Outdoor fitness trails: Light In Fitness compared with Kompan
An outdoor fitness trail is bought on four numbers: the price per station, the critical fall height that drives the surfacing bill, the spare-parts availability period, and the installed cost per user served. Light In Fitness publishes wooden trail stations from 340.00 EUR excluding VAT and galvanised steel stations from 800.00 EUR excluding VAT, with EN 16630, EN 1176 and EN ISO 20957 references stated per range and 10-year spare-parts availability on the Work-fit wooden range. Kompan is the Danish group whose outdoor fitness and play catalogue is specified worldwide, with research conducted with the University of Southern Denmark and a quotation-led sales process. This guide is the scoring grid a municipality, school or campus can use on either.
Decide what the trail is for before you look at any catalogue
A fitness trail serves one of four populations, and the equipment is genuinely different for each:
- General public in an open park — low technical demand, high visual appeal, resistance-free or body-weight stations, and signage that explains the exercise without supervision.
- Older adults and rehabilitation — seated stations, handrails, gentle range of movement, non-slip approaches, and equipment that can be used with a walking aid nearby.
- Schools and campuses — equipment sized by age group, EN 1176 compliance where children use it, and enough stations that a class of 25 is not queuing.
- Sports clubs, uniformed services and performance sites — heavier structures, pull-up and dip work, obstacle and parkour modules to EN 16899.
Trying to serve all four on one budget produces a trail that suits none of them. Write the user population into the specification first.
Comparison: what to score on each bid
| Criterion | Light In Fitness | Kompan |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Manufacturer and distributor, European production, direct supply | International Danish group with a worldwide catalogue and local consultants |
| Price visibility | Published on the product page: wooden trail stations from 340.00 EUR, inclusive stations from 720.00 EUR, excluding VAT | Quotation-led: an enquiry form leads to a consultation, then a proposal |
| First response | Itemised quotation within 24 working hours, PDF, including delivery and finance options | Published process: a response within 1 to 2 working days to arrange a consultation |
| Custom manufacture | Built to client drawings, single unit to series, with inspection and test documentation and powder-coat colour to specification | Catalogue customisation: colours, configurations, layouts and standard packages |
| Standards documented | EN 16630, EN ISO 20957, impact area to EN 1176-1:2017, stated publicly per range | European standards compliance stated at range level |
| Materials | Laminated Scots pine, class IV autoclave treatment, AISI 304 stainless fixings on the wooden range; hot-dip galvanised steel on the TRAINER and Steel4Fit ranges; stainless steel 316L on ranges explicitly designated stainless | Robinia wood ranges, steel structures, published per range |
| Spare parts and warranty | 10-year spare-parts availability on the Work-fit range; minimum 2 years parts and 5 years structure | Extended warranty and inspection programmes, detailed at consultation |
| Delivery scope | Site audit, 3D layout, anchoring and drainage validation, impact-attenuating surfacing, installation, after-sales response within 48 working hours | Support through the group’s local consultant network |
Both routes work. A quotation-led process suits large multi-site programmes where a consultant adds real design value; a published price list suits a single site that has to be budgeted, approved and delivered inside one financial year.
Published prices: the wooden Work-fit trail
| Station | Function | Price excluding VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Jump obstacle module | Plyometrics, agility | 340.00 EUR |
| Squat station | Lower body | 380.00 EUR |
| Balance beam | Proprioception | 475.00 EUR |
| Jump and balance blocks, stainless steel | Agility, balance | 590.00 EUR |
| Pull-up bars, two heights | Upper body | 640.00 EUR |
| Push-up bars, stainless steel | Upper body | 640.00 EUR |
| Two-level balance beam | Proprioception | 640.00 EUR |
| Parallel bars, bar walk | Upper body, gait | 705.00 EUR |
| High jump station | Power | 780.00 EUR |
| Lumbar bench | Posterior chain | 940.00 EUR |
| Abdominal bench | Core | 960.00 EUR |
| Clinging station | Grip, upper body | 1,050.00 EUR |
| Agility jump ladder | Coordination | 1,300.00 EUR |
| Wall bars | Mobility, stretching | 1,470.00 EUR |
| Pulse multi-station | Circuit | 1,950.00 EUR |
| Balance trail | Full circuit | 2,080.00 EUR |
| Lumbar and abdominal bench combination | Core circuit | 2,620.00 EUR |
| Climbing structure | Full body | 4,025.00 EUR |
Galvanised steel health-trail stations are published from 800.00 EUR excluding VAT for parallel bars to 2,400.00 EUR for a seated chest press, and inclusive wheelchair-accessible stations from 720.00 EUR to 3,650.00 EUR. Children’s activity sets run 2,055.00 to 5,350.00 EUR, and certified parkour installations to EN 16899 and EN 1176 from 18,550.00 EUR.
