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  1. #1
    Registered User Biscuit in GA's Avatar
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    Default Newbie Needs Help

    This is my first time backpacking with a tent - before I've just always stayed in shelters. How do I drive tent stakes into the ground without a hammer? Do I wack it with a boot, or are there any secrets to getting it in hard ground? My arm strength is pretty small. Thanks for the help!

  2. #2

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    That can be problem. Hopefully the ground will be soft enough it doesn't take much to push them in. That's usually the case unless your at a commercial or Forest Service campground with hardened tent sites. Those can be like trying to push into concrete.

    I typically start the stakes by hand, then set them with my foot if I have to. Use a rock if you must, but be careful if it's really hard ground as you could bend the stake. Using a rock is the last resort, but sometimes you got to.
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    Registered User Biscuit in GA's Avatar
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    Thanks for the help!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Biscuit in GA View Post
    This is my first time backpacking with a tent - before I've just always stayed in shelters. How do I drive tent stakes into the ground without a hammer? Do I wack it with a boot, or are there any secrets to getting it in hard ground? My arm strength is pretty small. Thanks for the help!
    most tents come with aluminum stakes about 1/4" diameter. they dont go in easy, and they are cheap and soft and bend easy as well.

    I only use thin titanium shepherd hook stakes. push in with tip of shoe if needed. easier to find spot between rocks they slide in. Most time in the mountains you have a thin veneer of dirt on top of .....rocks.
    If I need more holding power I put a log or rock on it. Ive pitched many time on rock slab just using rocks to hold tent ...works fine. Truth be told, if there are rocks around, you dont even need stakes
    Unless you have really sturdy stakes , hammerring in with rock is just gonna bend them up, and probably mash your finger
    A stake that you cant get in the ground....is a useless stake.
    Last edited by MuddyWaters; 10-21-2017 at 20:51.

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    push................

  6. #6

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    Luckily,you don't need any arm strength. Push it in a inch or two by hand,then just step on it with your boot,or ulta cool trail runner shoe,as the case may be. If you hit a rock,nay, when you hit a rock,move it a bit and repeat. Happy tenting!

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    The ground in the back country is usually soft enough that it's not too difficult. The biggest problem I have from time to time is there are sometimes underground rocks right where I want to put a stake and have to try moving around several times before you find a good spot. You can also tie the guy line to a rock. There were a few nights hiking the JMT when I was above tree lone and all the guy lines were tied to rocks.

    If you have one of the thinner stakes that come with higher end tents (j-stakes) or the MSR Mini Ground Hog, the ground will usually be to hard to comfortably push the stake in. But all you have to do is find a flat rock or wide stick that you can put between your hand and the end of the stake.

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    I agree the type of stake makes a huge difference. I've also found the titanium stakes to be almost indestructible, both the nail and crook type. I've hammered them into rock cracks like a piton, using a rock hammer. The downside--they're expensive, a dollar or more each. I carry four of them and a couple of cheap aluminum jobs, since usually at least a couple of points are easy to push into dirt.

    Those aluminum nail type are a close second, until the head pulls off. That happened several times on one trip, so maybe it was a faulty batch of stakes.

    You may find a few places where the ground is too soft--decaying organic duff, for instance. In some cases I've had to dig a trench down to mineral soil, or lay a deadman anchor as you would in sand or snow.

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    If the ground won't hold stakes, find another site. Maybe that's just me. Site selection is important. I don't pitch my tent on rock slabs or bone-dry parched ground.

    Nine times out of ten, I push the stakes in by hand, and drive them home with the heel of my boot. It's not uncommon to have rocks getting in the way. If that happens, re-position the tent and try again.

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    Quote Originally Posted by rafe View Post
    If the ground won't hold stakes, find another site. Maybe that's just me. Site selection is important. I don't pitch my tent on rock slabs or bone-dry parched ground.
    Clearly you've not hiked the JMT in the Sierra's where you are often above treeline and the closest thing to 'soil' will be rocks that have been pulverized into sand.

    Actually one of my favorite campsites I had along the JMT was at Sappire Lake on a rock slab with a cushion of sand between me and the rock and every single guy line had to be tied to rocks.

    I've learned the hard way that you've got to be ready to be flexible

  11. #11
    Registered User Biscuit in GA's Avatar
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    Thanks for all the help!

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    upgrading stakes to the titanium hook ones is well worthwhile. I've rarely had a problem getting them in when camping on the trail. I also think that upgrading the tent cord to something like the nite ize reflective cord is a good idea and having a couple of 3 foot lengths is helpful to get creative in staking out your tent bottom.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by HooKooDooKu View Post
    Clearly you've not hiked the JMT in the Sierra's where you are often above treeline and the closest thing to 'soil' will be rocks that have been pulverized into sand.
    Not exactly true. Two nights up near Mammoth Lakes. Some hiking in Washington as well, near Mt. Adams. But yeah, most of my hiking experience is here in the east.

  14. #14

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    might be worth a quick trip to REI or Cabelas to ask for a demo. Make sure and point them in at a 45 degree angle.


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  15. #15

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    My secret tent stake tool is a 1/2" diameter PVC pipe T fitting. I use the MSR groundhog type stakes, and the T during slips on the end of the stake, to give you a comfortable handle to push or step on. It will also work the nail and J-hook type stakes.
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  16. #16

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    Do the 'wire' style stakes hold as well as the 'V' style?

  17. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by AllDownhillFromHere View Post
    Do the 'wire' style stakes hold as well as the 'V' style?
    I haven't notice much difference. My stakes are currently an odd ball combination of stakes found along the trail. I keep an eye out for them, as I occasionally loose one myself and always like to have a spare. I tend to like the "nail" spikes the best.

    I like the PVC T idea. That would eliminate the possibility of punching a hole in the palm of the hand.

    To the OP, practice setting up the tent in the backyard or park.
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  18. #18
    Registered User Biscuit in GA's Avatar
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    Thanks, everyone!

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