WhiteBlaze Pages 2024
A Complete Appalachian Trail Guidebook.
AVAILABLE NOW. $4 for interactive PDF(smartphone version)
Read more here WhiteBlaze Pages Store

Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 40

Thread: tent stakes

  1. #1
    Registered User
    Join Date
    11-08-2015
    Location
    the south
    Age
    73
    Posts
    197

    Default tent stakes

    I'm planning on using my Zpacks duplex tent on my attempt at a thruhike next year. Setting up in the soft/sandy soil of Florida where I live shows me that my 6" to 8" v shaped stakes don't hold in heavy wind nor even if I'm just adjusting lines. Anyone have any suggestions for soft ground stakes, or will I probably not have to worry about this on the AT?
    humor is the gadfly on the corpse of tragedy

  2. #2
    Registered User -Rush-'s Avatar
    Join Date
    05-10-2016
    Location
    GA
    Posts
    500
    Journal Entries
    3
    Images
    1

    Default

    The MSR Groundhog/Mini Groundhog stakes are all I use. Never had an issue with them along the southern AT.
    "Though I have lost the intimacy with the seasons since my hike, I retain the sense of perfect order, of graceful succession and surrender, and of the bold brilliance of fall leaves as they yield to death." - David Brill

  3. #3
    Registered User
    Join Date
    03-25-2014
    Location
    Westchester County, NY
    Posts
    2,305

    Default

    For my Duplex I use 2 Groundhogs for the ridgeline and Lawson Ti shepherd hooks (6.5") for the rest.

    I don't know about FL sand.

  4. #4

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by greensleep View Post
    I'm planning on using my Zpacks duplex tent on my attempt at a thruhike next year. Setting up in the soft/sandy soil of Florida where I live shows me that my 6" to 8" v shaped stakes don't hold in heavy wind nor even if I'm just adjusting lines. Anyone have any suggestions for soft ground stakes, or will I probably not have to worry about this on the AT?
    There's soft ground on the AT? It may be there somewhere but that isn't something I was planning for.

  5. #5
    Registered User
    Join Date
    08-08-2012
    Location
    Taghkanic, New York, United States
    Posts
    3,198
    Journal Entries
    11

    Default

    I used the small thin Ti shephard stakes for my 2013 thru with a z-pack heximid. There were a few times where I had to find a rock or log to hold one down, but really it is something easy to do on the AT when it is needed, so you can get away with those. I would consider replacing maybe 2 of them with minigroundhog stakes, as it is usually one critical stake that you are having trouble with, not all of them. The mini groundhog has plenty of bite.

  6. #6
    Registered User
    Join Date
    02-01-2016
    Location
    Chattanooga, Tennessee
    Posts
    1,054

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by FreeGoldRush View Post
    There's soft ground on the AT? It may be there somewhere but that isn't something I was planning for.
    I know. The cumberland trail area is rock-hard. Who knows what conditions will be like in the spring. OP will need to check and perhaps be ready to be flexible with cord, natural anchors, and so forth. That said, I'm unaware of any of the AT being Florida-sandy.

  7. #7
    Registered User
    Join Date
    02-01-2016
    Location
    Chattanooga, Tennessee
    Posts
    1,054

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by greensleep View Post
    Anyone have any suggestions for soft ground stakes, or will I probably not have to worry about this on the AT?
    P.S., I do carry an REI snow stake as a trowel. It could serve a dual purpose for sandy soil ... but I only carry one of them. If you really needed stakes for soft ground, you could carry two* of these and some of your V-ones.

    * Do any non-freestanding tents only require 1 stake?

  8. #8
    Hiker bigcranky's Avatar
    Join Date
    10-22-2002
    Location
    Winston-Salem, NC
    Age
    61
    Posts
    7,937
    Images
    296

    Default

    Not something to worry about. More likely you'll have problems getting the stakes into the %#^%^&$# rocky hard soil.
    Ken B
    'Big Cranky'
    Our Long Trail journal

  9. #9
    Registered User
    Join Date
    11-01-2014
    Location
    Anchorage, AK
    Age
    62
    Posts
    2,500

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by greensleep View Post
    . . .Setting up in the soft/sandy soil of Florida where I live shows me that my 6" to 8" v shaped stakes don't hold in heavy wind nor even if I'm just adjusting lines. Anyone have any suggestions for soft ground stakes, or will I probably not have to worry about this on the AT?
    As mostly touched on above.
    1) You are unlikely to run into truly soft/sandy soil in most places.
    2) A good sized rock on top of the key stakes is generally quite effective at holding stakes in soft soil. Actually, place the rock just forward of the stake on the guy line is best in many cases. Also, longer guy lines hold better because they pull at a lower angle.
    3) Carrying a variety of stakes is often a great idea. One or two groundhog stakes for one or two key guy points. Some titanium shepherd hooks or maybe even some aluminum gutter spikes for getting penetration in hard rocky soils. One gutter spike to "pre-drill" the soil for other stakes works quite well in hard/rocky soil. I like the ultra-light v-stakes for average conditions. Just don't think your tent needs to be staked out with all the same stakes at all the guy points in all different ground conditions.
    4) In extremely soft sand/snow conditions, various dead-man type staking techniques can work very well whether burying your stakes sideways or using bits of sticks or rocks, dead-men can work wonders.
    5) In soft soils, or anyplace else for that matter, an elastic shock absorber (rubber band or elastic cord) added to your guy lines dramatically reduces the load on your stakes, significantly reducing the likelihood of stakes pulling out or tents tearing in high winds.
    I'm not lost. I'm exploring.

