A guy at REI told me my tent stake setup was garbage and he was right

Last fall I was out at Yosemite and this older hiker watched me struggle with my tent for like 10 minutes. He finally walked over and said "you know those plastic stakes are for soft ground only, right?" I had been using the same cheap stakes for years and just figured all dirt was the same. He showed me his titanium shepherds hooks and how to angle them into hard packed dirt. Now I carry two different types of stakes depending on the site. Has anyone else had a random stranger save them from bad gear habits?

3 comments

3 Comments

dixon.iris21d ago

Had a similar moment when a guy at a campsite saw me trying to hammer a plastic stake into rocky soil with a rock and just handed me his tiny titanium stakes without saying a word. That was the day I realized my whole gear setup was basically a joke and I've never gone back to cheap stakes since. Made me wonder what other bad habits I'm still carrying around.

gavinb9721d agoMost Upvoted

Funny how one stranger can make you rethink your whole life. Pretty sure my next campsite epiphany is gonna be about my cheap sleeping pad and I'll just be staring at the stars all night.

drew5521d ago

So did you actually test those titanium stakes in different ground types or just trust the guy's word and not look back?