Tent Stakes ?

I was just wondering what kinda tent stakes eveyone used . i need to pick up a few and figd id get some opinions first.

Depends on where you are planning to camp. Different types of stakes for different conditions. For instance, If your gonna be in the woods, you can make stakes of wood and not have the weight of packing stakes. Your profile tells nothing of what part of the country your in?

i didnt post the question for pepole to post the obvious . after all that you still didnt say anything about what kinda stakes you used for diff ocasions.

im in ga but i hike across the states.

i dont understand was so hard to forum pepole about answering simple questions .

the question as stated ask what kind of stakes you guys use not what kinda stakes i need ill be the ultimate judge of that. trip by trip. i was just wandering if maybe u guys insight on what "you use" might help persaude me into picking diff stakes. for diff situations.

sorry im noy trying to be a jerk but it seems like every time i ask a question pepole act like they cant answer it. because i didnt specify a certain varible.

I got tired of stakes that bend like crazy, and others that were too heavy. At a hiking store I piked up some that are really strong and light. They are colored blue and I believe they are made of titanium. I don’t know what brand they are. Sorry you are having trouble getting a straight answer.

Howie

I've been using the bright gold colored Easton round tubular stakes, the ones with the silver aluminum head on it, for probably the last 15 years. I must admit that maybe one or two have bent over the years, but probably due to operator malfunction than anything else. I think they're about $2.00 ea. Ed.

My favorite stakes are made of carbon fiber tubing. I've made my own and used the ones that are sold here:http://www.titaniumgoat.com/products.html

I prefer the longer (9" ones) because they hold better in loose soil.

I also carry a few lightweight titanium stakes for use if the soil is very hard. They don't hold well in soft soil, however.

To me it doesn't much matter. I have a slight preference for the "T-bar" design aluminum stakes. I have a couple of the wire designs that somebody lost.

The weight savings of one or another design seem trivial. The wires go into stoney ground easier, but the "T"s are more secure.

When the ground is frozen and there is little or no snow, stakes often don't work well, and rocks or other expedients are required. Same thing, for different reasons, in loose beach sand. Sometimes a fairly long, stout stick, laid horizontally, can be stabilized with rocks.

In snow, relatively large sticks work better for me than any stakes. Bury them horizontally. Disturbed snow will magically harden. I've also relied on cookware. A Sierra cup works well. I hear some use stuffsacks, or plastic shopping bags filled with snow.. Beware of melt-out during warm sunny days.

I like the Y-shaped aluminum stakes from MSR and Golite. They weigh the same as my Ti needle stakes, but hold much better. I have never, ever had any success making tent stakes from sticks out in the woods. (Part of that may be that I am using a tarp, which puts a lot more stress on the stakes than a free-standing tent does.)

Complaining when other members ask you to be more specific in your questions is not going to encourage anyone to answer a generic question.

Questions like yours get asked and answered regularly here. Use the search engine to view past threads about whatever it is you want to know. That is why they are archived-to be a resource for commonly asked questions.

I use big snow stakes from SMC.

TomD....even though I gave this person a straight forward answer, I agree whole-heartedly with your response. Ed

I use Eastons, Groundhogs, titanium needles, aluminum needles, cheapie plastic, cheapie aluminum "shepherd hooks", titanium shepherd hooks, snow stakes and sharpened sticks.

There's your answer, but how valuable is this information? It's no secret that different people use different stakes.

Kelty Nobendiums, which I get from Campmor. In winter, snow stakes from Black Diamond.

I have MSR groundhogs that work great in the Sierra Nevada dirt. I have also used branches, big rocks, small trees and a variety of other items to tie the guy lines of my tarp down. Since I hang my hammock over places the tenters don't want to camp I can get creative that way.

I think you guys are a bit harsh to newbies. Just for fun, I just tried the search engine to find Tent Stakes or Tent Pegs and most of what came up is just what has been posted right here at this thread. The rest of the stuff that came up seemed to be irrelevant to the question at hand. Perhaps some of you guys need to chill out and take a little more caffeine with your coffee? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Howie

It's interesting how we can be so impersonal on the web, isn't it? For me, it's hard to even care now whether you find what your looking for. Impatience is a characteristic that isn't going to get you that far on this forum.

Most of us try, as much as possible, to be as civil as we can with our answers. That is why I frequent this forum, because I know that most of the folks who comment aren't just knowledgeable, but are thoughtful as well.

A simple rewording of your initial question, without the obvious expressed annoyance you're suffering through, would garner a more positive response. Whether or not you like the answers to your questions, perhaps someone else may have benefited.

