I just replaced my stakes with these and they are awesome, so sharp they pierced right thru the frozen ground and you can see them very well for packing up
$_58.JPG
I just replaced my stakes with these and they are awesome, so sharp they pierced right thru the frozen ground and you can see them very well for packing up
$_58.JPG
Trail Miles: 5,265.4
AT Map 1: ✔ | 13-21'
Sheltowee Trace: ✔ | 20-23'
Pinhoti Trail: ✔ | 23-24'
Foothills Trail: ✔ | 24'
BMT: 168.3
CDT: 210.9
GSMNP900: 134.7
AT Map 2: 279.4
I have Ti pegs, Ti nails, Ti shepards hooks, gutter spikes, alum. shepards hooks but I always go to the 6" Easton Aluminum pegs.
I found any type of shepards hook will turn and release the guideline. Gutter spikes bend too easy and Ti nails are too thin to hold much.
The only negatives I've found with the Easton pegs is that a few have (2 over several years) had the head pop off. You can still use the peg and I've had good success with repairing using a drop of epoxy. They also will not take heavy pounding into rocky soil but that hasn't been a problem with a little care.
During my thru hike I tented every night on the trail except in the Smokys and when I finished I still had the same 6 Easton pegs I started with.
My second choice would Ti V shaped pegs.
"Chainsaw" GA-ME 2011
Just ordered these Ti shepherd's hook stakes from Lawson Equipment (their policy of no shipping costs on any order was a big plus):
http://lawsonequipment.com/Tent-Stakes/Titanium-Tent-Stake-6-5-p883.html
They're due to arrive this week, so I can't say anything positive or negative about them, and I'll try to remember to post up an initial remark when they arrive.
I do have experience with the Easton aluminum stakes and right now that is what I am using for all of my backpacking shelters. I am in the upstate of SC near the NC border and these stakes work very well for our area (we backpack in the Pisgah National Forest, the Cherokee National Forest, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park). I have only bent one and that as user error as I was hardheaded and continued to pound on it when it had hit a rock beneath the soil. Duh. Otherwise, these have proven to be rock solid and hold very well.
NOTE: If you opt for the Easton stakes, my experience has been that you should only buy the ones that do not have the silver-colored heads with flares at both the top and bottom. I have both types and those are the only ones where I have had the heads pop off the stake shaft. I would recommend buying only the ones with the colored heads where only top is flared as I have never had the head pop off on one of those. See pics attached for the differences b/w the two.
Interesting that there are two types. With my tent, which gets used every month camping with the Scouts, I have the two flared Easton pegs. These are the ones I carried on my 2011 thru. Also I notice that I have a dozen single flared ones that came with a couple of Tarptent Contrails that I bought for the Scouts to take to Philmont. I replaced those with Groundhog stakes due tot he rocky, hard ground there.
I haven't used the single flair ones and did have two of the double flair ones loose their heads.
"Chainsaw" GA-ME 2011
Apparently people all over the world have problems with the Easton stakes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM7KHrWYOm0
"Chainsaw" GA-ME 2011
My hammock system requires 6 stakes. I hiked the AT with: 2 mini-ground hogs, 1 full size ground hog, and 3 shepherd hooks. This was a light weight and versatile solution. I always had what was needed. On the AT, I never required a fourth shepherd's hook or a second full-size ground hog. Many times, however, I "needed" at least one or the other.
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I ordered some of these today just to see how they compare to Ground Hogs. Right away it seems they will need some reflective pull cords. But for a buck apiece shipped they're worth a look.
but they bend VERY easily
Maybe by bending them along their length by hand, but that isn't how they're supposed to be used... If you push them into the ground and/or tap them judiciously with a rock (which I've done many times) they are quite strong and durable, as Ti skewers go. ....compare them to other popular Ti skewers and their advantage becomes obvious. They have a very specific purpose and there is a bit of a learning curve as to their proper use... not meant to be pounded into submission.
Which reminds me, yesterday I received the "Northern Brothers" stakes I linked to above and will be able to test them soon. Like the MSR Groundhogs they are made of extruded aluminum, but without the curve in the blades that the Groundhogs have. From an engineering standpoint one could perhaps argue that the curved blades give the Groundhogs a bit more longitudinal rigidity, although in real life it might not matter a whit. The weight of the stakes (with pull cords) is identical, 14.3 grams. Groundhogs are about 7.5" long, Northern Bros about 7.1" I'm going to be using them during the upcoming weekend and will know more later.
stake01.jpg stake02.jpg
if it's for a thru, you would probably end with a different set than you started with. I just replace whatever I lose wit what's available or what someone's willing to loan/trade/part with.
it's not a law that you have to take all one kind of stake. I carry a mix of Easton 8" Nano Spikes and no-name Groundhog'ish y-stakes...
its not a law you have to take stakes at all
stakes are a ...convenience...
rocks work just dandy
attach a couple feet of mason line to each guyout
wrap it around a big rock, 25 lbs or more
set the rock in place
voila
better than a stake
doesnt work well where there are no rocks,
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 01-11-2017 at 22:27.
yep, using rocks works in rocky soil, tying directly to bushes, trees, logs works, anchors work in snow or sand, and sticks sharpened at the site and discarded the next day lets you keep your pack weight down but the OP is asking about what kind of stakes, not alternative methods.
it's just that some people often don't think out of the box about gear. tent stakes come in sets, usually 6 at a time but what happens when they lose or break some? you can mix types and sizes of stakes and/or methods.
I hate mason line for guy lines...
I've had good luck with the standard DAC v pegs that I have purchased from several sources. I supplement the non-critical guylines with lawson ti shepards. When I break/lose my stakes I will replace again with dac v stakes or MSR groundhogs (full length).
PS. Despite easily bending, I pound my lawson ti shpeards with rocks quite often and I find that if you guide them correctly, they do not bend. Being aware of the pressure you use and the ground (are you trying to crack through hard granite under the dirt???) helps.