A Guide to Selecting The Best Tent Stakes

Find the Best Tent Stakes for Your Camping Trip

Tent stakes are the anchors that hold your tent, tarp, rainfly, etc., in place. They are pressed, poked, hammered, screwed, buried, or bashed with a rock into the ground.

The shelter is only as good as the anchor. Picture that $400.00 instant cabin now practically airborne across the lake because of those flimsy plastic pegs you used to anchor it in soft ground.

Conversely, you nailed that little dome tent down to the ground with 10-inch steel spikes and, well, you may never get those pegs out of the dirt. Choose the best tent stakes for the terrain and conditions you anticipate for your camping or backpacking trip.

There is not a “one size fits all” answer. Camping on the beach or backpacking in the mountains will require different equipment from the tent to the cookware to the tent stakes. Narrow down your search and find the best tools for the job.

The type of tent stakes that will be best for you depends on where and how you camp. Answer these questions to determine what is right for you.

• Is the ground hard-packed or rocky?
• Are you camping on the beach in sand or the woods in soft soil?
• Will you be camping in snow or ice?
• Are you car camping or backpacking? Is weight an issue?
• Are you hammock camping?
• Do you have an 8-person instant cabin or a 2-person backpacking tent?

Best Picks for the Conditions and Terrain

The Best Tent Stakes for Camping

The MSR Groundhog is widely viewed as the best choice for camping and backpacking in most conditions. Not all, don’t consider these for use in snow or sand.

This is a good choice for any size tent, rainfly, or tarp.

They are strong and lightweight making them good for backpacking. Like any aluminum stakes they will bend if you pound on them enough. Pack a mallet instead of a hammer. Avoid pounding on them with a big rock and they will last a whole lot longer.

The Y-shape and greater surface area result is more holding power. Make sure that the open shape of the Y is facing AWAY from whatever you are trying to hold.

These are a bit more expensive, but if you handle them carefully you’ll get your money’s worth.

The Coleman 10-inch steel tent stakes are super strong and long enough to get the bite you need for reliable support. I’ve found that using a mallet, tapping the very top of the peg is less likely to break the polypropylene top. The top is useful, you can easily run a guy line through it and it has an adequate hook to hold onto the line.

The Best Tent Stakes for Backpacking

The MSR Carbon-core tent stakes are the perfect combination of strength and weight that backpackers need. Treat them with care. Bash them with a big rock and they’ll probably break. On the other hand, common sense and TLC will result in season after season of use.

The Best Tent Stakes for Camping in Snow or Sand

The MSR Blizzard Stakes are made for snow but can be used in the sand as well. The broad design provides extra surface area for a strong hold if they are pushed into the ground vertically. Use them also as a deadman anchor by burying them horizontally in the snow for added support.

• 

Different types and styles of Tent Stakes

Materials used:

• Metal Alloy – This includes most of the pegs that are supplied with any new tent you buy. Even an expensive tent. It makes no sense as they don’t do a good job of what they are supposed to do.
• Plastic – Injected molded Y-shaped tent pegs are cheap and easily broken, but if they aren’t used in extreme conditions they’ll work OK. How’s that for a recommendation? If the soil is not too hard or rocky and you don’t smash them with a hammer, they are adequate. Make sure you have extras.
• Aluminum – This material is strong and lightweight but is easily bent so you’ll want to hammer it into the ground with a mallet instead of a hammer or a big rock.
• Steel – A strong material that will hold up to most anything you throw at it, pretty cheap but it’s heavy. It’s not a good choice for backpacking.
• Titanium – This is the best choice for backpacking in almost any circumstance. It’s strong and super lightweight. And it’s the most expensive choice. Serious backpackers, however, are willing to invest in titanium.

Shapes:

• Shepherd’s Hook – This is the tent stake that most often is included with the tent you bought. Functional, but the least effective in hard-packed or rocky ground because they bend so easily or are pulled out of the ground in extreme weather conditions.
• Straight or Nail – These are usually made of steel or aluminum and are strong. If they have a notch for a guy line, even better. But they don’t have the holding power necessary for a larger tent. For a 2-4 person tent, they work reasonably well.
• V-Shaped – More durable than a hook, easier to penetrate hard, rocky ground.
• Y-shaped – This is designed to dig into the ground and because of the increased surface area it will stay put in extreme conditions.
• Spiral – Spiral stakes are typically inexpensive and are very effective when used in sand. They are absolutely not meant for hard or rocky soil.
• Snow Stakes – These are designed with a large surface area which means more holding power. The holes allow either snow or sand to pack in and give more support. This style is not at all meant for hard-packed or rocky ground.

How many tent stakes do you need to pack?

The short answer is more than you think you will need. Your camp bag or backpack should have a couple of extras if you have top quality tent stakes. If you rely on the stakes that came with the tent or a more inexpensive plastic set go ahead and spring for another set. Tent stakes bend, break, and get lost. Like I always say…

It’s better to have ’em and not need ’em, then to need ’em and not have ’em.

In other words, always be prepared!

What factors to consider for the right tent stakes

The best tent stakes are the ones that do a better job than any others for the conditions you are expecting. Quality, durability, and price play a role in the decision. Look for a product that…

• Won’t bend or break under pressure
• Holds the cord or guy without slipping
• Is affordable
• Is suitable for the terrain
• Doesn’t weigh more than you want to carry

What other options are there to secure your shelter?

Rocks, trees and branches can certainly be used. Sometimes they are the perfect solution. You can’t count on that, though.

Aluminum gutter spikes are a super cheap option for camping or backpacking and are readily available at Home Depot. They are strong and easy to hammer into hard ground. They aren’t long enough for soft or sandy soil, though, a strong wind would pull them out of the ground.

Try heavy-duty steel 12-inch spikes, you can get them at Home Depot, along with a 1/2″ washer for a super strong DIY tent stake.

Whatever your outdoor adventure looks like make sure you stay safe, warm, and dry, by choosing the very best tools you can find. It will mean the difference between having many great trips for years to come or only one crappy trip that you never want to repeat.