Titanium Tent Stakes

I have had good luck with the Gossamer Gear Tite-Lite Ti Stakes. I use the Blue Easton Nail stakes for the ridge line and the GG ones for all of the other tie outs. So far, they have been stronger than they look.

Out of Stock :(

Depends on what the soil is like. I usually carry a few vargo ti stakes, but I also carry some of the short easton aluminum ones. For that matter, I normally pack at least one MSR groundhog. The vargo ones don't work so well in soil that is too sandy or hard, but work better in rocky soil than the easton ones. I'd rather accept the slight weight penalty for the assurance that I'm not going to have a stake pull out on a windy night.

What stakes are you using now?

Adding to the above… whatever shepherd hook ti stakes you get, make sure they have a slightly rounded tip — and avoid the sharp ones. And since UL shepherd hook stakes get bent easily, it's a good idea to include at least one ti nail-type stake that you can use to pound "starter holes" in hard soil.

The guys from Luxe Outdoor sent me their new Titanium stakes to play with.
(I had previously suggested brightly coloured Y stakes with a pull cord to them. They are now their standard issue pegs)
The shorter (13cm) nail stake is about 12g, the 15cm shepherd hook is 6g.
Compared to my other nail stake (can't remember where I got those) the Luxe are 1 mm thicker.
Unfortunately I have lost the shepherd hook stakes that come with the Caldera Ti Tri but again these one seem a bit thicker.
The bit I like is the shape of the head of the thin ones. The idea is that when they turn (as they do) the guyline remains attached.
There is no retail price as yet and have no idea if they will be sold over there…
Franco

@ Doug

I'm currently using these. I don't know the brand, but they weight in at 13 grams each.

I've generally used the Ti shepherd's crook stakes. If there's a problem, a rock on top usually takes care of it. Just don't try to pound it in. Any stake hitting a root or a rock will bend–just the nature of the beast.

I've found that spraying the stakes with fluorescent orange spray paint definitely makes them easier to find. It holds up just about as well as the stakes that come pre-painted–in other words, expect to re-spray them every few months.

I use the BPL HiViz ones:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/lazr_hi_vis_ultralight_titanium_tent_stakes.html

The orange colour is ESSENTIAL! Bare To has the colour of dead sticks and dead grass!

Cheers

@ Roger

Out of stock.

I use the Vargo ones and sometimes bring two blue easton aluminum ones. Benjamin, why is it bad to use the ones with the pointy tip?

I bought some of the BPL Hi-Viz stakes. The paint comes off just as fast as on the home-painted ones. Save your money! Get a cheap can of orange spray paint and use it twice a year.

On a slightly different topic, has anyone tried the 9" carbon fiber stakes sold by Ti Goat? I've been tempted, but I question whether most places I could get those in the extra 2-3" anyway.

I tried the V-shaped Ti stakes from MLD, but found that they bent more easily than the Ti shepherd's crook style. With the 6" blue Easton aluminum ones, I've found that the head comes off quite easily. That's why I ended up going back to the Ti shepherd's crook stakes. I also tried the Ti nail type, but the guy ropes tend to slip off those even when they're put in on a slant.

Your mileage may vary, but to me it seems to be a choice between the Ti shepherds' crook and much heavier stakes like the MSR groundhogs.

As Roger said "The orange colour is ESSENTIAL! Bare To has the colour of dead sticks and dead grass!"

Spray paint and finger nail polish works, but wears off.

I used red epoxy on mine.

I always try to carry a variety of stakes. A couple Fat 9" and 6" Eastons, some V and Y stakes and some of the skinny titanium shepherds hook type.

The skinny titanium shepherds hooks are good and light, but as stated, they won't hold in loose ground.

I find the Easton stakes to be my favorite for all around soil. I have to be more careful with sharpness of V and Y stakes.

