Easton tent stake failures

[Roger Caffin]

I just hammer Ti wires in. They break soft rock, and come out easily. Never had one fail me yet.

Cheers

[brent driggers]

 

i have had a few fail and actually stepped barefoot on one of someone elses that was left stuck in the ground at a campsite without a head. gnarly little wound. I still carry a few though lol

[Sam Farrington]

The solid ALU stakes constantly bent until the solid Ti ones came out, so switched.
So who would expect the ALU tube stakes to be better than solid Ti?
Because the ALU tube is incredibly highly tempered by Easton?
But such a high temper also makes the alloy more brittle – not a good formula for stake success. And then to make the stake into two or more parts? Really? For something that is going to be pounded into the ground?
So then to use carbon tube, whose weakest point is crushing from side impact?

“Ti shepherd hooks (of which the current Lawson version are superb, BTW).”
Definitely!

[Brad Rogers]

I’m not saying they can’t bend, but you can pound the Easton’s into the ground through about anything.  Easton used to have a video where they drove one through a 2×4, and I have no doubt mine have gone through roots and split rocks.  Some of the tips of mine are bent but I have never bent one of the stakes (watch – I’ll bend five of them next week!!).  I have bent quite a few Ti Shepherd Hooks and a few Groundhogs – even broke the head off one.   Ti Sheperd hooks bent, not only because they are thin, but because they are hard to drive in the ground due to the shape of their head.  The do go in the ground without much banging most of the time, but they don’t always hold well.  In a lot of softer soil types if I use the Ti shepherd hooks, I put big rocks on top of them.  I’ve had quite a few pop out on windy nights.

I don’t think too many people bend the Eastons, but some people have had problems with the heads popping off, and others, like myself, have not even through I have pounded the crap out of mine and some are 11 years old.  My guess is its an issue with some batches.

[Roger Caffin]

Some Ti wires are made properly with a real shepherds hook which can be hit dead centre on the wire. Others just have a bend and you can NOT it them in line with the wire.

If Easton managed to drive one of their tubes through a 2×4, then I bet it was real SOFTwood, and that they did it very fast. I have seen photos of wheat stalks punched through timber by a hurricane – very fast.

Cheers

[Brad Rogers]

This isn’t the video I saw, but similar.  The one I saw was one of their older stakes through a 2×4.  This is of their “newer” stakes being driven though a pallet – The first video  looks like two 3/4″ boards.  I’m sure the wood is pine, so it’s pretty soft, but still impressive. The second video is though two 1.5″ 2×4’s.

 

https://youtu.be/tNvdxbKpvFc

https://youtu.be/oW7ZbzzjZY8

 

[Ron Bell / MLD]

The old pic on our website of one nailed though a 2×4 was one I did testing about 10+ yrs ago. Old BPL stake testing holding power article ranked them at the very top for weight to holding power across an *average* of soil types tested.  Vs many V and Y stakes, they loosen and displace less earth in many soil types and so hold very well with equal compression around the large shaft. Maybe about 8yrs ago there was one bad glue batch and some heads came off. I can say we’ve sold many thousands since then and almost zero direct reports of problems.

[Henry Shires / Tarptent]

I can say we’ve sold many thousands since then and almost zero direct reports of problems.

Our experience / feedback has been pretty similar. The stake head problem was real and solved a few years ago. It is definitely a hollow core stake and people need to be a bit careful when pounding it. If the force is straight down the shaft, the potential for breakage is almost nil.

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Ron and Henry

We need more contributions from you guys: you have a LOT to give.

Cheers

[David P]

I use the 8”or 9” Easton nano stakes from MLD no head pops or bending yet… I LOVE the way the stakes perform in soft mossy ground especially compared with others I’ve used. Also in the sort of awkward , shallow, scattered debris blanket type ground that accumulates over solid granite. There’s a lot of that on the coastal cliffs and mountains here in Maine.

When the ground freezes solid I switch to the Vargo Titanium nails (the ones with the good heads that dont bend when subjected to  pounding) Sometimes I will bring just one sacrificial Vargo Nail to use to make “pilot” holes In hard ground, that way the larger stake go in easier and the Vargo takes most of the beating…

[Roger Caffin]

one sacrificial Vargo Nail to use to make “pilot” holes in hard ground
That’s not a bad idea, but why not just use all Ti nails? Just curious.

Cheers

[Brad Rogers]

I use Easton’s rather than Ti nails for a couple of reasons.  First, Ti nails are heavier.  Next, I don’t think they hold as well – I guess because they are not as large of diameter, and lastly, the narrow head has a tendency to not hold guyline well.  They are indestructible though.

[Roger Caffin]

@Brad

All good reasons.
Mind you, I find the very thin Ti wires have never failed me except in sand and snow. Different soils I guess.

Cheers

[Sam Farrington]

Ti stakes can be found online in several diameters.  3/16″ is about as high as you can go if you want to bend one, to make an elbow for example, and that is a tedious process. A little lower diameter still makes a great stake if the temper is high enough.

[Roger Caffin]

3/16″ is a bit heavy! All mine are 1/8″ or 3.2 mm. Good alloy though.

