And at the same size when aluminium is lighter, titanium is stronger...Originally Posted by Franco
The strength of the tent peg material is what will keep it from bending or breaking. But its strength will not improve its holding power. That will be more a function of its dimensions.
You are right. Took me a minute but I was incorrectly perceiving somethings. TU for the correction.
Ti is something like 50% heavier than Aluminium (I love the way the Brits pronounce this...), but roughly twice as strong, so Ti stakes can be overall lighter for the same strength, though the AL ones, being thicker (for the same strength), would have that slightly more holding power... always tradeoffs...
I've used Ti "Shepherd hook" stakes for maybe 8 years now, always worked for me. Every once in a while I'll back up a particular holding with a flat rock on top of the line up against the stake. If I were camping in a primarily sandy soil area, I'd probably carry AL stakes with a Y shape, I have some never used, came with various tents.
If you are interested in Ti Y-shaped tent stakes check out Dutchware: http://www.dutchwaregear.com/stoves-...-stuff/stakes/
I haven't tried them yet, but anything that comes from Dutch is generally good quality stuff
That is a Vargo ALUMINUM Y stake. The V stake on that page is also a Vargo product, but in Ti. AFAIK, there is no Y shaped Ti tent stake...
It doesn't say it is Ti, it says aluminum.
Oops, I was thinking they were Y-shaped. The picture was an optical illusion.
And to a large degree: design.
It's why winter pegs look like they do, and why some manufacturers modify the standard cylindrical design. Of course, then comes the issue of driving them in, or removing them...often times a difficult task, along with the increased weight consideration.
I've had the same set of pegs for a couple decades: the old square MSR needle ones, recently re-released and sometimes for sale for under a buck apiece. Roughly 9 grams each and virtually unbendable, even at home in the desert, where the ground isn't always so compliant.
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I bought titanium stakes with at Traildays with a zpacks duplex. They didn't even make it a night. They bent so easily in rocky soil when pushing them in with my foot. Maybe I was doing something wrong? Anyway, I sent them home with my Big Agnes tent and kept the j-stakes from the B.A. They were excellent and I will never switch. The J-stakes are so strong that I could hammer them with a rock and did several times on my thru. Never bent at all and never let me down. I guess it depends on the terrain that you are camping on but if you hit a rock with a titanium stake they will bend. My opinion of titanium stakes is much worse than I'm letting on here...don't ask my real thoughts!
I find that a thin ti skewer stake is easier to slip (not pound) into spaces and cracks among the rocks rather than a thicker aluminum stake.
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"I bought titanium stakes with at Traildays with a zpacks duplex. They didn't even make it a night."
I have had Ti V stakes that I can bend with my hands with little effort and I do have Ti stakes (look almost the same...) that I can't.
So it has to do with the exact design and wall thickness.
BTW, same thing with Ti nail stakes.
My Lawson Ti skewers work just fine on the AT. I've only bent a single Mountainsmith Al v stake on top of Standing Indian. Never had to use anything more than the sole of my boot to push them in. I had to Dremel off the sharp edges on the Mountainsmiths. Same with the MSR's. No issue with the Shepherd Hook's. No abrasion. Especially if they are coated. This makes a difference when you get into the smaller diameter guy lines...of course, YMMV...
+
exactly
and if it not hold tight you put a big rock on it and call it a day.
Hey on a side note ti nails can be used for shish kabobs over a fire.
Hiking the AT is “pointless.” What life is not “pointless”? Is it not pointless to work paycheck to paycheck just to conform?.....I want to make my life less ordinary. AWOL
I bought a set of the ascent "V" stakes. They're too fragile for any rocky soil IMO.
I carry both.
Titanium is definitely my first choice. The way I pitch and the conditions I often see, aluminum doesn't work very well. I've actually hammered my Ti shepherd's crooks into frangible rock and have never broken one, nor bent one beyond easy field repair. I've never noticed the thinner diameter being a problem.
My shelter needs a minimum of four stakes. I carry four titanium for the critical points. I carry a few extra aluminum for optional guys and for storms, or to double them up in weak soil/sand.
I used the hollow aluminum (easton?) stakes that came with my tarptent for 2 years before I had one fail. Using the heel of my HAND, I haven't bent any yet. The one I bent last time out, I pushed in with my foot... and it may have gotten stepped on in the night, because I don't recall it being bent after pushing it in with my foot - in fact, it didn't go all the way in... I figured I wouldn't force it because it was hitting a root or a rock.
That same night, I found a Ti Shepard hook stake...
In loose sandy soil, the 6" easton (hollow) aluminum stakes have come loose during a windy night and almost come out. In other soils, they stay put and come out with a bit of wiggling to loosen them up. I have had the tops come off a few of them, which I later JB welded back on.
An we talk about snow steaks for a minute, what do you use? And I'm not talkin' about your favorite cuts swimming in a small visqueen lined depressum in da snow marinating in your favorite spice & swill...although that do sound good
Snow stakes... use found wood sticks about 8"-12" long and bury them sideways about 6" deep. Stomp the snow down to compact it and give it some time to consolidate, anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour, depending upon the quality of the snow. After a couple of hours you couldn't pull them out with a fully loaded garbage truck, which is why it's best to tie them to the stick with a good slip knot (mooring hitch in photo below) and leave a long tail of cord sticking out so you can just yank it and be on your way next morning.
I haven't carried specialized snow stakes since about 1994.
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Last edited by cmoulder; 01-05-2017 at 09:13.
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