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Aerial Silk Portable Rig
I know there are a few folks on the forum that do aerial silks.
I don't have the height to rig silks in my home so I was looking to purchase a portable rig I could put outside in my backyard in the summer to practice on.
Has anyone every used a portable rig and any recommendations?
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25 Replies
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I have performed on the rig from the trapezerigging.com site several times. It sets up easily and can be erected easily with as few as two people.
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out of all the rigs listed, by far the one at trapeze rigging is the best, easy to set up, quick and very safe
I"ve bought 2 rigs from trevor, he's great to work with
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Thanks, those are some of the rigs I've been looking at. I'm trying to figure out if I want to go with the tripod vs 4 leg design.
I'm looking for something that is easy to put up and down that will still allow me to do some basic drops on. Its just going to be used for me to practice on and not do any type of professional performances on.
Has anyone worked on the tripod configurations?
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the tripods suck, they fall over and because they are narrow at the top you loose up to 2ft in hight. that and if the silk catches the wind it works like a sail and literly sends the thing flying. I've never seen that happen on the sawhorse 4 legged ones.
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I love my tripod rig. I've never had a problem with stability. You do lose a little height at the top, though.
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Agreed ^^^ I have never tipped the tripod rig I have used (it's not mine, but custom built for the company I performed with) but you definitely lose some height at the top. We only typically rig ours to 21 feet, but it does have the capability to be at 28-ish feet, I think. And we have always performed silks on it, and even in the wind, it has never come close to tipping. Any rig, tripod or quad, can tip if it's not fixed/weighted, and especially if the act requires swinging.
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You can't do swing at all on a tripod, not without anchoring the poles (even then you would bang into the legs on the side) that's where the stability issues are a concern as well, however you can do swing trapeze and cloud swing on a 4 leg version,
Also with a tripod you only have 1 rig point, so that automatically limits your choice of apparatus, no trapeze, no double point Lyra, no 2 point hammock etc…
for the little bit of extra $ it's worth it to just invest in the sawhorse version, it's so much more versatile in various acts you can do, and in stability.
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Hello, I have used https://www.studioveena.com/outbound_links/t/?l=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.damnhot.com%2Ftrapeze%2FNew_port_rig.htm many time. Here is a video of it being used. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga1UH8mvbrQ
I love it. Smiles, Leesi
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My friend has the one from trapeze rigging and she loves it and its very sturdy! I can’t wait for spring so we can go out and use it 🙂
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I have a Zen Swing Suspendulum, which is a tripod-style set-up. I'm guessing it's the one from AerialDancing.com, as the link is broken. I have used it outside with silk and have never had it tip or fall over.
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That's the one I have, byrdgrrl. I do stake mine down, but I also leave it out all summer.
The ones from damnhot look pretty. Similarly priced with lots of options.
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I don't stake mine down. My aerial studio does double duty as my driveway, so I have to put up and take down each time. I don't like practicing in the wind not because I'm woried about my rig (within reason, of course, if there's a wind advisory, not going out), but because I wear myself out much quicker just chasing my tails around. There's nothing like hanging upside down in the middle of a trick, reaching back to grab the tail to finish the move, and it's not there.
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I know of a company in CA. who is capable of building one to order is called Cole Fabrication Iron Works out of Sacramento hope this helps
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I have grown up with a family that built their own trapeze rigs and we performed across the country. My father has seen tripod rigs fail. they are not recommended by the "old timers" who have seen rigs fail. The swing set design is preferred, or the type originally used as a trampoline spot rig. I have used the one sold on Damnd hot. I liked some aspects of it, but it was hard to put up and down to the height of 18'. The top loosened, some of the legs loosened with moderate use. I worked on developing a better design and have been building prototypes for the past 3 years. The design I came up with is stable, easy to set up with 2 people not the 4 for the Damn hot rig. It does not have as much play in the legs, has a better design at the top, no lossening, and there is the ability to use it at 7.6 feet indoors for aerial Yoga up to 18' outdoors. The feet are a bit different and adjust to uneven surface. We are in the final stages to get it ready to sell. We will offer it at http://www.aerialfabric.com
Hope this helps the dialogue.
