Why does nobody talk about tent stake quality until you break one at midnight

Last month in the Smokies I snapped a cheap aluminum stake trying to pound it into rocky ground at 2am, then spent 20 minutes holding my tent down by hand. Has anyone else switched to those heavy-duty steel ones and never looked back?

2 comments

2 Comments

logan_young291mo ago

You ever try driving a bent stake into frozen ground with a rock and calling it "camping therapy" just to keep yourself from crying? I did that three times before I finally bought the heavy duty steel ones. Now I pack an extra one just so I can pound out my frustrations on it while setting up. The weight is totally worth it when you don't have to wake up with your tent wrapped around your face at 3am.

the_grace1mo ago

Snapped a cheap stake on the first night of a weeklong trip in the Ozarks. Spent the rest of the trip weighing down that corner with my backpack and a rock. Switched to those thick orange steel ones and never even looked at the aluminum ones again. They're heavy but I sleep a lot better knowing I can hammer them into a literal boulder if I have to.