A11N Half Court Driveway Net Review

Is there such a thing as too much pickleball practice? We don’t think so! Drills and repetition help refine your skills beyond regular gameplay—and let’s be honest, even practice is part of the fun. But securing court time or justifying the cost when fees are involved can be a challenge.

That’s where portable mini nets and dink/volley boards come in, making it easier to practice at home or on the go. With so many options out there, we recently got our hands on one we were eager to test: the Half Court Driveway Net from A11N.

After two weeks of putting it through its paces—both in my driveway and indoors—I’m giving it a solid 4 out of 5 stars. Here’s why.

Quick Video

By The Numbers

Feature	Specification
Length	11 ft
USAP Regulation Height	36” at ends, 34” in the middle
Total Weight	8.05 lbs
Portability Size (in carrying bag)	25” x 8” diameter
Price	$44.99

Nuts And Bolts

• Powder-coated/painted steel tubing
• Shock cord connections
• Foam blocks for stowing tubes and net support
• Tension adjustment
• Nylon carrying bag

First Impressions

The first thing that stood out was the lightweight feel—I was pleasantly surprised when I picked up the box from my porch. Weighing just over 8 pounds, it was easy to carry.

Upon unboxing, two key features immediately caught my attention: 1) the molded foam blocks that securely hold the poles in place for effortless transport and storage, and 2) the integrated shock cords inside the metal tubing that keep all frame pieces connected.

Unfolding the net revealed a well-constructed, sturdy design with reinforced sleeves for added durability. Right away, I could tell that setup would be intuitive—no instructions needed. Time to put it to the test!

Assembly

I took the net to my driveway and started my stopwatch—because of course, I time things like this! My first attempt quickly taught me a trick: since the poles are connected by internal shock cords, stretching them out first makes aligning the male and female connections much easier.

The vertical support and legs slid into place easily, though a bit loosely. The horizontal support pieces took a little more effort due to the common compression button tabs, but they aligned without much trouble. The round foam blocks that hold the poles during storage now served as supports for the horizontal tubing.

Sliding the net on was smooth on one side, while the other took a little more effort due to tension—but I got the hang of it. My first setup took 3 minutes and 20 seconds. After that, I had it down to under 2 minutes. Easy peasy!

Game On: Play Testing

With cold and rainy weather outside, my first test took place indoors at our church gym—an ideal setting with high ceilings and bright lighting. Setup was a breeze, and within minutes, we were drilling. My wife and I started with dinking before moving into fast volleys. Despite its half-court width, we were still able to practice cross-court shots, drives, and serves. The net performed just as expected.

For my next few sessions, I took the A11N Driveway Net to its rightful place—my driveway. I kept it set up and simply slid it in and out of an empty space in my garage. At 11 feet wide, it was a perfect fit for my 12-foot-wide driveway. The net held up well, even in moderate wind, though stronger gusts would have pushed us indoors anyway.

The Pros and Cons

Comparison to Similar Nets

I recently tested The Dink Net by Picklin’. The biggest difference? It’s only 5 feet wide, whereas I prefer the half-court size for a greater variety of drills and even modified gameplay.

Setup is quick, with slide-together poles and a net that attaches with good tension. Like the A11N net, it can be adjusted for wall drills. However, one notable difference is that The Dink Net measures about 35.5 inches at the center, while the ends remain at 36 inches.

The Final Score

Category	Rating (1 Out of 5)
Design	🎾🎾🎾🎾
Build/Finish	🎾🎾🎾
Setup/Tear-down	🎾🎾🎾🎾🎾 (4.5)
Function	🎾🎾🎾🎾🎾 (4.75)
Price Point/Value	🎾🎾🎾🎾 (4.25)
OVERALL	🎾🎾🎾🎾

The A11N Driveway Net offers great value for its price, especially with its half-court size and portability. However, I do have some durability concerns, particularly with the paint finish, and potentially the internal shock cords, and tube fittings. That said, these issues aren’t unique to this brand—most mini practice nets in this price range are mass-produced overseas and may have similar drawbacks.

Still, whether you choose the A11N Driveway Net or another brand, I highly recommend getting one. The portability alone makes it a fantastic tool for extra practice anytime, anywhere.

Pickle on my friends, pickle on…