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Nemo Airpin Stake Review


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Home Forums Campfire Editor’s Roundtable Nemo Airpin Stake Review

Viewing 19 posts - 1 through 19 (of 19 total)
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  • #3621138
    Mark Wetherington
    BPL Member

    @markweth

    Locale: Western Montana

    Companion forum thread to: Nemo Airpin Stake Review

    NEMO Airpins are ultralight aluminum tent stakes designed with notches that function as a three-point locking system.

    #3621159
    Rex Sanders
    BPL Member

    @rex

    In brief – these stakes are too short to work well. Maybe Nemo should make a 9 inch version. And the self-locking notches seem much closer to gimmick than useful for lightweight backpackers.

    Thanks for testing using Will’s methods so we can compare.

    — Rex

    #3621160
    Ryan Jordan
    Admin

    @ryan

    Locale: Central Rockies

    Yep, this is essentially a 4.5-inch long stake. We know from winter camping in soft snow that a long and skinny stake like a trekking pole will always outperform a short fat deadman buried in shallow snow.

    Here we’ve got a skinny stake that can’t go very deep…

    Good first try Nemo but make it at least 8 inches in length.

    I do like the *idea* of notches for no-knot tying, but there are ways to implement this that would be easier to adjust … oh wait – LineLocs!

    #3621167
    Roger Caffin
    BPL Member

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    The phrase ‘expensively stupid light’ comes to mind.

    I much prefer ClamCleats CL266 over LineLocs for my guy ropes, as they seem to be a lot more reliable.

    Cheers

    #3621175
    Matthew / BPL
    Moderator

    @matthewkphx

    Those look a lot like Dutch’s stakes, which he’s been making for a few years. His are 6” long. I’ve never tried them… I’ll stick with my Groundhogs and occasionally hollow Eastons.

    #3621231
    Roger Caffin
    BPL Member

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    Notched stakes (Nemo or Dutch) in a storm – a very good way to get into a disaster imho.

    Cheers

    #3621269
    Brian W
    BPL Member

    @empedocles

    I’ll stick with my MSR Groundhogs.  They’re not the lightest, but they work well.  And I can pound them into the desert ground with a rock and not worry about them.

    #3621291
    SIMULACRA
    BPL Member

    @simulacra

    Locale: Puget Sound

    Mathew beat me to it. Was going to say they look like Dutchware gear. In all the conditions I’ve been in, save for a couple, the Lawson UL 6.5″ 7g has always been good to me. 9 times out of 10 I’m above treeline in lots of wind. Forest duff can sometimes be problematic. Everybody seems to have their favorite stake though. Different conditions, etc.

    edit: I literally had to look up ClamCleat as I’ve never heard of that before. And realized that’s the same type line locking system I use. Never knew the name.

     

    #3621355
    R
    Spectator

    @autox

    I noticed Mark mentioned he thought these went in easier than anything else, and that these are the first stake I’ve seen w/ a full length taper.

    Consider that the best holding power is a Y-stake with the flat side towards the tent.  Maybe a further optimization might be a Y or T stake with a continuous taper.  You need the most grip on the dirt at the top where it’s loosest.

    In other news, I just found this article pointing out that 7″ aluminum gutter nails are a viable option.  At a claimed 0.4oz and a little over $1/ea, they seem like a great budget option.  One product listed a diameter of 5/16″.  No idea what the alloy or strength/stiffness is.  Some products look like the edge of the head could put a bit of wear on the guy line pending angles.

     

    #3621366
    Roger Caffin
    BPL Member

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    The cheapest tent pegs I ever got came from a bit of discarded fencing wire I found in France one time. (I had lost my bag of pegs – don’t ask.) I bent the wire until it broke into a number of bits all over 200 mm (8″) long, rounded the ends off on a rock and put hooks on one end. They worked just as well as any Ti peg.
    Total cost: $0

    Cheers

    #3621558
    Paul Magnanti
    BPL Member

    @paulmags

    Locale: Colorado Plateau

    In other news, I just found this article pointing out that 7″ aluminum gutter nails are a viable option.  At a claimed 0.4oz and a little over $1/ea, they seem like a great budget option.

