How do tent stakes interact with soils to create holding power?

[Terran Terran]

It mostly depends on your soils analysis anyway.

[Scott S]

If the only reason to knock the Groundhogs (Mini or Regular) is because they hurt your hand or chew up your soles, buy this. https://www.etsy.com/listing/1221813380/tent-stake-pusher-for-msr-groundhog-and?ref=yr_purchases  I’ve used it now on two trips and it works great. If the soil is too hard to push through, take it off and use a rock.

[Matt Dirksen]

I very much appreciate this article and it makes complete sense to me that since stakes primarily fail due to “pulling” forces, longer stakes with larger diameters will have a greater advantage in staying put. I’ve seen other information from companies that set up large circus-like tents that corroborate this.

But I would love to see testing done in a way that can simulate vibrational tension, which is the kind of tension that tents experience more than anything else, and the kind of tension that we want our stakes to be able to resist more than anything else.

Any builder or mechanic out there knows that the impact driver is significantly more efficient at removing bolts and screws and than a standard screw gun. So much so that I believe the efficiency gains exceed 50 percent. Knowing this (and witnessing multitudes of tent stakes “wiggle” their way out of the ground in high winds), I believe some stakes are much better at resisting 3-dimensional vibrational (wiggle) forces than standard 2-dimensional static (linear) forces.

I ask this because my observations tell me that the actual shape of the stake have as much as if not a greater impact on vibrational tension than just the length and diameter of the stake.

It also may got toward explaining why some shapes (“Y” channel) may be prefered in real world use over other shapes, even though they are a pain in the … palms …  to use.

Matt

[Monte Masterson]

“If the soil is too hard to push through, take it off and use a rock”.

Exactly. The main reason I don’t like tube stakes is because they don’t hold up to being pounded. Most of the time I can simply push my BA Dirt Daggers into the ground, but if it’s a bit too hard I can take a rock and pound them in. As long as I don’t get carried away with super hard blows they won’t get chewed up or chip. The I-Beam Dirt Daggers are even more durable to being hammered with a rock than Groundhogs. And they provide a better hold than tube stakes, at least the 7.5″ ones do.

https://www.bigagnes.com/products/dirt-dagger-ul-tent-stakes-pack-of-6?variant=43185518313721

[Monte Masterson]

Actually for softer soils 6.5″ titanium V stakes (0.4 oz) provide great holding power for their length and weight. Can’t take being pounded with a rock though and they’ll bend if stepped on when in ground.

 

[Terran Terran]

https://www.in.gov/dhs/files/APPENDIX-A-Staking-Analysis-vertical-vs-at-an-angle.pdf

[Bill Budney]

Wow, that sure is a counter-intuitive analysis, Terran. Surprise ending.

[Dan]

More interesting even than the article is to read in the comments about the varied ways people use their stakes. I haven’t pounded a stake in many years, but apparently it’s quite common in the community, and I see people (e.g. Ryan, Dan Durston) doing it in many videos.

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

After reading a number of these articles there is something that people have not commented: water.  So, it seems like if you have sandy soil, adding water to the soil will help to strengthen the substrate.

If you have dry soil, a little water may help.  If you have normal soil and it may rain, adding a rain shield around your stake area could help from getting too wet and losing strength.  Weird.

[Arthur]

Terran, I grew up watching circus tents being put up with vertical  or close to vertical stakes. Long stakes.  Not scientific, but most stayed up in storms.

[Terran Terran]

https://www.aztectent.com/sites/default/files/client-resources-files/TRD_PocketStakingGuide.pdf

[Paul McLaughlin]

There are situations where the optimal stake is not the one with the most holding power. Case in point: I have a BA Copper Spur, and typically I stake the four corners and then the two vestbules. The stakes at the four corners do not have much tension on them, and the force they do experience is not only parallel to the surface but right at the surface of the ground. So for those, one does not need much holding power, and ease of insertion and light weight become paramount. No need to use something stout that has to get pounded in. On the two vestbules, you do need good holding power.

I also have a Tarptent Aeon, and there, every stake has to handle plenty of tension to get a taut pitch. In fact,  I have found that the 6″ Easton stakes that it came with are marginal in all but the best soil conditions, and often require a rock on top to supplement. I plan to replace them with 8 or 9″ tube or I-beam stakes.

I also have a Moment DW, and there we are back to big variations in stake loading. The two end guys do almost all the work, and need to be robust: if you stake at all at the feet of the main arch pole the stakes there can be minimal, and for serious conditions, the side guys should be robust (I’ve never had to deploy those, so far).

My point is that for each shelter, the staking needs are different, and selecting a set of stakes to suit a particular shelter optimally may mean a combination of different types for the various points on that shelter. Inlfuenced, of course, by typical soil condtions where you camp.

[Roger Caffin]

I have to agree: with stakes length is everything.

Cheers

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