My question is directed to members that take stakes with them for securing tents, tarps and shelters.

What is your preferred stake or stakes for the BWCA?

Considering size/weight vs benefit I prefer titanium spikes for durability and holding strength in the hard rocky soil I often encounter. I include enough stakes for each stake loop and guy out point but may or may not use them. I have used rocks as anchors when the spikes will not penetrate the surface and I have fashioned stakes out of wood when the soil was too loose for the spikes to hold securely.

My stake collection consists of a mix of MSR, MSR copycat, and shepherd's hook style that come with most tents. For really strong winds I will often use 2 or 3 stakes at each anchor point.... One for the rope, and two inserted in an X to help secure the first stake. Works pretty well in soft soils.

Although I have used an assortment of stakes in various lengths and materials, this year I will be bringing a few 18"x18" customized sheets of tyvek, with a perforation in one corner to tie the guy line off, to lay under rocks in situations that my stakes won't penetrate the bedrock. This method has been very effective holding tipis in windy gravel bar/river situations. By sewing an open pocket the bag can hold sand, gravel or fist sized rocks. They are light, easy to pack and durable.

MSR groundhogs

MacCamper: "Although I have used an assortment of stakes in various lengths and materials, this year I will be bringing a few 18"x18" customized sheets of tyvek, with a perforation in one corner to tie the guy line off, to lay under rocks in situations that my stakes won't penetrate the bedrock. This method has been very effective holding tipis in windy gravel bar/river situations. By sewing an open pocket the bag can hold sand, gravel or fist sized rocks. They are light, easy to pack and durable."

I have used rocks to secure stake out points when my stake wouldn't penetrate the bedrock. Tyvek bags would be a practical solution.

Deleted

Frenchy19: "MSR groundhogs"

Me too. Enough for my tent only.

for solo trips (I'm a gram counter): Vargo Titanium Shepherds Hook stakes - 7 grams each



for group trips: whatever is handy and we also tend to collect orphaned stakes all through these trips...they just cry out to be rescued (on one 2 week trip, we found 10 stakes...hubby would say "I think there will be a lost stake right here" and would move aside a bush and voila!

Given the distinct possibility of damaging the stake on a portion of the Canadian Shield and the lesser possibility of leaving a stake behind, I carry MSR Groundhog stakes as well. They are lightweight, inexpensive and can certainly take abuse. I hang and also have a large Tundra tarp, so I typically bring about 24 thus. That being said, I'm always happy when I find a titanium stake left behind by others.....

I probably deserve the flaming that this will generate, but at least I see a few folks weighing their stakes.

So I bought these, and think they are great. But they can be broken (I have broken one of my 12 in two years & 7 trips).

3 grams each.

@stakes

straighthairedcurly: "for solo trips (I'm a gram counter): Vargo Titanium Shepherds Hook stakes - 7 grams each




for group trips: whatever is handy and we also tend to collect orphaned stakes all through these trips...they just cry out to be rescued (on one 2 week trip, we found 10 stakes...hubby would say "I think there will be a lost stake right here" and would move aside a bush and voila! "

I am not a gram counter but I have similar titanium shepherd's hook stakes that I have evaluated.

I usually have a variety of stakes. One problem I regularly had with stakes that do not have a hook, is when the tarp line, stake loop or whatever, comes off the stake as winds shift. As mentioned above there are also many substrates, and grip is important. I have given up on thin spike style stakes, and even moving away from notched stakes, after some field failures due to staked item slipping up off stakes. I must confess the last pack of stakes I bought was a 6-pack of the yellow plastic ones .

I prefer to push them in by hand, rather than pounding or pressing them in by foot (they seem liable to bend when I try that). I'll use a glove if handy, but often just do it bare handed.

For pushing them in by hand, I feel like the Shepard's hook style is best (nice rounded end to push on), so that's what I bring. The Y-section style like the groundhogs can hurt like the dickens to push in by hand.

I used to bring steel ones exclusively for the often rocky bwca soil. But I now bring a mix of steel, aluminum, and titanium stakes to save a little weight. Not every stakeout point is rocky, so the lighter aluminum ones are fine in some locations. The titanium ones are slender and can slip past small rocks easier, and are super light, so they have their place too.

For quantity I split the difference between the bare minimum for my solo tents (4), and the most I could ever imagine needing (which could be 20 or so) for extra tent guyouts, some tarp staking, etc. So I usually compromise at 12, 4 of each metal.

I might try bringing a few tyvec or cloth sheets too, as MacCamper mentioned, that's a good idea.

I have a mix of MSR ground hogs and nail style stakes. The latter came with my tarptent. Both work well and I don't have a real preference between them. In rare cases when the ground really won't allow a stake to go in, I do use rocks.

I take the ones that came with my Amok tarp. I haven't had any complaints about them, so no need to get anything different up to this point.

I have an assortment of tent stakes that I take mostly MSR groundhogs and some kelty Nobendium steaks and also some arrow shaft stakes from Cook Custom sewing

When kelty says nobendium Don't believe it they still bend.

Tony

sns: "I probably deserve the flaming that this will generate, but at least I see a few folks weighing their stakes.


So I bought these, and think they are great. But they can be broken (I have broken one of my 12 in two years & 7 trips).


3 grams each.


@stakes "

I do not believe anyone should flame you over this; I know a few here who weigh their gear down to grams. Personally, I will say that if I am going to focus on reducing weight, I need to focus more on my belly than my tent stakes!

Tomcat: "

straighthairedcurly: "for solo trips (I'm a gram counter): Vargo Titanium Shepherds Hook stakes - 7 grams each




for group trips: whatever is handy and we also tend to collect orphaned stakes all through these trips...they just cry out to be rescued (on one 2 week trip, we found 10 stakes...hubby would say "I think there will be a lost stake right here" and would move aside a bush and voila! "

I am not a gram counter but I have similar titanium shepherd's hook stakes that I have evaluated.


"

Use similar. Lighter than the stakes that come with my tent, more importantly don’t bend, and the thinner style makes them easier to push into the ground. Always hold well.

T

I use different stakes for different functions. I have a set of light shepards hook style (nobendium 3 i think) for around the base of my tent, the gold ones sold by CCS for tie outs as they hold better & don't twist + release like shepards hooks can, some other light tri-sided stakes for other lighter purposes that aren't the base of the tent. I bent a fair number of shepards hooks last year in some tough soil, so I'm bringing along some heavy steel stakes...maybe.