    Author here. Yep, a great budget item. Being a hardware store item, the prices and weights will vary. I’ve seen them under a buck here in town for example.  Call it +/- on the weight and price.

    Add some equally inexpensive and effective bank line to make a loop, and you have an effective, inexpensive, and light solution.

    I tend to use MSR mini-groundhogs as my personal go-to stake, but I’ve used the gutter nails many times over years esp when loaning out gear or rigging up a tarp.

     

    #3621563
    James Marco
    BPL Member

    @jamesdmarco

    Locale: Finger Lakes

    Paul, I agree on the Gutter Spikes. But, 5 shepherd’s Hooks for an ounce is very hard to beat.

    #3621603
    Paul Magnanti
    BPL Member

    @paulmags

    Locale: Colorado Plateau

    I find shepherd hooks to be ineffective for most of my backpacking and gave up on them many years ago. YMMV.

    #3621608
    Roger Caffin
    BPL Member

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    @Paul
    That may reflect the sort of soil you camp on?

    Cheers

    #3621622
    Erica R
    BPL Member

    @erica_rcharter-net

    I’ve never had a problem with the titanium shepherds hooks. Surprisingly, even in sand. I like that they are so thin they can fit between buried rocks on hard ground. You can pound them with a rock if necessary.

    i wouldn’t try them on snow.

    #3621629
    Paul Magnanti
    BPL Member

    @paulmags

    Locale: Colorado Plateau

    I think Will R said it best about hooks:

    However, they are harder to insert and cannot be pounded in very easily. Their holding power is significantly increased by placing a rock on top of the stake and guyline.”

    When I thru-hiked major trails and more concerned about the Lightest. Gear. Possible. rather than effective system overall. I used to use the hooks. But I find they are often one-trick ponies best for more well-used areas. And, yes, I had to stack rocks.   Oddly enough, my overall base pack weight is lower than when I thru-hiked the major trails even if heavier stakes. ;)

    Going back to Will R, and the recent update,  I find this take on the mini-ground hogs fit my overall backpacking in off-the-beaten-path areas with mixed terrain. (I am typing 40 minutes from mountains at 12k+ feet, the high desert is literally out my front door, and I often camp near riparian areas):

    2019 Update: The Best Stake for the Weight

    • As of November 2019, it’s still the MSR Groundhog Mini. Y-channel = strong holding power, aluminum = light, and Y-channel = durable (resists bending).

     

    #3621667
    Roger Caffin
    BPL Member

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    Flip side: I have bags of Y-section stakes which have been sent to me for various reasons. But I still BUY Ti wire stakes at my own expense, and that’s what I use in the field. That tells me something about how useful and effective both sorts are for me.

    Cheers

    #3621729
    James Marco
    BPL Member

    @jamesdmarco

    Locale: Finger Lakes

    Same here, Roger. Even double staking one corner leaves them about 0.4oz for a strong guyline. I have had a tarp rip before the stakes pulled out. I guess it depends on the terrain.

    #3621732
    Roger Caffin
    BPL Member

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    I can only go on my own experiences.
    Some of our country is ‘rocky’ – a crumbly sort of mudstone. I can hammer a Ti wire into that stuff with a rock (except that the rock usually broke along the way), but I have zero chance of getting Y-stake to go in at all. And the cheaper Y-stakes with sharp corners – shudder.
    On the other hand, in alpine grasslands, the vegetation makes a sufficiently tangled mass below the surface of the soil that Ti wires hold wonderfully.
    Sand, on river banks, is different. There, I just collect some dead sticks and shove them in. Rocks on top maybe.

    Now, how well they would go in deep Sierra duff, I do not know. That could be a problem, but I doubt that short Y-stakes would be much better. Long ones – sure.

    Commercially, Ti wires seem to be >$4 each, while packs of Al Y-stakes from ebay are often the same price for a pack of 6 or 10. That probably counts for some differences.

    I am biased. YMMV

    Cheers

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