Hehehe– like that title?
Seriously, I’m working hard to tweak my pack load and I was at my favorite hiking supply Second Ascent in Seattle, and I came across the MSR Blizzard Snow Stakes. {{{{BOING}}}} and I remembered someone using a tent stake for a potty trowel and the MSR stake has the gut to actually do the job. It came to mind that not only can you dig with the tent stake in your hand, but you can also whack the thing with a rock to get the ground broken up– after all, it is designed to be pounded into the ground.
Okay, so with that borrowed bit of pracitcality ($3.95 and 0.9oz.) I got the thing home and looked at ways to improve the grip. You can hook your thumb over the end, but it’s still kind of slick so I tried a little duct tape (a manly thing to do). That was okay, but I remembered the macrame technique of French whipping from my Scouting and sailing days. French whipping is not a perversion, but rather a way of using line to wrap tool handles and the steering wheel on a boat. It is just a simple series of half-hitches around the area you want a grip. The knot formed by the half hitch shifts over with each successive layer, so the knots form a spiral as you go. Look good and makes a great non-slip grip. I guess you could use the line for an emergency repair too. I used some fine seine twine and I increased the weight by just 0.1oz. It sill leaves enough of the stake expsoed to be used as a tent stake too– good for soft or sandy soil where a skinny stake might pull out.
All told, I end up with an extra tent stake, an emergency string supply and shave an ounce off my pack load (my trowel is 1.9 oz.)– saves a little space in my pack too.
