Portable netting set up

LairdM

New member
Folks,
I've been asked to do some 'have-a-go' sessions with various scout units and after failing to find anything suitable commercially, wanted to pass an idea around to get some feed back...

I need a solution to a portable netting system and came up with the following idea.

A 75mm fence post socket fixed to a sturdy base with a 3m post, cut in half with a socket for transportability, set into this, one on each side of the room. A wire run between the posts with netting strung across this and some form of ballast sat on the base board of the post assembly for stability?

Any flaws in my thoughts?
Anything simpler?

Any feedback welcome.
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
Two A frame target stands could be used to support your 3m poles. One end of the pole into the ground, the upper part of the pole rested and tied to the apex of the legs. The wire for the net to hang over, could be run down to ground level and fixed as guy ropes to hold things in place. The stands would need to be held down with ropes and perhaps the back legs facing in towards each other.
 

ben tarrow

Well-known member
If you're doing have a gos, the bosses can be low down, touching the ground, thus reducing the height necessary for your backstop netting.

Secondly, think "suspension bridge". A slack rope supported at 1/3 intervals by A frames (2 poles joined at the top).
Outdoors you can tether the ends to the ground.
Indoors, rawlplug a hook into the wall on either end. The hooks dont take very much weight as the A frames do that.
 

LairdM

New member
This is primarily for indoor sessions so can't fix into the ground and as one of the venues is a school they may not like me taking my drill in and making hole in their walls. LOL.
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
That would be a very heavy net if it was hung over a single span.
Three nets and four supports would be better, or two nets and three supports perhaps.
With short spans it is easier to get a rigid rod or tube to span between supports, that way there is less chance of the weight dragging the end supports towards the middle.( which is what the wire will try to do.)
With three fingers under the arrow and the draw hand up close to the eye, and bosses on the ground leaning against target stands, they will be shooting downhill anyway so height is not such a massive problem. It needs someone to watch the arrows are not pointing upwards, obviously.
 

LairdM

New member
I'm looking at debris netting as used on scaffolding. Double thickness stops arrows and its fairly light. Could put some sort of prop in the centre. As its young kids, the bosses won't need to be too far spaced either.
As for the wire, that's why I'm planning on heavy weights on the post bases.
 

ben tarrow

Well-known member
This is primarily for indoor sessions so can't fix into the ground and as one of the venues is a school they may not like me taking my drill in and making hole in their walls. LOL.
You might be surprised. I've run sessions in a few schools. The hooks would be 12 feet off the floor. Of the schools I've dealt with 1 allowed us to put the hooks in, 2 insisted they put the hooks in, I had gym wall bars to tie the net supporting rope to. At the last one, the brick walls only went up about 8 foot and the rest of the way was steel girders which I just clamped a G clamp round.

When you start talking about balast and heavy weights to keep uprights upright when you suspend a net, you're talking about a lot of weight.
 

Wildcat

Member
We bought a few 90cm targets with built in netting from Tenzone targets. Then have been great for have a go's image.jpg
 

pipeski

Member
Most backstop netting is fairly heavy stuff, and so there's going to be quite a bit of force trying to pull the tops of the supports towards each other. Each post is going to act as a lever on any ballast you add to the bottom, which means you'll need a LOT more ballast than you think to prevent any danger of the whole thing tipping over. Outdoors the problem can be solved using guy ropes, but you don't have that option.

Props at intervals along the net will help a bit, but I suspect not enough. Really the best solution is to find something immovable to attach the ends of the wire (or a rope) to. We screwed a couple of staples (the sort that are attached to a plate) to the walls of our local sports hall. Nobody minded too much and it only took 5 minutes.
 
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