Cheers

[David P]

Hey roger!

i was being a real gram weenie a few years ago when I came up with the idea because I wanted to carry all Carbon Fiber stakes even though the ground was frozen. It worked great but I don’t use CF anymore, broke too many, not worth the weight savings to me.

when ground is frozen solid (our winter frost depth is about five feet (1.5m) or when there is too much snow to reach ground (we had over ten feet(3m) this year!) I do take All Ti nails to either pound in or wrap in guyline and bury as anchors.

now I use the pilot trick only to save my beloved Easton’s from getting beat too hard and because of the awkward ground conditions we get in between seasons.  We sometimes get a layer of ice but it’s super spongy underneath Or it’s like wet and spongy thawing ground on top with hard icy ground beneath, in those cases the Ti don’t hold for beans but I use the trick when needed to get the Eastons in.

I would Love to experience the difference in soil in Australia 🇦🇺 someday! I imagine the majority of it to be like a dense hard packed clay where the stake takes a little effort to get in but doesn’t wiggle much once it’s in there, hence your success with the shepherd hooks?

Sorry off topic but, what kind of wildlife do you have to watch out for in the outback? Are dingos and kangaroos a concern for you? Or just snakes… super curious about that with the completely different fauna waaaaay over there! If you don’t mind indulging me…

[James Marco]

Like so many things when packing, many different items to perform the same task are usually required.  In this case some stakes fell apart or broke. The cause of the failure is fairly obvious, pounding them in. Why they broke is a simple matter of two pieces joined subjected to an impact from a rock. I agree with Todd that the pounding is likely the cause of the stake failure.

In some locations, you need a larger diameter and longer stake. Sand for example, is more like a thick liquid than a solid when subjected to force. In other areas, a simple piece of Ti works well.  Mostly, this is a terrain thing and has little to do with type. I usually use Shepherds Hooks. In much of the NE USA, things are sandy, loamy or rocky. In sand, I dig a trench and buy the stake sideways about 6″ down (much like winter camping.) In loamy soil (leaf & forest duff) I use two stakes in a wide “V” pattern in one loop, making a sort of “claw” in the ground. In most normal soil, I just push one stake in. In rocky terrain, I often just wrap around a rock (or tie off to one,) sometimes with a stake to be anchored by the rock. If there is a tree or small root available, I will tie off to that. I avoid swampy areas and hill tops. In other areas, my general approach to staking down a tent would probably be different.  But for now, a 6.5″ shepherds hook works. But, I need to carry 1 extra stake for doubling on one corner, that need the extra bite for my overnight stay.  At 0.2oz, I don’t really get upset with the weight.

 

[Roger Caffin]

Hi DavidP

Check your atlas: Australia is easily the size of the USA. You name a soil or rock type, and we have it, abundantly. In the coastal regions there is usually enough vegetation that the ground holds together well.

For the frozen ground, I would use either my Ti wires or, maybe, my MYOG Ti angle stakes. They can slice into frozen stuff very well. Some thump needed at times. They are written up at
https://backpackinglight.com/make_your_own_gear_titanium_snow_stakes/
and
https://backpackinglight.com/myog_ti_snow_stakes_part_2/

Wildlife to watch out for? In general most animals stay out of the way of humans: Man is the peak predator. We do not have large bears. Snakes will avoid us wherever possible: we are 60 times heavier than them for a start. But yes, we do wear gaiters and watch our feet.

Cheers

[Casey Bowden]

[MJ H]

What? No Alaska?

[David P]

Roger thank you for that tidbit! I was aware of the strikingly similar size of our countries (your continent :))  I should have assumed, of course, you have all sorts of varied soils and terrain. Even within my own state , Maine, there are a multitude of different ground conditions.  Btw the country of Austria and Maine could nuzzle also

Like this…i am struck by the awesomeness of the snow stakes! The powder cup style ones seemingly would work very well in the type of dry powdery snow we had this year. Usually our snow consolidates and becomes easy to pack around anchors but this year it never warmed up enough and the snow stayed very loose.

I guess if humans are your biggest concern out there that’s pretty good!  Out of all the animals in Maine my most feared is… ticks!  Second place is skunks… they don’t give a crap and are not afraid of anything, routinely standing up to predators much larger than themselves. I have a mental imagine of one spraying right into my bivy sack… We do have larger animals and predators bear, moose, coyote, Fisher cats, bobcat, wolf, etc. but like you said they really don’t bother anyone and try to avoid humans. They are not out there “lurking” for hikers…

 

[Max O]

OT: Come on, thats not fair! Looks like Maine has a lot of sea calculated in its size!
I am from Austria btw. … =)

[David P]

Max, Ha! Yes it does look like the border goes out into the sea a bit.  They probably include Lobsters in our 1.3 million population… Maine actually has around 3,475 miles of coastline with all the peninsulas and inlets, just a shave more than California. Like it matters! At least you can swim in California without going numb after ten minutes… we would have over 5,000 miles of coast IF you counted all the islands…

BTW Austrian alps are on my Journey List… my European roots are calling me back to those mountains… someday when I can travel more.

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