possible.  Having him around also made it easier to determine how high the line need it to be.  I definitely didn’t want the line to be too high or too low.  Please remember that it is very important to keep your children’s height and weight in mind at all times. 

DISCLAIMER:

Building a zip line is like riding one, it can be dangerous.  I highly recommend that you take your time to get as much information as possible on the matter. There are many professionals who build zip lines and they offer consultations.  

Although they specialize in commercial building of zip lines (lines are usually suspended 15+ Ft from the ground) and their time can and will be costly; 

Take extra safety precaution, have your children wear helmets, knee pads, elbow pads and any other protective gear.  As parents we know our children and we know their limits;

Pay a few extra bucks for better quality products when purchasing the hardware;  

Have a serious safety talk with your children;

Have a responsible adult present at all times;

Zip line is only to be ridden with parents’ exclusive permission.

Enjoy and be safe this summer!

Bill & Little B