Take your time when purchasing aerial equipment. Look at the pros and cons of every vendor. Know what you are buying and who you are buying from.
Read EVERYTHING about the product description so that you fully understand its intended use. There are many types of rigging equipment out there, but not all of them are safe for aerials.
**We never, EVER recommend purchasing aerial equipment from Amazon or from Uplift Active!**
When purchasing aerial equipment, you will find that many vendors have an option to purchase an aerial "kit," that includes the rigging with the apparatus you are purchasing. While this is a very convenient option, keep in mind that this can sometimes be more expensive than purchasing the rigging separately from the apparatus. This is because vendors will often put your equipment together for you (i.e., tying a rescue-8 on a silk) before it ships. It is not necessary for you to spend extra money on this, and we will be happy to help you rig your equipment when it arrives. You will however need to make sure you have the appropriate hardware for rigging such as a spanset on a hoop, rings or hitches for your hammock, a rescue 8 for your silks, etc. If you are unsure what you need, we are happy to answer questions!
Know before you buy!
The ceiling height at our studio is approximately 11' from the floor to the rig points on the large center beam, and about 11.5’ from the floor to the rig points on the surrounding beams.
We are happy to help you get your new equipment ready to use and can help you rig your equipment for you at no charge!
We will only be using studio-owned carabiners, swivels and daisy chains in the studio. If you have purchased these, please remove these items from your apparatus before showing us your equipment. O-rings on hammocks, rescue-8s on silks, and spansets on hoops should be provided by students who are bringing their own equipment. All apparatuses and hardware must be inspected and approved by the Aerials Director prior to use at Awakenings.
If you have any questions regarding purchasing your own aerial equipment, please do not hesitate to contact the Aerials Director, Jenna Price via e-mail, jenna@awakeningspolefitness.com
There is A LOT of information you need to know. We’ve done our best to break it into apparatus sections and one general hardware section.
Lyras
For lyras, a good rule of thumb when deciding a size is to sit on the floor, and measure the height from your butt to the top of your head, then add 2 inches. However, this rule does not always apply and everyone has different preferences, so just try to imagine how much space you would like to be above your head when sitting inside of the lyra.
LYRA VENDORS
Aerial Essentials
https://www.aerialessentials.com/
Notes: Measure their hoops by the internal diameter. Have fast shipping.
Aerials USA
https://www.aerialsusa.com/
Notes: Measure their hoops by the internal diameter. Free shipping on aerial lyras. Tom's aerial hoop is from here.
Beastly Built
https://beastly-built.square.site/
Notes: Measure their hoops by the internal diameter. Lo's hoop was bought from here, and is a tabless powder-coated hoop measured at 36". Have fast shipping.
Circus Gear
https://www.circusgearstore.com/
Notes: Measure their hoops by the internal diameter
Firetoys
Notes: Unlike other vendors, they measure their hoops from the EXTERNAL diameter, not the internal diameter. Their hoops are 2 inches thick, so if you wanted to purchase a 36" hoop, choose the option for 38".
Hammocks / Silks
Hammocks | Our aerial hammocks are each 9 yards TOTAL length of fabric, and tied so that when they are hung, their length is around 8' each from the sling to the rings. Our hammocks are a low-stretch tricot, and were purchased from Aerial Essentials. To rig for our ceiling height, we recommend 8-9 yards. Hammocks must be rigged using either hammock rings, hammock hitches tied in a prusik knot, or rigged using a rescue 8. We are happy to rig your hammock for you.
Silks | If you wanted to size a set of aerial silks to our studio height, the length of the silks (doubled up) should be at least the height of the ceiling, plus about 6' of tail left on the floor. So, purchase at least 12 yards of fabric. 13 yards is also an acceptable size for our studio, if you would like to go a little longer. You will also need a rescue 8 to rig your silks. We can help you rig your silks with the rescue 8.
AERIAL FABRICS (SILKS/HAMMOCKS) Vendors
Aerial Essentials
https://www.aerialessentials.com/
Notes: The red hammocks we use at the studio are from here. They are low stretch.
Aerials USA
https://www.aerialsusa.com/
Notes: Their fabrics are a low/medium stretch blend
Firetoys
Notes: They have different ranges of fabric stretch, from low to high. These options can be found in product descriptions, make sure you look at the links for prodigy, voltage and firetoys
Getting Inverted
https://www.gettinginverted.com/
Notes: They offer low stretch and high stretch fabrics. High stretch will be very stretchy, and probably not the best for beginners, or for the ceiling height at our studio; it is recommended that you purchase low stretch.
AERIAL HARDWARE
As mentioned above, we only allow studio provided carabiners, swivels, and daisy chains, but you will need to provide your own spanset for lyra, hammock rigging, and rescue 8 for silks. If you are using your equipment anywhere other than Awakenings, you may need to purchase additional hardware to complete your set up.
Round Slings (spansets)
Beastly Built
https://beastly-built.square.site/
Aerial Essentials
https://www.aerialessentials.com/product/spanset/
Firetoys
O-Rings and Hammock Hitches
Aerial Essentials
https://www.aerialessentials.com
**Notes: Make sure to purchase TWO o-rings or hammock hitches for hammocks.
Rescue-8s:
Aerial Essentials
https://www.aerialessentials.com/product/aerial-8/
Carabiners
Aerial Essentials (steel)
https://www.aerialessentials.com/product/carabiner/
**Notes: If purchasing a carabiner for a hammock, make sure it is a D-carabiner and NOT an oval carabiner. Oval carabiners should NOT be tri-loaded with two hammock rings.
Fusion Climb (aluminum)
https://www.fusionclimb.com/collections/carabiner-1/products/swift-auto-lock-aluminium
Swivels
Aerial Essentials
https://www.aerialessentials.com/product/aerial-swivel/
Daisy Chains
REI
Look for a daisy chain that looks like this, individual loops joined together like a chain.
Do NOT use daisy chains that look like this, a continuous strip with loops sewn in, as they are not designed to handle the forces we can generate.
