View Full Version : Big Knife and no stakes?
hopefulhiker
02-20-2009, 14:56
I usually take one of those tiny swiss army knives with me..
But what about the idea of taking a larger knife to cut stakes with..
It could save weight if you carried no stakes..
I managed to hike with only three stakes and find rocks or tie off points..
Maybe this is not a good idea because like wood for fires, if everyone cut stakes everywhere it could quickly strip down areas near campsites..
Feral Bill
02-20-2009, 15:35
Big knife: 6oz
8 stakes: 4 oz
garlic08
02-20-2009, 16:53
Try pounding wood stakes into rocky ground. If the stake is thick enough, you need a large hammer in addition to the knife.
Every time you use a knife to whittle, you stand a small risk of a knife cut.
Cutting stakes in a rainstorm would loose its appeal.
In addition to the excellent logic of the first two replies, I would add:
8 MSR needle stakes weigh more like 2.6 oz, stakes don't have to weigh a ton
I've camped places where there isn't any reasonable wood to whittle down as stakes, even if you weren't concerned about the time & effort to do so and you weren't inclined to adhere to a "zero trace" approach.
IMO there are much better ways to reduce pack weight.
Slo-go'en
02-20-2009, 18:23
I've thought about wood stakes, but pre made out of some hard wood like oak. Not sure if there would be any real weight savings and there sure would be some situations where they wouldn't work, so haven't persued the idea. However, if you happen to loose a stake, making one on site would get you out of a jam.