Surfacing: the line that sinks outdoor budgets
Under EN 1177, any station from which a user can fall from above 600 mm requires impact-attenuating surfacing sized to the critical fall height of the highest accessible point. This is frequently the largest single line in an outdoor project and it is routinely underestimated at budget stage.
| Free height of fall | Typical surfacing requirement | Budget consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Below 600 mm | No impact-attenuating surface required | Grass or existing surface may suffice |
| 600 mm to 1,500 mm | Rubber tiles or bonded surfacing, or loose fill at specified depth | Add the impact area of each station to the paved area |
| Above 1,500 mm | Higher-performance surfacing, tested to the stated critical fall height | Frequently 30 to 50% of total project cost |
Two rules that save money: choose stations with lower accessible heights where the training objective allows, and group the high-fall stations together so that one continuous impact area serves several units rather than several separate ones.
Whole-life cost, not purchase price
Score every bid on a ten-year basis, not on the purchase order:
- Spare-parts availability period. Ask for it in years, in writing. A 10-year commitment on the wooden Work-fit range means a damaged component in year 8 is a repair rather than a replacement of the whole station.
- Inspection regime. Routine visual, operational and annual main inspections. Price the annual inspection into the operating budget from day one.
- Timber treatment. Class IV autoclave treatment is the reference for wood in permanent ground contact. Ask for the treatment class, not the phrase “treated”.
- Fixings. AISI 304 stainless is appropriate inland. Coastal or de-icing-salt sites need stainless steel 316L, structure and fixings alike.
- Vandalism and replacement. Cost the two or three components most likely to be damaged, and hold them on site.
Three worked configurations
| Project | Stations | Equipment budget excluding VAT |
|---|---|---|
| Village or neighbourhood trail, 8 stations, wood | Balance beam, squat, pull-up bars, parallel bars, ab bench, lumbar bench, wall bars, jump module | Approx. 6,005 EUR |
| Park circuit with inclusive provision, 10 stations | 6 galvanised stations plus 4 wheelchair-accessible stations | Approx. 15,000 to 18,000 EUR |
| School activity circuit | Children’s activity set plus 4 age-appropriate stations plus surfacing | Approx. 12,000 to 20,000 EUR |
Equipment only. Groundworks, anchoring, drainage, surfacing to EN 1177, signage, delivery and installation are quoted separately and typically add 25 to 40%. Treat these as project estimates, not quotations.
Which route for which project
- Municipality with a single site and a fixed budget cycle — published unit prices and a quotation within 24 working hours make the approval process fit inside one financial year.
- Multi-site programme across several regions — a consultant-led design process, from either supplier, is worth the time it costs.
- School or campus — specify EN 1176 alongside EN 16630, size stations by age group, and design the impact areas before choosing the equipment.
- Site requiring bespoke geometry — sloping ground, a heritage constraint or an age-specific height schedule needs a manufacturer working to drawings, not a catalogue combination.
- Coastal or pool-side site — stainless steel 316L throughout. See our guide to outdoor strength equipment and materials.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an outdoor fitness trail cost?
Individual wooden stations are published from 340.00 EUR excluding VAT, galvanised steel stations from 800.00 EUR and inclusive wheelchair-accessible stations from 720.00 EUR. An eight-station wooden trail comes to roughly 6,000 EUR excluding VAT in equipment, before groundworks, surfacing and installation, which typically add 25 to 40%.
Which standards apply to a fitness trail?
EN 16630 for permanently installed outdoor fitness equipment, EN 1176 where children use the installation, EN 1177 for impact-attenuating surfacing and critical fall height, and EN 16899 for parkour equipment. Loaded training machines should also carry an EN ISO 20957-1:2024 class S or class I declaration.
Wood or steel for an outdoor fitness trail?
Laminated pine with class IV autoclave treatment reads well in a landscaped or natural setting and is economical per station. Hot-dip galvanised steel takes heavier use and is easier to maintain in a high-traffic urban park. Stainless steel 316L is reserved for chloride environments such as coastal and pool-side sites.
How long should spare parts remain available?
Ask for a written availability period. Ten years is a reasonable benchmark and is what Light In Fitness commits to on the Work-fit wooden range. Without it, a damaged component in year seven can mean replacing an entire station.
How many stations does a trail need?
For a neighbourhood park, 6 to 10 stations spread along a walking route works well; for a school circuit used by a class of 25, plan enough stations that no more than three pupils queue at any point. Distribute upper body, lower body, core and mobility functions rather than repeating the same movement pattern.
Planning a fitness trail? Send us the site plan, the user population and the available budget. Light In Fitness returns a 3D layout with station selection, standards references, impact areas to EN 1177, quantities and prices excluding VAT within 24 working hours, manufactures to drawing where the site requires it, and services the installation with a 48 working hour after-sales response.
Related guides: street workout park equipment and inclusive equipment specification.
