Tent Stake Advice

[badknees]

When using the wire stakes sometimes you have to use two or three at each stake loop, placing them at angles to provide more resistance in soft dirt.

Take a stick (sotol is good), about 1-2' long, put it through the loop. lay it on the ground and pile rocks on it. (See the side fly attachment in my previous post)

[oldfatman]

Badknees and RichardM, I am in Kemah Tx right now for a couple of weeks. For the last few days I was thinking I needed travel trailer stakes instead of tent stakes with these evening storms we are having. My campsite is very close to the Kemah Boardwalk and I would not like being on some of their rides in the evening storms we have been having.

Thank every one for the information on the stakes.  My new Tetragon 5 is due in on Monday. Most likely I will purchase at least one alternative set of stakes to carry in the truck until I get to the proper spot then chose based on the good information I have received here.
 I still have to decide on a backpack by next September.  DARN that means going to the TOY STORES again and again.

[badknees]

Badknees and RichardM, I am in Kemah Tx right now for a couple of weeks. For the last few days I was thinking I needed travel trailer stakes instead of tent stakes with these evening storms we are having. My campsite is very close to the Kemah Boardwalk and I would not like being on some of their rides in the evening storms we have been having.

Thank every one for the information on the stakes.  My new Tetragon 5 is due in on Monday. Most likely I will purchase at least one alternative set of stakes to carry in the truck until I get to the proper spot then chose based on the good information I have received here.
 I still have to decide on a backpack by next September.  DARN that means going to the TOY STORES again and again.

OFM,

You'll have a hard time finding rocks near Kemah, so your idea of travel trailer stakes is a good one.

Did it get a little windy in the past hour!!!!??

[uh_clem]

FWIW I got some 8" spikes at the hardware store and they work real well in rocky soil. I added some washers to keep the loops from slipping over the heads. They would probably be too heavy for backpacking however.

[stingrey]

Those REI stakes in the first link look like the Big Agnes stakes that came w/my SL3... I LOVE those stakes! They are supremely light in comparison to other stakes I've used, and they are pretty strong, being able to be driven into the hard ground without much complaint. Taking a rock to hammer them in didn't seem to dent 'em on the top, either. I think Big Agnes borrowed their technology from the UFO scrap metal found in Roswell way back when!

Check the following URL, look for X-peg:

http://bigagnes.com/str_acc.php

Here's a direct link to the pic of the stakes:

http://bigagnes.com/resources/accessories/xpegstakes.jpg

[Red Hawk]

Best system I've seen yet are the ring bolts they install in the tent pads at GMNP.

Several years ago when I bought my Moss Olympic (best tent I've ever had, hands down) it came with mid weight hardened aluminum stakes that seem to be able to put up with most anything. Since then I've accumulated quite a collection of left behind stakes at various tent sites and have tried them all. The toughest are the big nails with a washer but they're heavy. Probably best for "most" situations (never seems to fit my situations) are the MSR Ground Hogs like EdB said way back when. I think if you keep a collection in the car,  you can shop for what you might need depending on expected conditions. And carry lots of spare cord for rocks.

[Ay Chihuahua!]

OFM,

Here is a good place to check out different stakes. 

I've been using Simon Metal's titanium tent stakes for some time now.  Because they are titanium, they will take a good deal of hammering without bending.  And because they are thin, they are easier to drive into the hard rocky ground.  Of course, because they are thin, they also don't necessarily stay fixed in looser soil, but placing rocks on top will get the job done.

I've also used the rock only method where you tie off a piece of chord to your corner tent loops and tie a fist-sized rock to the other end and then place a larger rock over the chord.  This works well too...especially in places where the whole ground is rock and it's impossible to drive stakes.

AC

[Flash]

This advise from Kelty helped me stake my 12' Noah's Tarp at the 3 Dog Campsite on the Dodson Trail back in August:

To make a strong tent anchor on hard or rock ground where stakes don’t work, we use the big rock little rock system.
 
We tie the guy line to a smaller rock and then place a large rock, or pile of rocks, on top of the line directly behind the small rock leading to the tent. The small rock acts as a chock stone and cannot be pulled under the bigger stone. This creates a strong and effective anchor in areas where it is difficult to get a good anchor otherwise.

I tied the guyline around a small dogbone shaped rock then placed a 40-lb rock on top of it. Held great during those strong wind gusts that came barrelling down the foothills. 

[Geezer]

Early on, someone alluded to the tarp option. They're generally less than half the weight of a tent
-- and you probably won't even need a tarp. Remember, you are going to a desert in the dry season! Really to
the desert in the midst of a record drought. I've been there six times between November and March and was rained
on only once -- about 50 drops. Sleeping out under the stars is a great treat in BB. With a tarp you will need some
stakes -- in the hard packed areas the MSR Groundhogs can usually be pounded in. If not, tie to a rock or vegetation.
I guess the vegetation better be dead, given the Park Service's rules.

Geezer

[Al]

Geezer, I am a tarp guy and more of a bush tie down guy than rock tie down guy too.  The potential problem with rocks is if you misjudge the necessary mass and there is a high wind, failure can occur in more ways than one with rocks ending up where you don't want them.  OUCH! When using a tarp be sure and bring plenty of fairly new nylon cord.  (The older the cord the more likely it no longer meets specs.) 

The most common problem with long runs to vegetation, in my limited experience, occurs when answering the call of nature and one fails to remember or see the cord as one ventures away from the campsite because of the long runs that may be necessary. Wrap twice around the base of the sturdy plant and use a taut line knot which will hold the tension and can be adjusted. 

http://iwillknot.com/taut_line/

Unlike the demo, tie the knot away from the plant so you can adjust the tension if required. 

Al

[Flash]

In addition to rocks, one corner of our Kelty tarp was supported by a handy nearby ocotillo. I passed the guyline around one sturdy stalk and then wrapped it around another and tied it off with a tautline. The ocotillo had just enough give for handling the wind gusts.