View Full Version : tent stakes
2009ThruHiker
10-24-2008, 16:07
I'm looking to buy a new set of tent stakes for my double rainbow tarptent for our upcoming thru...any suggestions???
titanium stakes are nice, but pricey. But, almost any stake will work along the Appalachians.
max patch
10-24-2008, 16:17
Have you considered gutter nails?
2009ThruHiker
10-24-2008, 16:25
Have you considered gutter nails?
I have not....elaborate please as to the benefits....and performance...
NICKTHEGREEK
10-24-2008, 17:15
I'm looking to buy a new set of tent stakes for my double rainbow tarptent for our upcoming thru...any suggestions???
what do you use now, and why don't they work for you? I've found a mixture of Moss (MSR) groundhogs, Easton pegs, and a few Ti skewers offer a good bite in mud, duff and hard stuff and are great for tents that need lots of tension and a few guy outs. If 6 stakes are needed I'll carry a few more. If I only had to choose 1 type the groundhog is the one. Holds like glue and almost impossible to bend. (Plan ahead cause pulling them out is no easy task)
I have not....elaborate please as to the benefits....and performance...
From http://www.trailquest.net/ultralight.html#Shelters
Stakes for Your Shelter
Gutter nails (12 grams each) are amazing. They are lighter, but more difficult to remove when pounded in completely. Use them at an angle away from your shelter, to keep the loop from coming off the head.We found on the Colorado Trail the gutter nails were the only ones that did not bend when subjected to severe stress. We tested 4 kinds, among them the straight aluminum ones from Walmart, the screw type, and thin heavy gauge wire style.
For a visual:
http://www.mazelumber.com/catalog/deckingnails.htm
we use 7" gutter nails for all our scout tents. light and cheap, do a good holding job. We dip about 1/3 the nail in some flouro orange paint for visibility.
Here in New Brunswick in the woods I carry half a dozen small nails instead of pegs. I rarely need them as I usually just tie even the lower corners to something. For the AT and camping in more open areas tent stakes or aluminum gutter nails are better, but if you want to save a little weight you could go a little smallers and you use a heavy rock on top now and then. Depends on how big and heavy the tarp is. I still think its not a bad idea to carry a couple of small nails in your first aid or repair kit. Handy.
I've used gutter nails in the winter here in Mich. They work well, but I was concerned about how rough (sharp protrusions) they were. Seem if they were used regularly they would need some grinding or they would eat through any lines attached to them.
Maybe I need to look for some different nails, but these were the only aluminum ones that out local building supply had - only other option were galvanized steel - heavy.
I've used the aluminum gutter nails with big cheap plastic tarps. Sometimes they fit the grommet holes well enough you don't need to tie them, if you don't mind some tarp ends right into the ground. At almost twice the diameter for the same weight as steel they are naturally stiffer for the same weight, and less slippery, with more surface area, and because it is a softer material rocks and gravel and even dirt with rocks seem to bite into them well. So even the straght ones work well. In sandy or really loose earth you can dig and bury them sideways, or bury something else sideways, even a sneaker.
Johnny Swank
10-26-2008, 13:50
+1 on the gutter nails. I usually carry 4 of those, and 2 Y stakes for tarping (for the ridgelines). Honestly, I just use 2-3 most of the time, preferring to use trees and shrubs to tie off off whenever possible.
From http://www.trailquest.net/ultralight.html#Shelters
Stakes for Your Shelter
Gutter nails (12 grams each) are amazing. They are lighter, but more difficult to remove when pounded in completely. Use them at an angle away from your shelter, to keep the loop from coming off the head.We found on the Colorado Trail the gutter nails were the only ones that did not bend when subjected to severe stress. We tested 4 kinds, among them the straight aluminum ones from Walmart, the screw type, and thin heavy gauge wire style.
For a visual:
http://www.mazelumber.com/catalog/deckingnails.htm
Gutter nails are one of the tricks used by crews going to Philmont. They are cheap, fairly light weight, and can stand up to a pounding better than regular tent pegs.
kayak karl
10-26-2008, 18:34
i use gutter spikes. i put reflective tape on the last inch. my son just ran into a 100 9" gutter spikes. now i need to rethink things
bigcranky
10-26-2008, 19:35
Huh. My Double Rainbow came with six of the Easton aluminum nail-style pegs. Nice stakes. Why switch?
LIhikers
10-26-2008, 19:36
My wife and I use the tent stakes that Tarptent supplies, with good luck, on our Rainbow and Rainshadow2.
Concerning gutter nails; What do you use to keep the sharp point from poking holes in your pack?
take-a-knee
10-26-2008, 20:27
Have you considered gutter nails?
Yes, but most of mine are now L-shaped from my boot heel. I now use Vargos or MSR groundhogs.
yaduck,
I just dull the point on the nails with a file after purchasing them, not enough to make it flat or anything, just enough to not cause damage.
Concerning gutter nails; What do you use to keep the sharp point from poking holes in your pack?
I pack them so the heads/points are alternate and wrap one of the guylines around them to hold them in that position. I also keep them in an outside pocket of my pack as an extra precaution.
optimator
10-27-2008, 10:49
Another Groundhog user here.
I like the ti stakes Henry Shire sells. They resist bending way better than anything else I've tried. Other than a problem with the USPS losing a bundle of stakes once, I've still got all the stakes that came with the Tarptents. I ordered replacements from HS. Prorating the cost per year, it's not much. Worth it to me.
They are rather skinny. If I'm in sand, I tie off to something like a tree or bush, or put a heavy rock on top of the stake. If I'm in snow, ditto, or pack snow around the line, on top of the stake.