Choosing the right stakes for guy lines can make or damage your outdoor tents's stability in difficult terrain. We look for stakes that hold well and are light-weight for backpackers counting every ounce. We also consider resilience metrics like whether the stake can be wacked with a mallet without breaking or flexing.
1. Material
For those who are trying to conserve every last ounce in their packs, the material used for the risks can be an essential factor to consider. Aluminum and titanium risks provide great toughness at a sensible weight, while carbon fiber risks are ultralight however can be extra at risk to damaging or snapping under tension.
The Toaks Titanium V-shaped stakes are lightweight and pack to an impressively tiny dimension. They're easy to drive into rough dirt and have a plastic top that safeguards the steel from rocks and origins. Though they don't come with a pull cord, there is an available to include one and an opening for completely attaching person lines. The only disadvantage is their fragility. The candid ends aren't as resistant to strikes from a mallet as some other stakes, and they might damage under too much stress in an extreme storm. In spite of this, they remain our pick for a light backpacking risk.
2. Size
This metric is essential almost specifically for backpackers, given that every ounce counts when you're hoofing it with the wilderness on a 10- to twenty-mile walking day after day. We search for stakes that load down tiny and that are simple to mount with a club and by hand, while offering appropriate resilience for the problems you will come across on the route.
Needles (or pegs) are cylinder-shaped risks with sharp ends and a head or notch on one end for guy-line accessory. They are simplest to pound into the ground, however are prone to flexing. Shepherd's hook stakes, which have a comparable form to needle stakes however a directly only one end, are much more durable than needle stakes, however call for an extra step in arrangement to safeguard the line. V-stakes, which have a v-shaped body that supplies greater area and are extra resistant to flexing, are additionally an option. Some included a paracord loophole, which makes it simpler to get rid of the risk when you need to move camp.
3. Suggestion
The risk idea's capability to resist flexing and turn is a key metric for those utilizing person lines breathable fabric on rough surface where the line might rub against the rocks. The stakes with a spherical factor, like needle risks or guard's hook stakes, tend to bend and turn more conveniently than those with a flat or V-shaped suggestion. They can likewise trigger the line to battle royal as it massages versus the rock. Ultimately, for the ounce counters around, we measured each stake's weight and how compact it packs down into its stuff sack. The very best risks pack to a very small size.
