first in response to Sleater's comment: "just watched the catch a kid video
it looks cumbersome and i wouldn't trust it alone as displayed in the video
i'd bet it'd lose tension within a summer or two

guess ultimately, i don't like the solution to be something a kid can crawl on above the water -- inevitably it'll become a toy ..."

here is what they say about that:
"4. What happens if my child falls or crawls onto the Katchakid?
The Katchakid serves as a barrier between the child and the water. As long as the net is in good condition, properly positioned and tensioned, the net will support the weight of a young child near the pool's edge. Katchakid's unique mesh size has a dual action: small enough to prevent a toddler's head from penetrating the net while simultaneously large enough to discourage movement. Most children will find the Katchakid uncomfortable and abrasive to move on, which will deter any further crawling on the net."

--http://www.advanced-pool-covers.com/faq.html#2

My parents had one of the green "winter" covers it was really hard to get on and off. It was usually the "chore of the spring" (and fall) to take it off and put it on. This one however is suppose to be able to go on in about 8 minutes and off in 5 - at least that's what they say.

They have some interesting points about using covers rather than fences on their site also:

http://www.advanced-pool-covers.com/net.html

and they claim it has been uv treated to last up to 8 years or so.
"14. How long can I expect my Katchakid to last?
We would estimate that a Katchakid that has been treated with a reasonable amount of care would last an average of eight years" - also from the faq section

In answer to your question about how often we use the pool, - I've only been in it twice, but we bought the house in Oct of last year and the water was to cold to swim, since that time I've just been watching it turn green while we are having to drain it and get the copeing and tile replaced. They're working on it this week.

I expect that we'll be using it a lot in the summer after it's fixed and filled back up. This net system was explained to me as a minor inconvience like a car seat... it takes a little time to get right at first but is just something that you have to be willing to use considering the potential outcome otherwise. One lady told me that she was able to remove and instal the net by herself while pregnant.

We have it scheduled to be installed sometime in the next few weeks, it takes them about 4 hrs to drill the holes for the anchor points.

I believe that it has a 5 year warranty, as long as my dog's don't chew on it!
(small sections of it can apparently be repaired but it isn't warrantied)

Like I said we'll have to just let you know later, in a month or so how good it works first hand.

I think that for our pool which is roughly 18'X36' (about 95' perimeter) with a few curve and all it was about $2K the mesh fences that we looked at were about the same amount after instalation and all. They do free estimates you just have to fax them a paper from the web site with the measurements on it. They may not be in all states, though you'd just have to call and ask. But we have also been putting extra locks on the doors going to the back yard and all so that our <1yr old can grow up safe.

The comment about not making it over 3 yrs but by the grace of God is probably true also... Parenting is hard work! but then most of you on this thread probably know that already. We seem like we're always looking back seeing "near miss" opportunities for injury.

I don't know if it's for everyone, but we'll see soon how it is for us. There's always a chance that it's a "lemmon." (as it's used for cars that never work right)

Regards.