Having said that, I can understand your frustration. MSR makes an incredibly light (9 grams) stake called the MSR Needle Stake. It is small, doesn't have much surface area for holding in loose ground, but is super strong. They come with all of our Fast and Light tents. The MSR Groundhog II Stake is our strongest stake and are a bit more usable in soft, loose ground. They can also be pounded with a rock even though they are made from aluminum. The material and design of these stakes make them some of the strongest and lightest on the market and the choice of most experienced backpackers and mountaineers. If your in sand or snow, the MSR Blizzard Stake seem to work well. SMC also make similar stakes. The SMC Snow Fluke has also been a reliable snow stake.

I've also used a sand "stake" which consists of a 4"X4" piece of material with tie offs attached to the material. You simply fill the small square with sand and bury it. If done right, you get a very solid anchor. They are called the Mountain Hardware Sand Anchor.

Good luck on your search.

I use msr groundhogs for my tent body and aluminum shepherds hooks for the fly. this is so that i can re-pitch the fly if it starts raining very easily. my groudhogs have holes drilled in 2 sides to reduce weight, and they hold a bit better with the holes in loose sand. I find this combo works well almost everywhere i go.

Thanks. I wasn't trying to be a smart [Edited for inappropriate languge, please review forum policies for more information] or trying to ask a question with a question. And I wasn't trying to state the obvious. I was trying to be helpful.
If the question was posed face to face I would have asked the same question.
BTW I use cheap aluminum stakes and pile rocks on them so they don't pull out for my guy outs on my hammock. For my fly I use either cheap plastic or ty off to small trees. Also, when I first got on this forum I made a snippy comment to someone that I since appologised to. I took his signiture wrong. I also discovered that that person served in the current war. I thanked him for serving.
Learn to Chill and make friends. I have learned so much on this forum. Even experts don't know everything.

Don't you mean a little less caffeine?

For me the more caffeine the better <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> But you are right. For some it might be better with less.

Howie

Those Easton stakes make me very nervous. My Contrail came with them and the first time I set it up one of them came apart (and that was on my lawn). I used my vise to mush it so that it would stay on, but the experience left me feeling uneasy about relying on them in the wild. I replaced them with GroundHogs due to some recommendations here. I may have had the only Easton stake to fail ever, but a one-piece stake has zero chance of coming apart, and I like those chances better that one in a million.

Well, what can I say? They've true and blue for me.....not saying that maybe there aren't better out there, for a price, but for me, they've worked all too well. That's just one man's opinion. Thanks MM...Ed

Howie,

I LUST for your Ti stakes. They have got to be really strong... even if twice the weight of aluminum.

I use MSR Groundhogs B/C they are light, strong and hold like mad in soft soil (as well as nesting well to take up less space).

Now if MSR would make a run of Ti Groundhogs for really hard, nasty soil I'd buy 6.

Oh, yeah Samoset, you Narragansett Indian, I use SMC snow stakes in winter.

Eric

I am a caffine addict too. As a matter of fact I'm drinking a pot now <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

i did search first and i really didnt mean to offend anyone !

thanks for you guys opinions. feal free to keep them comming im not planning to get out untill it gets cooler, and my work load slows . but thank you anyways i apreiciate the help. by the way i use aluminum cheapies and some wooden homemade ones . i beleave at one time i had a galvanized gutter nail i used <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

ps: sorry i didnt mean too upset anyone

cherokee, black foot & italian Who Knew? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Samoset:

Sand and loose soil:
lightweight aluminum "V" stakes with small holes drilled through them (7 per stake). Sometimes use a "deadman"anchor.

Snow:
SMC small snow stakes with medium sized holes drilled through them (4 per stake)...some come pre-drilled. Sometimes use a "deadman" anchor.

Hard or packed ground/rocks:
Vargo titanium sheppard's hook stakes or MSR needle stakes (both the same weight, by the way). I have drilled several small holes through the MSR needle stakes.

I add holes to many of my stakes in order to 1: save a small amount of weight, and 2: to add holding power in snow and wet sand (we get a lot of wet here in Oregon)...the holes fill up and close around the stakes, making them "set" in the soil more strongly. Be sure not to drill too many holes or it will compromise the stakes structural integrity and they will bend more easily.

It really depends on the weather, type of soil and how much weight i want to carry. Each trip is different and it is always a trade off between weight and holding power. I hope this helps!

Bigfoot


<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Me. Cherokee, Irish, German, French. One day the list will be so long that people won't really know their tree. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Has anyone used SMC T-anchors in sand? The only reviews I can find are for use in snow. They are sold as being for snow, sand, and scree. They are kind of pricey.