Tent Stake Holding Power: Comparative Evaluation of Various Designs and Lengths

Petras,

Now that is perhaps the most interesting comment on this thread so far. (Not to disparage anyone elses comments!)

We go from stakes that are bomber with no wind to now being quite weak with a gust. This is good motivation to get a taut pitch, and reposition/retension once the silnylon has stretched.

Between you, Roger and a storm on the Buller saddle , I've completely rethought the way I pitch my Megalite over the last three months.

Thanks, Rod

Try it with green wood sticks in soil.

What is the weight of one of those?

Yes, you can thump carbon fibre stakes into the **soil**. You risk some damage to the end you are thumping, but that can be controlled.

But do NOT try thumping them into any rocks. The much higher impact loads will break/split them fairly soon.

I have lots of bits of CF tube left over from making my tent poles, and did look at making tent stakes out of them. After some testing I went back to thin (Easton) tubes and Ti wires.

Cheers

The TG stakes seem a lit more robust than most CF tent poles I've seen. 0.3 inches (whatever that is in real numbers), and a pretty tough aluminium tip, though I still wouldn't try to force them into rocks!

those stakes are quite funny, they also offer Palm Trees, Liger (pretty much my favorite animal, known for its skillz in magic), Gnomes, Chickens.
Id like POE to make some T-Rex or similar

Thank you for the great article. I realized that I have every stake style in your tests (except Ti nails). Lately I've been just carrying V's and shepherds but after reading your article added some Y's for our quick overnight last night. It was rainy but still and the shepherds were way easier to install/remove but nice to have more secure options in case of wind. Previously I just carried V's for ridgeline guys.

Of course my favorite stake is none and we only pitch a shelter for rain.

Wow, I'm impressed by the ones that have never bent or broken a stake. I have managed to do that with every type of stake I have used ( including the thick Ti nail stakes and V stakes) except for the Y stakes. After cutting myself several times with the Y versions ( never badly but just enough to remind me of how stupid you have to be to do it multiple times) switched to the Easton (because of the Tarptents) but now have a mix of two long Easton, one or two Ti Nail ( to prepare hard ground for the Easton) and four 5" Y ( with bright loop cord now) or 5" Easton depending on what shelter I use. I would guess that I use a more or less 45 degree angle because it is easier for me to pound them in at that than at a 30 . Must try to do that on softer ground next time.
Personally I dislike the shepherd hook stakes for the tendency to twist ,the ( in my experience) low holding power and the extra space taken by the hook. I supposed with practice you get used to them but the weight saving is not ( for me) worth the bother. And yes pounding them right into the ground works well in my backyard, not so well in the bush ( they still twist with on crusty ground)
No scientific research here, but if a stakes pulls out of the ground whilst I play with "new ideas" or set-ups in my backyard, typically it was hurriedly pushed almost perpendicular to the ground.
Franco

<"Another similar process that popped into my mind is electrostatic painting, or powder coating."

This would look cool, but it chips like mad.

As the reason for painting or powder coating stakes is easier spotting at take-down, just add a bright 6-8" length of dress-making ribbon to the stake. Weighs a lot less, and doesn't chip.

It's not that expensive to set up to do powdercoating at home, Eastman sell DIY kit's/guns and you can use a household oven (but NOT one you ever expect to use with food again as the fumes are horrible). It's alot like baking: start with perfectly clean bare metal (bead blaster helps), the powder is electostatically applied (I've only done ferrous metals, but there are procedures for non ferrous), then baked–very rewarding. I've powdercoated every piece of my (torn down to a shell) MGB GT project car that should be black (suspension components, brackets, covers etc, etc, etc). Once set up, it's easier than painting.

> small bottles of enamel, of contraxting colors, and paint stripes on the pegs

Visit local model shop (radio control planes etc) and see what the Humbrol and other brands of oil/solvent based model paints look like. That's what I use. It sticks quite well to the orange epoxy paint on the Ti stakes, yellow zinc-chromate primer, and also to the Easton tubes. (Ignore any emulsion paints!)

cheers