Brave Beaver Tree Weave
The Brave Beaver Tree Weave is an incredibly bouncy single-level tree net located near the small town of Stroh, Indiana. The Tree Weaves team was contacted to build a fun and unique tree net to add value to the experience of summer camp goers in Northern Indiana. This play structure was designed to be a prominent feature for the lucky campers staying in the Brave Beaver cabins at the sprawling grounds of Camp Lakewood.
Design and Intention For This Tree Net
We designed this net with the intention of it serving several purposes for the campers and camp counselors. First, the net brings a fun and vibrant play structure for kids to jump on and stay active. Tree Weaves are designed with the intention of being played on and used for fun. In constructing this net, we wanted the main platform to be fairly wide and spacious to allow for multiple campers to be jumping around and using the tree net at the same time.
The second purpose behind the design for the Brave Beaver Tree Weave is to serve as a place for campers to gather around while counselors are making announcements or leading the campers in prayer. The wide single-level platform is perfect for gathering the campers together in a single spot so that the counselors can address everyone with ease. This tree net is designed in the shape of a triangle with a wide, flat back area on the main platform. The spacious back side of the tree net allows plenty of space for campers to gather together up on the net. A central point to the triangular shape of the tree net is formed at the entrance/exit portal. This area acts as an ideal focal point for counselors to stand as they talk to their campers.
We also intended this tree net to essentially serve as a cabin in the trees for campers on dry nights. When the weather is nice, campers can enjoy the ultimate camp experience of sleeping under the stars and amongst the trees. We always encourage our clients to try bringing out some blankets, sleeping bags, and pillows onto their Tree Weaves and spend a night out on the net. Our tree nets can be surprisingly comfortable to lay on and spending the night in one of our weaves can be an immersive nature experience.
Color Scheme
The main platform, walls, and ramp of the Brave Beaver Tree Weave was built using different shades of blue 550 paracord including:
Our color scheme for this tree net was inspired by the camp color for the Brave Beaver cabins: Blue. Often, we use three or more different colors in our nets to help add contrast, dimension, and aesthetic beauty to the design. However, this was an opportunity to use different shades of the same color in a design. We had a lot of fun weaving with these hues of blue and thought the decision to stick with one primary color really paid off in the end.
Main Floor and Walls
The vast majority of paracord woven into the floor of the main platform was woven from underneath without anyone sitting or standing on the net. Weaving a floor in this manner allows us to increase the tension of the floor which can add a more taught and bouncy feel to a tree net. In using this technique on the Brave Beaver Tree Weave, we created an easy-to-walk-on platform that is super bouncy and incredibly fun to jump around on.
The main floor of the Brave Beaver Tree Weave also has two fun visual additions. The first is a large rectangular crochet design. Crochet designs such as this are fun addons we can weave into the floor or walls of a tree net for any clients looking to add some extra beauty to their custom Tree Weave. We added this feature to provide a unique look to the floor that helped add some texture as well. This feature also serves as an indicator of where campers can sit while being addressed by camp counselors on the tree net.
The other addition is a large oval woven into the center of the platform. Again, we thought this added a fun aesthetic to the floor of the tree net, but it also serves the function of designating a focal point for counselors to stand on while they address their campers.
Any tree net or playground structure that Tree Weaves builds has walls constructed around the standing platforms of the nets. This is a safety feature which prevents anyone using the nets from falling out. In designing the walls for the Brave Beaver Tree Weave, our team decided to separate the walls into three horizontal sections. These sections are divided by blue 1” tubular webbing. Each section is woven using the three different shades of blue paracord used throughout the Brave Beaver Tree Weave to provide contrast to the wall and a beautiful design look as well.
Visitors to this net may also notice that branches from the surrounding trees and saplings are woven into the walls of this tree net. The build teams at Tree Weaves always try to do this instead of cutting branches, trees, or saplings whenever possible. Not only do we like to preserve the natural beauty of our installation sites, but this also creates a gorgeous effect when these tree branches are in bloom.
Entry/Exit Ramp
One of the other features of the Brave Beaver Tree Weave that the Tree Weaves team is really fond of is the entry/exit ramp and portal. We often use ramps as a great way to access our nets from the ground or to travel between levels in a multi-level or large scale tree net.
The entry/exit ramp starts at the base of the tree used to form the head of the triangle shape of this tree net. The ramp has a landing platform slightly raised off of the ground that is formed using anchor bolts at the base of the tree and two earth anchors. While we do not often use earth anchors on an installation, we found that this helped create a squarish landing platform that is very taught and easy to step on.
From this platform, the ramp continues up at a roughly 60° angle. This angle is slightly steeper than our typical entry ramp, but it is still very easy to climb the ramp. Our team added several hand/footholds woven into the ramp that help anyone looking to access this tree net get onto the main platform without difficulty. We also thought this would add a fun playground feel for the campers that will be using this net on a regular basis.
Coxcomb Entry Portal
When entering or exiting the Brave Beaver Tree Weave, users must go through the portal at the top of the entry ramp. We do not always add entry or exit portals to our nets as it can create a smaller entry pathway. However, we thought a portal would add a whimsical feel to this tree weave that the campers at Camp Lakewood would really enjoy. Additionally, the smaller portal helped add safety to the net, providing a place for kids playing on the net to grab onto and prevent any accidental falls out of the entry and exit area of the playscape.
Our team also decided to coxcomb the rope used to form the perimeter of the entry portal for this tree net. The coxcomb technique is a tool the Tree Weaves team will use to help add a great grip feel to areas of the net that also has a wonderfully aesthetic look as well. This extra grip around the entry portal perimeter helps make it easier for people to pull themselves up into the net or ease their climb down from the net.
Share Your Experience With Us!
The team at Tree Weaves always love to hear about visitor’s experiences when using one of our installations throughout the country or seeing photos and videos of people enjoying our tree nets.
Anyone looking to see more photos and videos from the Brave Beaver Tree Weave can checkout the Tree Weaves Instagram page. If you would like to share any media from this installation on instagram, please use the hashtag #bravebeavertreeweave.