  10. #10
    Registered User
    Join Date
    11-08-2015
    Location
    the south
    Age
    73
    Posts
    197

    Default

    Thanks to all who responded to this inquiry. I'm better prepared now.
    humor is the gadfly on the corpse of tragedy

  11. #11

    Default

    Get a free standing tent that doesn't require stakes or has minimal need(for the fly). They set up easier you don't have to worry about the ground as much. There are plenty of UL options out there.

    Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

  12. #12

    Default

    Like others have said, hard ground is the norm. A few nights, I was only able to get the stake in a few inches, and had to grab some ten pound rocks to pin it down. Fortunately, when you find a tent site that's pure rock, there will be big rocks lying around that others have used previously for the same purpose.

  13. #13
    Registered User Old Hiker's Avatar
    Join Date
    07-10-2009
    Location
    Tampa, Florida
    Posts
    2,593
    Images
    5

    Default

    I bought these in 2014: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    Not just for our FL sandy soils, but for my AT hike as well. Worked great both places in VERY heavy winds. \

    Painted the tops with bright red paint to make them more visible.
    Old Hiker
    AT Hike 2012 - 497 Miles of 2184
    AT Thru Hiker - 29 FEB - 03 OCT 2016 2189.1 miles
    Just because my teeth are showing, does NOT mean I'm smiling.
    Hányszor lennél inkább máshol?

  14. #14

    Join Date
    05-05-2011
    Location
    state of confusion
    Posts
    9,866
    Journal Entries
    1

    Default

    As long as rocks and logs are available, stakes are not an issue

    Thin ti Skewers are easier to get into rocky soil.

  15. #15

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by greensleep View Post
    I'm planning on using my Zpacks duplex tent on my attempt at a thruhike next year. Setting up in the soft/sandy soil of Florida where I live shows me that my 6" to 8" v shaped stakes don't hold in heavy wind nor even if I'm just adjusting lines. Anyone have any suggestions for soft ground stakes, or will I probably not have to worry about this on the AT?
    the AT is not FL...

  16. #16
    Registered User shelterbuilder's Avatar
    Join Date
    03-29-2007
    Location
    Reading, Pa.
    Age
    68
    Posts
    1,844
    Images
    18

    Default

    Also, if push comes to shove, you can always use some of your extra paracord to guy directly to a large rock (instead of trying to drive a stake into hard ground). I find that tying a small bowline on each end of the cord lets me make (almost) instant connections with any loop or upright pole, and by pulling the cord back through the loop of the bowline, you can get a good grip around almost any adequately-sized rock at the other end of the line. (For those of us who aren't really good with knots, think about "the rabbit, the hole, and the tree": make a small loop with the cord ("the hole"), let the excess cord ("the tree") dangle away from you, take the end of the cord ("the rabbit"), and then just follow the rabbit -- "the rabbit runs out of the hole, runs around the back of the tree, and runs down the hole again". Pull the knot tight, leaving a loop at the end, and there you are!!) [You do carry extra paracord, don't you?]
    Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass - it's about learning how to dance in the rain!

  17. #17

    Default

    I prefer a mix of different type stakes.
    A couple of nails, Eastons are nice...ti hooks, Lawson/Dutch and I have a groundhog I found.
    Varied soils require different stakes. I carry one ti nail as an extra.

  18. #18
    Registered User
    Join Date
    11-08-2015
    Location
    the south
    Age
    73
    Posts
    197

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Secondmouse View Post
    the AT is not FL...
    You're kidding
    humor is the gadfly on the corpse of tragedy

  19. #19
    Registered User Old Hiker's Avatar
    Join Date
    07-10-2009
    Location
    Tampa, Florida
    Posts
    2,593
    Images
    5

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by greensleep View Post
    You're kidding
    Nope - never saw a single gator. Or a married one, either.
    Old Hiker
    AT Hike 2012 - 497 Miles of 2184
    AT Thru Hiker - 29 FEB - 03 OCT 2016 2189.1 miles
    Just because my teeth are showing, does NOT mean I'm smiling.
    Hányszor lennél inkább máshol?

  20. #20
    Registered User Engine's Avatar
    Join Date
    03-29-2009
    Location
    Citrus Springs, FL
    Age
    58
    Posts
    1,673
    Images
    10

    Default

    When I ordered our Triplex from Zpacks, I also got the carbon fiber stakes...but it's been awhile since I've been up on the AT and I forgot how "concrete like" some of the tent spots can be. Now I'm wondering if the stakes will survive without shattering...
    “He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature.” –Socrates

Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
++ New Posts ++

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •