Aluminum Tent Stakes
By far the most common problem encountered when setting up a family tent is hard pan clay or rocky soil. The plastic tent stakes that came with your tent may be useless in such situations, but a good set of aluminum tent pegs with a hook or 90 degree bend at one end will solve the problem in most all situations. You want to make sure that the stakes are aluminum and not a cheap imitation and a lightweight hammer or mallet might help drive the stake into the ground, if the soil is unusually rocky or hard. The best aluminum stakes have a flat shank with a bent end that works as a hook. The MSR Ground Hog (see Resources) is very popular, but you should be able to find cheaper high-quality aluminum stakes near your place of residence.
Where You Headed?
If you know you are going to be camping on a wide expanse of beach or deep snow, those aluminum tent stakes may not be of much use. Instead those plastic tent stakes might actually be sufficient. Just be sure to bring twice as many as you think you need. That's not because they might break, but rather you might have to make a deadman's cross to get your tent stakes to work. A deadman's cross is made by digging a hole or trench in the sand or snow, making a cross with two tent stakes, looping the tent cord around the rope and then burying the cross.
Make Your Own
High quality tent stakes can be very expensive, running as high as $3.95 a piece if you are buying the kind made from titanium. A good alternative can be to make your own stake from 1/2-inch concrete reinforcement bar of other similar metal material. The only hurdle is to find a friend with a gas welding torch who can cut and bend the metal material. Welding skills are quite basic in this task, for all you need to do is make two cuts and one right angle bend. Another possible material to use for making tent stakes is 1/4-inch aluminum welding rod. Instructions are the same except the metal should be heat treated also. (Just heat the rod until it turns red hot and then plunge in a bucket of cold water)
Article Written By Henri Bauholz
Henri Bauholz is a professional writer covering a variety of topics, including hiking, camping, foreign travel and nature. He has written travel articles for several online publications and his travels have taken him all over the world, from Mexico to Latin America and across the Atlantic to Europe.
