Hello every one this is my first post. I am 48 with 2 heart atacks but I made up my mined on new years I wanted to backpacking with my Samoyed . So have worked on getting things in order. With very little extra money sold things to get what I have. Last week I got a used Alps Mountaineering Zephyr 1 tent and was wanting to know what would be the best tent pegs to get for it . And tent guide lines to lighten it up . I do like the tent a lot a little heavy but only 65 bucks and not the 400 plus for the carbon fiber I wanted. I just can't use a tarp way to many bugs and storms in missouri.

Welcome to the forums. I'm going to assume that you'll be hiking and camping locally: Missouri, maybe Kansas, Illinois - generally the forested areas of the midwest, where the soil is usually some proportion of clay.

If so, your choice of tent stakes is pretty straightforward: just about anything will hold, including those thin little steel hooks. The biggest issue you'll face is bending them as you push them in and they hit a rock or root. If that's a problem, you may want to use the X or Y shaped (cross-section) pegs similar to the MSR Groundhog stakes (there are cheaper versions.)

If you want to go rock-bottom, go to the local hardware store and buy a handful of aluminum gutter nails - cheap, light, sturdy and 6 or 8 inches long, with a head to loop the guy lines around.

For guy lines, you can get some nylon cord (the thinnest they have) while you're picking up the gutter nails. However, for a little bit more, you can get cord with reflective bits in it; those are nice for nighttime, when you've taken a short middle-of-the-night walk to "commune with nature" and need a visual to remember exactly where camp is. It also helps avoid tripping over the guy lines. (Well, mostly helps. ) If you decide to go that route, check places like the local outfitter or REI; they sometimes sell guy line and stakes in kits.

Welcome!

I assume that the tent came without stakes and guylines? If it does have them, use what you have for a while.

For guylines, I would use Kelty Triptease or Gossamer Gear EZC2. Both are reflective. Having stumbled over a number of guylines at night, even with a flashlight, I wouldn't use anything but reflective guyline!

For tent states, I use the titanium shepherd hook style. These go in a lot better where the soil is rocky or rooty, because they take up less space--you are more apt to find a place where the stake will go in. They also weigh a lot less than other stakes. Either get the kind that are painted with blaze orange paint, or paint the stakes yourself (you'll have to repaint at least once a year), because plain titanium-color stakes are very hard to find. If the soil is so rocky you can't get the stake very far in, or if the soil is really loose, I use a rock on top of the stake (some extra cord is needed to do this). Don't try to hammer these stakes; every tent stake made will bend if you try to hammer it through a rock or root! If the stake won't push in, move it an inch and try again. These stakes weigh about 0.25 ounce each so can save considerable weight if your tent uses a lot of stakes.

Many prefer something like the MSR Groundhog (0.6 ounce each) for loose soil conditions. There are also stakes (a foot long and weigh an ounce each) which are made for sand and snow.

I strongly recommend that you set your tent up in the back yard and test it with a hose. You may have to do some seam sealing to make it waterproof. You don't want to get out on the trail and then find out about leaks!

No matter what stakes you take, you may still find ground conditions where they don't work. Learn how to improvise. Sturdy sticks can work well in loose soil. You can tie off to trees, logs, or large rocks, or run a stick through the end of the guyline and put a rock on each side of it. I only bring the 6" titanium shepherd's-hook stakes, because they are light and I know I can get the tent up anyway if they don't hold.

I was thinking of getting the spectra cord but don't what size is best and titanium stakes so I think I. Mostly will go down south to Arkansa or Truman lake and oazark trail there just is not any good close places here.most of the areas are rocky.its been 20 years but I use to backpack and rember many times of not getting stakes in the rocks. LOL I still have my 1981 inturnal frame North Face pack and had to add 6in to the belt. The pack still looks loke new. But I did get a new Ospray Exos 46 pack to find I hate the belt to little and makes my pants fall off . NOT GOOD so just hooked it around the back of the pack thinking of cutting it all off.

Heh. Titanium stakes in a 65 dollar tent?

I have the several hundred dollar tent and I just use nice light cheap aluminum ones.

Well I was just asking what every one liked. Think it will not hert to spend a little extra and maby have ones that are lighter and stronger so what now I have a tent for 140 just as light and well bult as a huba tent and half the price . I have stayed in my price range. And if its nice and not a buggy area then I also have my lighter cabellas 10x10 tarp. I like tarps to and have sleep under them in the snow in the past. I am not going back to the old days of the Marine Corps humping 70 lbs for days on end with blisters 4 deep on my heals and my bones on my left knee rubbing past the cartlage not a fun feelinng. Yes I did that in my past. I have I think a fare start I have it down to a summer base weight of 13 lbs with the tent.Ospray Exos 46 pack . GSI pot and dr peper stove. My Neo air mat with sheet and blanket made just for it. I just made my frezer bag cozy and got the book on frezer bag cooking I ordered the other day.hey if I can get it lighter I am open minded.

Check out Lawson Outdoor Equipment. Lawson sells some 7" Ti Shepard Hook stakes for $1.75 each and shipping is pretty inexpensive as well. These stakes are tougher than they look and super light to boot!

I used to use groundhog stakes but have changed over to these now. I will admit, going from the large Groundhogs to these slender things took a few times to get used too, but in the end I am super happy with their results.

He also makes some Ti-Eye stakes as well, but currently these are not in stock. They are the same as the Shepard Hook stakes, only the hook is bent all the way around to form an eye at the top rather than a hook. These are nice as well.

If you want to shave a few more grams and have the right tools available you can use standard Ti Shepard Hook stakes for the main tent lines or corners, then grind 2 or more stakes to about 4" long for light-duty lines, like the side fly-pullouts. Take the tent out a few times before doing this and get a feel for which stakes receive less stress. You can always cut the stakes shorter but it is really hard to make them longer.

Haha...so true...