favorite stakes

[William Chilton]

"… constructed with a high strength carbon fiber core, wrapped in a thin aluminum jacket. Nothing like it."
Aren't these the same principal as the MSR Carbon Core stakes?

[Gary Pikovsky]

The are different – full carbon with metal laced in so it's not so they don't shatter when being hammered in. They're also thick which helps a lot with holding power.

It's pricey, but if you google them you can find them for half the price

[NW Hiker]

By far the nicest, lightest stakes I've run across – HIGHLY recommend!

I have 4 long and 4 regular that hold Mids/Tipis and Hexamids like a champ.

http://www.rutalocura.com/Tent_Stakes.html

[Chad “Stick” Poindexter]

It's my understanding that the Easton Metal Jacket stakes are essentially the same as the MSR Carbon Core stakes. I will say that I do not own any of the Easton's, but I do own the MSR's.

The biggest difference (other than look/color scheme) is the shape, and material, of the heads. However, each stake has a carbon core (which as I understand, both companies use the same Easton carbon fiber shafts for the cores) and are wrapped in a 7000 series aluminum sheath. The weights are both the same, they are both the same length, and are generally both around the same price. (Although, I would not suggest buying the Metal Jackets from HMG, for some reason, they have doubled the normal price on these stakes… numerous places sell them for $27 for a set of 4… not $52! That is a bit insane… at $52, that is $13/stake… no thanks! Also, it looks like Campsaver has a set for 30% off… so $20 for a set is not too bad…)

Anyway, I have been using 2 of the MSR stakes (along with 4 – 6 of the ti shepherd hook stakes from Lawson Kline – which also rock!) and they work great. I like that they are smooth along the sides, which makes getting them deep in rocky/rooted ground a tad bit easier. Also, the larger diameter does a great job at grabbing, and holding, onto a bit more ground. I actually used my REI dividend last year to pick mine up…

I also have some of the Ruta Locura 6 inch stakes, and yes, they are nice too. However, I have not used them so much since I have been happy with the MSR stakes. But, they seem to be pretty tough too, slightly larger diameter than the Easton's or the MSR's, but they do not have an aluminum sheath, so they sides are simply carbon fiber. The really nice thing though is that they are quite a bit less expensive! IIRC, $12 for 4.

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

I like shepherd hook stakes with long hooks on the corners. They won't spin in the wind if you can bury them all the way. Then I like some Y-shaped stakes for the front and back. These seem to hold better on high tension places. I also like those really huge aluminum nails, but you have to fix them at home–drill a little hole and add a cotter pin–so that the metal tops don't just pop off.

I, too, like rib-eye and porterhouse steaks. Also NY strip and top sirloin.

[Alexander S]

I just switched out a wheel on my bike so I will be making my first set of bicycle spoke stakes. We'll see how it goes…

[Jerry Adams]

bicycle spoke stakes? Hmmm… interesting…

2 mm diameter – pretty thin – I wonder how they hold up when you pound them in?

the top is bent over so maybe loop won't come off

[Alexander S]

"I wonder how they hold up when you pound them in?" Indeed..

I suspect they will handle much like the expensive Ti stakes I now use. I usually never pound them into the ground anyway and just shove them in with varying degrees of cursing.

[Anonymous]

"I suspect they will handle much like the expensive Ti stakes I now use. I usually never pound them into the ground anyway and just shove them in with varying degrees of cursing."

You're doing it wrong Alexander. Cursing them will get you nowhere. Try sweet talking them sometime. Do your best Barry White voice, and say something like to each one, "come on baby, i need you to go in all the way, deep as you can go. That's right, just slide right on in. Ooh, watch out for those hard rocks. Nice and slow, but get in deep, awh yeah."

The only problem with this method, is that they may not be fully straight when you are through. Can you blame them?

[Steven McAllister]

The only problem with bicycle spokes would be their tendency to bend if they aren't fully inserted into the ground.

I have this problem with the standard ti-hooks sometimes when winds are real strong and the ground is very rocky, making it hard to get them all the way flush with the ground.

I suspect they would work good if you take the time to make sure the top is flush with the ground surface.

I'd consider bringing a variety of lengths from say 6" to 10". The longer lengths are good for times when you need real holding power in loose soil.

Like Diane mentions, the head should be bent in such ways as to not come unhooked when twisted by whipping winds. This is a flaw with many common ti-hooks.

[Adam Kilpatrick]

I'm another needle stake fan. They were fantastic. I've still got a few that saw a lot of use across three continents on our cycle tour. I'll be sad when the last one goes. They have hundreds of nights on them, I think I only destroyed (bent too much) a couple early on from being over zealous in stomping them in. Might have lost another at some point.

[Alexander S]

"Try sweet talking them sometime. Do your best Barry White voice, and say something like to each one, "come on baby, i need you to go in all the way, deep as you can go. That's right, just slide right on in. Ooh, watch out for those hard rocks. Nice and slow, but get in deep, awh yeah."

Lol, well Justin if you put it like that…

I see that I've had this stake placement all wrong. But what if someone overhears? They'll likely keep hiking for another hour and then stealth camp, wide eyed and listening to every sound outside the tent.

I'm trying to figure out if I should simply bend the hook as a 120 degree angle or try to create a loop. I think a loop will hold the guyline better if the stake turns on its' own axis.

[TJ W]

Great quality for weight.

[Ken Thompson]

Sounds tough

[Bob Moulder]

"Sounds tough"

You've gotta rehydrate 'em for a couple of hours.

Worth it for the weight savings, tho!

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