Best tent stake for Cascades/PNW

I use the Zpacks ultralight stakes and they work just fine. And, you won't find a company with better customer service!

Ok. Thanks.

You're talking about the 6" orange ultralight and not the 6.5" orange "tough," right?

It can get rocky here so I prefer titanium skewer stakes as it's easier to work them into the ground between rocks. I have a set of the Zpacks stakes and they're great. I have a couple sets of the Lawson Kline stakes and think they're better.

He sent out an email a week or two ago, indicating that he's not carrying them any more but that DutchWare will from now on:

http://www.dutchwaregear.com/titanium-hook-stake-single.html

Thanks. Can't beat their shipping cost of $2.50.

Sandy? The broken basalt and granite areas in the Cascades and Olympics have a handful of dirt for every ton of rock! I use MSR Groundhogs. They aren't the lightest, but they hold well and are easy to see. They retail for $2.50 each and are easily replaced.

I have only did one 7day hike in the Olympics, but I used some of Lawson's Shepherd Hooks and they worked rock solid the entire time… even when some of my guylines lead out into rock fields! Besides this, I have used the same hooks in lots of areas here in the SE in which the ground is rocky and rooted… nothing but great things to say about them.

I use Ti shepard hooks

I have one steel stake. Sometimes I'll use it to make a hole, then pull it out and put in a Ti shepard hook. Steel weighs twice as much but it's stronger.

And sometims I use rocks on top of the Ti stake.

Problem with ti stakes?

You will lose them. I do a lot of Gorge/Mt Hood hiking and these suckers drive me crazy. Every time I pack up, I spend 20 minutes trying to locate a stake. As careful as I am, it still happens. They are the perfect combo of shape and color to completely disappear into the brush.

Paint them orange or pink with nail polish. Or bring a bunch of extras. :)

I'd also recommend the Lawson Kline model, which I believe can be found at ZPacks as well. Also, the Ruta Locura carbon ones work well for me. I actually prefer them for what I do.

"Paint them orange or pink with nail polish. Or bring a bunch of extras. :)"

Yuppers. Dropped one at my feet this weekend and it took more than a few minutes to find it in the gray rocks. If you fail to paint them and find yourself in this predicament, look at the spot where you think you lost it from multiple positions. Sometimes the light is hitting just right to where it won't stand out and looking for it from a different angle helps.

But that will be my last trip with unpainted stakes. I plan on buying a can of Plasti Dip and coating the top 15% or so of the hook and painting the rest.

"look at the spot where you think you lost it from multiple positions. Sometimes the light is hitting just right to where it won't stand out and looking for it from a different angle helps."

Can I find my virginity using this technique?

Yes but since it was lost on a Vespa, and it's tough to get more points for style than that, do you really want to find it again?

Can I find my sanity using this technique?

I used spray can of red enamel I just happened to have around. After a while, enough paint gets scraped off it starts losing it's visibility so I'll just paint again.

MSR groundhogs

25 years hiking the Cascades:

MSR Groundhogs are the bomb.

That said, I also carry 2 titanium nail stakes. They work for starter holes and for those rare occasions when I have to put a stake into a downed log.

And yes, color your stakes. Even then, I have foolishly walked away from more than one. Count 'em coming out of your stake bag and again going back in.

#1 on MSR Ground Hogs.

They come in two sizes and the newer model with twisted extrusion Y cross-section hold even better than the original straight version.

Yep, groundhogs. I use a combo of the standard and the smaller ones. For my Garuda tunnel tent three of the cyclone stakes are added to the pitch.

35+ years backpacking and climbing in the PNW and I have not found anything superior.

No experience with the PNW, but down here in the southern Appalachians, we have a mix of very rocky and very loose soil. Sometimes you're staking through six inches of rotten leaves. What I find works great for areas with diverse ground is to carry an assortment of stakes.

Heavy duty, heavy holding power for key staking points. Ridge lines and so forth. Ground hogs for me but any x,y, or v stake would work along with the large nail type stakes such as those from Easton.

Then use lighter, "weaker" stakes for peripheral staking points. Titanium skewers work great for this.

That way you can tailor make you're staking to the environment.

Just my $0.01

Edit, damn auto correct

I typically need 6 stakes for my tent. The 8 stakes shown below have always worked for me, in some combination, here in the Pacific Northwest.

I carry all 8 on all trips. But wait, mate…..total weight for the eight (if I have it straight) is great! (about 2.5 ounces).