I did test the Suspendium and cannot recommend it. The play is too great. The pins that attach the legs could sheer off and the top will grind a groove in the poles. Even after one use there was a groove in the top poles. It was designed to be an adult swing not for aerial. Also the claims it was reviewed by a structural engineer are not accurate. Structural engineers are not in the habit of offering their letter of approval for portable rigs. There are too many variables.
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Hey Lynn,
any more news on your rig design and availability for purchase?
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I am VERY new to the work of silks and lyra, so forgive my ignorance when I ask this question. How do the quad rigs stay stable and not tip when doing things on them? I am looking into this as an option at my house, but want to learn more about it. Thanks for your patience.
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World, not work. Sorry.
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The best regarded portable rig is made by Trevor Boswell at http://www.trapezerigging.com It’s not cheap, but this is definitely an industry where you get what you pay for. Also worth noting is that his price includes shipping in the continental US while most others charge several hundred dollars for shipping.
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ALL, Please NOTE, that ANY rig if free standing will tip over if there is a fabric on it and if the fabric , when NOT in use, is tied to the leg of rig. The fabric fills with wind and acts like a sail. NEVER tie the fabric to the leg unless you wind the fabric tightly so that the wind can NOT fill it like a sail.
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ALSO, Tripods do NOT fall over unless they are not properly designed, but they have many drawbacks.
The do get narrow at top, You can’t swing cause leg is in the way, they hold only 3/4 the load because they have only 3/4 of the legs to support the load.Also, the comment about suspendulum by Lynn is correct. this is NOT a good rig, weak and has multiple flaws.
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The comment that Lynn made about the Damnhot rig are also false.
I make the Damnhot rig. Her rig is a copy of my Damnhot rig with minor modifications. She bought one of mine and promptly went to my old fabricator and had it copied. Almost indistinguishable from mine.
Mine does not take 4 people to set up. I and one lady set up this light weight style rig to 21 feet just by the 2 of us. I also have a Heavy Duty rig that is a bit heavier and takes 3 people to set up. Mine set up from 6 ft to 24 feet with many , many height adjustment in between. Mine even comes with a extra wide top so Aerial Yoga schools can put 2 people on it at same time side by side.Also the leg sliding off was an issue with early versions when people did not follow instructions and did not properly tighten the screws. Mods were made 2 1/2 years ago to address this issue of improper setup. My rig was the 1st rig ever to be able to be set up to many various height, she copied that as well. Mine uses stainless steel nuts and screws, not hers. Mine is powder coat, which is extremely tough, hers is spray paint that is not even baked on.
Hers is an acceptable alternative to mine if mine does not suit peoples needs.
My web page is http://damnhot.com/trapeze/New_port_rig.htm
I have been making portable rigs for over 14 years and over 200 rigs in the country and come highly recommended by professional riggers. -
I just want to independently back up ludwig’s post. I and many aerialist peers have purchased rigs from him over the years and he is the original go-to. True, other people have lifted his designs, but since he is always making improvements on his own designs, he is definitely the person to go to. I recently asked him to build a piece of equipment that could transform in to a high panels performance rig but also be used for 4 aerial yoga slings in a tight space. (A) This guy knows his stuff. (B) He is a great creative problem solver. (C) He’s nice, and he’s patient.
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Hi all – I know this is an older topic, but figured I’d post my question here anyway. I’m looking into getting a portable outdoor rig to keep in the backyard all summer. My dream is to be able to run outside in the morning, do a little climbing, maybe a few tricks or conditioning, and then run back inside and do all the stuff I gotta do (take care of the babe, etc.). And whenever I get a few spare moments, hop on the silk again!
Is this realistic? I’ve read that you can’t leave the fabric hung permanently due to risk of tipping in the wind, and I’d like to have a higher rig (16-20 feet, particularly since I’m tall). Is there a simple solution to this? Do I have to put up and take down the fabric with every use?
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I use XPole’s A frame,which is easy to put up alone after you’ve practised with someone a few times. I wouldn’t leave it up permanently because I think it can rust, but on a dry day you could leave it up most of the day in case.
Regardless of the rigging, silks should always be left in a dry environment anyway 🙂I find the A frame for hoop, aerial yoga and a bit of simple silks perfect, and it was £400,so not too expensive 🙂
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