From the left to the right those stakes are:
1. Terra Nova carbon stake 3.6g
2. Vargo Titanium Nail Stake – Ultralight 9.5g
3. Easton stake 10g
4. Iron U stake 9g
5. Aluminum hook stake 15g

I feel carbon stake is a little fragile, and Easton stake works well but not suitable to be hammered heavily since the head may be separate from the body. The iron U stake is too thin to hold strength well.
Now I usually bring 4 easton stakes and 4 vargo nail stakes with me.

Franco- I love the head design of those shepherd hook stakes. That solves (or at least looks like it would solve) the main problem with shepherd hooks stakes.

Justin- What you are using now looks like the North Face V stakes. What tent stakes work best greatly depends on what conditions that you are likely to encounter. Y stakes tent to hold best, but are a little heavier, the long 9″ Easton stakes apparently hold well too, but I have only used the 6″ versions. Y stakes and nail pegs can be pounded with a rock when needed but can be hard to remove if they don’t have a pull cord. I have found the smooth ti shepherd hooks and Easton stakes tend to go in the ground much easier than the Y stakes I used to use, but it really depends on what conditions you need stakes for. Will Rietveld did a great article on tent stakes for BPL in 2008, it is a good read.

Tent Stake Holding Power: Comparative Evaluation of Various Designs and Lengths

I use the carbon fiber ones from Ti Goat. Typically bringing 2 of the 9" length and the rest of them 6" length. You really have to look close at where you are camping as if your dealing with really hard ground or rocks, it may not be the best product for you. Up here, most sites are on the shores of lakes so there is almost always soft ground…failing that, I just tie off to trees (which we also have alot of).

@ Bradford

Thanks. I'll take a look.

Hi Jang-Tien

I had to laugh about your U-shaped iron stakes. I lost some of my expensive Ti stakes in Switzerland last year and had to replace them on the spot. I grabbed some bits of fencing wire and made U-stakes like yours, and used them for the next few weeks. They worked fine in alpine soil when pushed right in.

Cheers

If you want to have a stake contest…

The new Luxe standard issue are the short red Y stakes. That was my suggestion to them for "the ideal" all terrain lightweight peg.
I included the container for the Ti pegs because we had a thread about tent pegs containers. This one is on a heavy side (about 25g) but very strong and can accommodate all sizes (well not the snow/sand type…)
U pegs.
Alex at Luxe (again…) made sometime ago a stake bracket to allow the use of two thin stakes at once. It is an equilateral triangle , two large holes for the stakes on two corners and one for the guyline. I replicated that an works well, however only used it in my backyard…
If I can find a picture I will posted in the DIY section, or maybe I'll make another.

Franco
Pic from Luxe illustrating the advantage of the new design…

Someone check out the Snow Peak Dur aluminum "V" Peg. They are showing .04oz each. 6 for $10 is a great price. I'm thinking they meant .4oz each. Can someone please confirm?

I've been happy with the Vargo 8g Ti shepards hook stakes from Ultralight designs for $2.95 each:
http://www.ultralightdesigns.com/products/shelter/tiTentStake.html

I used to have 6g Ti shepards hook stakes but the 8g ones are longer and thicker so there is noticeably less flex and a bit more holding power. Whatever you get, colored heads are pretty important. I lost a couple stakes this past summer until I got these.

They look like a copy of the TNF ones you have now. I have some of the Golite Y stakes that are stonger than the V models that are 13g each. They are like a shorter version of the MSR Groundhog.

My TiTri Caldera Cone came with two thin shepherd hook stakes. For some silly reason I took them with me on my brief appearance on the PCT and left them at the FIRST lunch time spot. Yep, when I finished my lunch having had hot coffee , I packed up and did not notice them.
(I am very pedantic about collecting my rubbish,still…)
I only used the shepherd hooks in my backyard and often they twist around; so looking at those Vango I would modify them to look like the Luxe.
After all , it is about time we copy these Chinese innovations.
Franco

Been using MSR Groundhog stakes for years and like them so much I haven't used anything else for 3 season camping.

Tried ti stakes and found them lacking for their intended purpose but great for heavy duty toothpicks.