# Tent Stakes?



## jfinch (Sep 22, 2008)

New to tent camping so me and my son tried out our new tent this weekend.  The stakes that came with the tent are obviously junk.  The tent came with 1/4" rod bent into a 7" L.  They dont stay good and if it spins around the rope just slips right off.  What you guys that tent camp use for stakes?  I have heard that the big nails work good.  Should I get those or are the ready made tent stakes better.


----------



## KDarsey (Sep 22, 2008)

Those  yellow plastic(?) or whatever they are made of work good for me. They are 8-10 inches long (again?) can't remember the exact length.


----------



## Randy (Sep 22, 2008)

Yes he yellow nylon stakes work best in most conditions.


----------



## sharon (Sep 22, 2008)

This is a little work, but if the tools and materials are available, you'll never have another stake bend or break.  My husband bought some bridge nails (that's what he called them?-they're big!), then some 20 or 30 penny nails.  He bent the smaller ones to have the "L" shape to them, then he welded one of those to one of the bridge nails, about 3 inches down from the head.  We camp so often that this has saved us ALOT of time, aggravation and money, so it was well worth the effort.  We've even sold some before up at Cades Cove to other campers!  Hope you find something to work!!


----------



## Semi-Pro (Sep 22, 2008)

i use wrought iron stakes, you can go to a metal shop if u dont have the tools and get about 10 for $20 mine are about 16 inches long and will go into anything had them for years. you just take a piece heat up the end put it in a vice and bend it back about 120 deg.


----------



## big fish (Sep 22, 2008)

Go to wallmart and get the metal with plastic tab at top. They are like a large nail and will come out easy when its time to take down.


----------



## Bodab1974 (Sep 22, 2008)

big fish said:


> Go to wallmart and get the metal with plastic tab at top. They are like a large nail and will come out easy when its time to take down.



Those are the best I have found myself,  the yellow plastic ones are prone to bending out of shape if you have to drive them into the ground.   These you can drive into the dirt, clay, or a root and they hold very good.


----------



## BIGABOW (Sep 22, 2008)

big fish said:


> Go to wallmart and get the metal with plastic tab at top. They are like a large nail and will come out easy when its time to take down.



yep second that


----------



## southernmason (Sep 22, 2008)

Rebar with large washers welded on top make great tnet stakes use the 1/2 inch rebar can be picked up on most job site trash piles just ask the site manager


----------



## 7Mag Hunter (Sep 22, 2008)

They will all break or bend eventually...Get some landscaping
spikes...Look like big nails but 1 foot long....Used to hold RR ties
and landscape timbers together....


----------



## DRB1313 (Sep 22, 2008)

big fish said:


> Go to wallmart and get the metal with plastic tab at top. They are like a large nail and will come out easy when its time to take down.



Yep! The only way to go!!! Unless your trying to pack light and have to carry a bunch of gear.
They are the best I've found!


----------



## Todd E (Sep 22, 2008)

DRB1313 said:


> Yep! The only way to go!!! Unless your trying to pack light and have to carry a bunch of gear.
> They are the best I've found!



DITTO x however many !!!
Come in a four pk at WM. 
Not too pricey.
I just put twenty in the ground holding a tarp down over the roof of my camper.


----------



## jfinch (Sep 23, 2008)

Thanks for all the reply's.  I got the nails with the plastic tab at the top at Wal-Mart.  $2.28 per 4.  If the plastic tabs break I will take Sharon's advice and weld a bent nail on them the next time I am at my parents in Birmingham.


----------



## Paymaster (Sep 23, 2008)

I like the nail type with the plastic tab as mentioned above. The only draw back to the nail type stake is if you drive it into a root, its pretty much there to stay.


----------



## timetohunt (Sep 24, 2008)

There are some out there that are plastic and glow in the dark, might be worth it rather tan tripping over them at night. I thought I saw them at Wal-Mart.


----------



## whitworth (Oct 15, 2008)

*Use the plain old metal ones*

You can drive them in with a stone hammer(rock).  If they bend because of hitting rock, you can straighten them out.  Always carried a few replacements.  Found them good on a non-traditional camping area.  Will hold a tent in windy conditions.  A tornado came close one night.  Half the camp bailed out.  Tent held even  in some good wind.


----------



## money-dog (Oct 19, 2008)

the spike bayonettes off sks are the absolute tent stakes that have ever been


----------



## MisterClean (Jan 4, 2009)

Bayonets!?!?  Hee hee!  I vote for 12" landscape spikes myself, especially since no campsite anywhere has ground softer than concrete!


----------



## dawgfan25 (Jan 15, 2009)

the yellow plastic ones work good easy to put in and take out.
there light too i take them backpacking.


----------



## borknone (Jan 24, 2009)

you might want to also get some clothes pins and put some reflective tape on the then: clip the to you  tent ropes so you can see them with less trouble in the low light conditions.


----------



## Mako22 (Jan 24, 2009)

The yellow plastic ones work okay but they will break from being put in and taken out if you do a lot of camping. Always pull them out straight up and not at an angle as they can break when taking the tent down. I used to own some 10" or 12" inch metal "sand" stakes for camping on sand bars and they worked well in other places also.


----------



## biggsteve (Jan 27, 2009)

if ya can find 'em, i like those old telephone pole 'step' spikes.


----------



## Slingblade (Feb 18, 2009)

I use the bridge nails or timber spikes, I did a ton of tent camping out in Texas and plastic tent pegs were about as useful as trying to drive a wet noodle into concrete.  The spikes held the tent into place in all kinds of winds, had the tent actually flex so much one night that it actually came down and hit my face.


----------

