View Full Version : UL tent stakes
wyominglostandfound
10-12-2009, 23:16
they need to be handled with care but i found that cutting the insert end of old carbon hunting arrows 8-10 inches long and leaving the field points screwed in and then epoxying golf tees into the other end makes for the lightest tent stakes you can find. be gentle while driving them in and ultra careful in rocky ground. wear gloves so as not to get a splinter in your hand. carbon hurts like hell under the skin.
www.wyominglostandfound.com (http://www.wyominglostandfound.com)
gravy4601
10-12-2009, 23:28
thats a great idea
And what, .22 oz Titanium skewer stakes are too heavy for you? Of course if you like to tinker around making your own tent stakes and you have available some old carbon arrows, epoxy, golf tees, and time, but no money, great, all the more power to you, but just from a wt. saving perspective I'll venture to guess those UL stakes you have weigh more than .22 oz apiece. Way to back breaking heavy for me to drag around. Don't intend to stand in the way of invention or creativity but really is .22 oz per Ti stake just too much for you to bear?
wyominglostandfound
10-13-2009, 00:02
don't use em if it is a hassle for you. i won't spend money if i have a way to do something myself.
10 incher= .22 oz each
8 incher= .20 oz. each
you can get them lighter by using 45/60 spine instead of 55/75
Seriously, good for you wyominglostandfound. I stand corrected on the wt. An 8" tent stake for the obsessive UL do-it-yourselfer that is .20 oz is, I believe, a record. Have you weighed those stakes on certified scales? LOL I'm only messing with you after 14 hrs. at a job that was scheduled to take just 3 hrs. I'm a little punchy. Just walked in the door. I'm an Uler do-it-yourselfer too. I can't recall how many times something I was tinkering with didn't work out, but all those times I was learning so I could make that one item that I considered a success. How well do they hold? Didn't Ti Goat or Anti-Gravity Gear make graphite stakes that were ridiculously light too? If I recall correctly the graphite stakes were rather fragile as they splintered when they hit a rock or root though. How have yours held up?
Wise Old Owl
10-13-2009, 01:16
I love inginuity... Great idea.
wyominglostandfound
10-13-2009, 02:02
it's all good Dogwood!! i weighed them on a small digital kitchen scale (gram/oz.) the weight will depend on the arrow wall thickness. i saw the carbon stakes from ti goat and came up with the arrow as a suitable carbon tube diameter. they are very strong as far as spine strength but they will splinter from a deflected blow while driving them. that is the reason for the golf tee end cap. BE CAREFUL NOT TO HIT THE TEE TO HARD OR IT COULD SHATTER THE CARBON TUBE!!! care must be used and safety gloves should be worn.
it's all good Dogwood!! i weighed them on a small digital kitchen scale (gram/oz.) the weight will depend on the arrow wall thickness. i saw the carbon stakes from ti goat and came up with the arrow as a suitable carbon tube diameter. they are very strong as far as spine strength but they will splinter from a deflected blow while driving them. that is the reason for the golf tee end cap. BE CAREFUL NOT TO HIT THE TEE TO HARD OR IT COULD SHATTER THE CARBON TUBE!!! care must be used and safety gloves should be worn.
Don't carbon arrows cost like $3 each? Then there is cost for the tees and field tips. And then you get to "Be Careful". All seems like a waste of time, and money, to save a few grams. Go for it, I'll take my MSR Ti stakes, thank you.
Just sayin'.
To all those who are pestering wyominglostandfound: You can ALWAYS argue against making something yourself. Any stovie with a claim to the name could have spent much less time and money had he/she simply bought a stove. Make a backpack? Wouldn't it be cheaper and easier just to buy one on Craigslist?
News flash: Some people like to make things! Spending an evening in the shop/at the sewing machine beats the heck out of watching TV.
If you don't want to try it, don't. But please quit pestering and insulting people who do.
skinewmexico
10-13-2009, 11:00
Thank you Marta! Some people just don't get the personal satisfaction of building something yourself, instead of writing a check.
wyominglostandfound
10-13-2009, 11:51
there are definate advantages and disadvantages to building your own stuff. if you have the resources/materials handy and don't have to spend money that is a plus. but the trial and error of it can be a pain in the butt if you make a mistake especially out in the field. then it is back to the drawing board and sometimes it is worth it to just buy proven things. i personally enjoy failure because it makes the thing better the next time around. without failure/sacrafice, there is really not much reward.
To all those who are pestering wyominglostandfound: You can ALWAYS argue against making something yourself. Any stovie with a claim to the name could have spent much less time and money had he/she simply bought a stove. Make a backpack? Wouldn't it be cheaper and easier just to buy one on Craigslist?
News flash: Some people like to make things! Spending an evening in the shop/at the sewing machine beats the heck out of watching TV.
If you don't want to try it, don't. But please quit pestering and insulting people who do.My vote for best post ever. Remind me to take you to Siagon Palace for lunch some time. :D
"Any stovie with a claim to the name could have spent much less time and money had he/she simply bought a stove. "
I resemble that remark...
Not that I am a stovie, but last year I spent two weeks making and testing stoves ( I am not exactly retired but not working ...)
In the end after having made a few dozen including many variations on existing themes, I could not match the Caldera Cone set up .
But the point is that if I factored in the time and money involved ( if I had been working...) I could have purchased several of the most expensive stoves around.
However that is not the point, is it ?
Thanks Marta, and good on you wyominglostandfound.
BTW, one of the editors of BPL makes similar pegs, and yes he could also buy them cheaper...
Franco
BTW, the classic fallacy here at WB is the "if it does not work for me, it can be good"
and franco's classic fallacy, "if your tent isn't a tarptent it blows"
If you look carefully enough you will find that I never recommend a TT to a would be hammocker, nor anyone asking for a winter tent, all season tent, double wall tent ( except for the Scarp...) or a tarp only .
By I do feel that to questions like "should I get a tarp or a tent" or "which Tarptent should I buy" maybe my suggestions are a bit more relevant that those that push 6 lbs solo shelters or hammocks...
Franco