Tent Stakes

i have used msr needle stakes with great success tough as nails and lightweight to boot even in hard soil and smacking them with a rock they have held up to the abuse well

kevin

heat them with a torch to bend them easily

"they tended to rotate around and the guyline came off."

If you drive them into the ground at vertical (90 degrees) or less than 45 degrees from vertical, they tend to rotate. If you drive them in at more than 45 degrees and push them down all the way until the hook touches the ground, they will not rotate.

–B.G.–

Lawson Kline used to sell the Ti-Eye stakes which are what you describe. They are almost entirely closed off (creating an eye) but there is enough room for a cord to slip through into the eye. They are great stakes, and I wish he still sold them.

http://sticksblog.com/gear/my-current-gear/shelter/shelter-accessories/mountainfitter-ti-eye-stakes-dyneema-guywire/

I also have some of the shepherd hook stakes that he sold too, and as Bob stated, I push them in at an angle and until the hook hits the ground and they have never given me a bit of trouble.

I've never had a problem with them either pushing them in at a 45 degree angle.

Sorry to rehash recently hashed topics, a couple new things here though, maybe

Would a propane torch for plumbing work to soften? Should you just let it cool down or immerse it in water to have the proper hardness and brittleness?

The problem with the Shepard Hooks and stakes in general is in rocky soil. You can't just choose a 45 degree angle. You have to take any angle you can find that will get the stake all the way in the ground.

Of course, in this case you probably want to put large rocks on the stake which mostly solves both problems, but some campsites don't have good rocks.

In rocky soil there isn't as much contact between ground and stake so it will resist rotating less well.

When the wind whips around more, is when it will rotate around. Like sometimes the force on the stake will briefly be more vertical so even if the stake is at 45 degrees, the force will be greater than 90 degrees so it can rotate.

I happen to have the type of stakes the OP was trying to make, however I could not find them for sale.
So I asked the seller.
(mine were a gift from luxe Outdoor…)
These are the ones :

you get 6 for $14 ($5 postage to US ). 15cm long (6") 6g each (0.21 oz)
They are listed on eBay under "Ultralight e Hook Windproof Titanium Stake"
(the windproof bit is that if they turn the head will still catch the guyline…)
BTW, they are a bit thicker than the Vargo

Franco

Probably obvious, but if someone could post how much those modified Ti shepherd's hooks weight?

(Really trying not to geek out on weights)

Those are pretty cool.

Hong Kong-based, though, for shipping costs.

-mox

No stake will go through rocks or tree roots! I have even more trouble getting the MSR Groundhogs in than I do the Ti hook stakes, although if they can be driven most of the way in, they do hold better! I really like the Ti hook stakes that Mountain Laurel Designs carries; they are a trifle thicker (thus sturdier) than most others and they have a really durable fluorescent orange enamel coating. If I'm going to be out in the open with no protection, I'll take MSR Groundhogs for front and rear guylines and use the Ti hook stakes for the rest. If I'll be in forest, I take just the Ti hooks.

I spray paint my older Ti hook stakes with fluorescent orange every year. It's pretty much impossible to find a pulled/flipped stake otherwise!

Rather than having the tent stakes get lost in daylight, I have more of a problem of tripping over them at night. So, glow-in-the-dark paint works good there. It's just that titanium is pretty slick, and paint will not stay on it permanently, especially if you are pounding in it with a rock or something.

–B.G.–

Hmmm…how about glow-in-the-dark heat shrink tubing? I just googled it and it is available – this is the first site I hit on:

http://automotiveorganizer.com/heatshrink/products/uv-reactive.html

That heat shrink could be a good idea.
I spray paint mine but it only lasts a few uses.

Franco

I think these are what some might be looking for: bottom item on page – from Germany

http://www.laufbursche-gear.de/accessoires/

No offence Ed, but that is (unintentionally) funny…
Franco

You'll have to explain Franco…

Being English all I can manage is irony and sarcasm :-)

yes I see..
here in Australia we use the expression "Blind Freddy" could see that, but I will let someone else explain the joke…
Franco

I get the joke, and I'm not jumping out on a limb to explain this one. Funny though!

Ryan

Hi Jerry

Ti is wonderful stuff – really!

> Would a propane torch for plumbing work to soften?
Definitely. Once the Ti wire is showing just a little red, it will bend nicely. Some round-nosed pliers would be good.

> Should you just let it cool down or immerse it in water to have the proper hardness
Air cool. Ti is NOT steel, and it behaves very differently. Quenching is NOT needed.

Cheers

> how about glow-in-the-dark heat shrink tubing?
I tried that, but it was not good for me. The heat-shrink tubing did not stay stuck to the Ti wire: it slid up the length and around the hook.

Cheers

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, given my experience with heat-shrink tubing (on something very unlike titanium tent stakes). It does tend to loosen up a bit after a while. Thanks for sharing your story, Roger…at least you've saved me some time and money.

Hi dk

For what it is worth: bright yellow or bright orange epoxy paint is the best I have found so far.

Cheers