Do Tents Come With Stakes? (Sure, However They Are Horrible)

So, do tents include stakes? The straightforward reply is YES! 

Nearly all of industrial tents will include a set of stakes you should use to safe your tent construction to the bottom.

Nonetheless, the set of stakes included within the tent set normally are typically cheaper, much less safe, and extra more likely to bend and break on tough floor.

That being stated, whereas most tents will include a set of stakes, the actual query is “do you truly wish to use them?”

Many campers will ditch the included stakes after a number of nights on the path and purchase their very own most popular set.

Ought to I Improve My Tent Stakes?

The tent stakes which might be included within the authentic tent packaging will work finest on mushy and even floor in average situations.

Until you’ve gotten purchased a premium tent that comes with premium stakes, you’ll undoubtedly wish to improve your tent stakes.

The primary purpose we advocate getting your individual set of stakes is as a result of tent stakes are basic to protecting your tent safe.

Tent stakes that you just purchase individually could be extra sturdy, lighter in weight, and can preserve your tent secured to the bottom extra successfully.

In case your stakes are low cost (like lots of the producer stakes), they are going to be liable to bending and it might probably compromise your total tent construction.

And, when your tent construction is compromised, it might probably have an effect on your tent’s capability to maintain you shielded from the weather.

Due to this fact, if you’re planning to arrange camp on rocky, uneven, or laborious floor – or in chilly, windy, or snowy situations – it’s finest to go for a set of your individual stakes.

Until you’ve gotten purchased a premium tent, it’s unlikely that your stakes will work out of the field. Interval.

Moreover, more durable stakes will even work in milder situations. So, one set of high-quality stakes can serve you nicely for all tenting journeys.

How Many Stakes Do Tents Want?

Most tents will embody a set of stakes within the authentic packaging that’s proportionate with the measurement of tent – or the variety of folks that may match inside.

The desk under will cowl what number of stakes normally include every tent.

In case you’re planning on buying your individual set of stakes, it’s necessary to buy sufficient to successfully safe your tent based mostly on its measurement.

Completely different Varieties Of Tent Stakes

Shepherd Hook Stakes

If you consider a basic tent stake, you’re pondering of a shepherd hook stake. Any such stake is the design almost definitely to be included within the bag whenever you buy your tent.

Whereas these are in every single place, they’re usually cheaper and fewer efficient than the opposite sorts of stakes. Shepherd hooks work finest on mushy and even floor and in milder situations.

Nonetheless, they’ll fall quick on rocky, uneven, or chilly floor. Due to their tendency to bend and spin within the floor, they aren’t as efficient as different sorts of stakes in protecting your tent safe throughout excessive winds.

In case you discover these in your tent bag, be at liberty to strive them out on a campout in milder situations.

Usually, you’ll discover you’ll want to exchange them extra regularly than different, extra sturdy fashions.

And, in the event you’re headed into extra intense situations, we advocate you search for one other set of stakes.

By way of weight, shepherd hook stakes are round 14 g, which is among the heavier choices on our listing.

V-shaped Stakes

These stakes are a terrific improve from shepherd hook stakes in sturdiness, stability, and weight.

As a result of these stakes resemble lengthy, slim shovels, they’re simple to push into the bottom. Their excessive floor areas thrive in uneven floor.

They are going to preserve your tent protected and safe all through many sorts of inclement climate.

With a weight that’s roughly round 12-13 g, these are a terrific choice in the event you’re making an attempt to preserve weight in your pack.

Y-shaped Stakes

Y-shaped stakes get their identify from the form of their aluminum, 3-pronged physique. They will also be known as groundhog stakes.

These are identified to carry up nicely in powerful floor and climate situations.

Their form offers a number of factors of contact between the stake and the bottom. This implies they’re unlikely to spin within the floor as soon as put in place and can preserve your tent safe.

Coming in anyplace between 9-15 g, these stakes are additionally a terrific light-weight choice.

Cyclone & Spiral Stakes

Cyclone stakes resemble a Y-shaped stake that has been twisted right into a slim spiral. The twisting creates a number of contact factors with the bottom, which will increase the safety of your tent.

These stakes are extraordinarily sturdy and can work successfully in even the roughest floor and climate situations.

Their draw back? Cyclone and spiral stakes are identified to be barely heavier than different sorts of stakes, coming in at round 34 g every.

Nonetheless, some campers discover they’ll fortunately carry the load in the event that they’re in want of the additional safety these stakes present.

Nail Stakes

Nail stakes, as their identify would counsel, appear to be enlarged nails. Whereas one of these stake is light-weight and sturdy, they aren’t as efficient as different varieties.

Their primary downside comes from their prime. Whereas different varieties have a notch or hook to safe the guyline, nail stakes do not need something to carry the guyline in place.

This implies nail stakes danger spinning within the floor and shedding grip of the guyline in excessive wind situations.

This may compromise the general construction of your tent and its capability to guard you from the weather.

Nonetheless, at 8-12 g, one of these stake is competitively light-weight.

How To Use Tent Stakes

When you’re aware of utilizing stakes, the method of staking your tent will turn into intuitive.

Whereas the overall course of is pretty related, the bottom situations you encounter can have an effect on the way you full the method.

The next sections will cowl these discrepancies based mostly on floor situations.

Dust, Grass, Or Gentle Soil

Dust and grass, in any other case often known as “mushy soil,” is among the most basic tent staking situations you’ll find your self in.

First, safe the guyline to the stake. As soon as the guyline is taut, carry the stake right down to the bottom and insert it into the bottom, angled away from the bottom of the tent.

The primary impediment you’ll be able to encounter when staking in “mushy soils” is that the stake can slip out of the mushy floor.

Due to this, we advocate urgent the stake into the bottom together with your hand, a rock, or a stake hammer.

Nonetheless, watch out throughout this last step! Stomping or slamming down on the stakes with rocks too erratically can bend and harm the stakes.

Since that is the best sort of soil to stake a tent in, we advocate that that is the one sort of terrain you employ shepherd hook stakes in. The opposite fashions we described above will even work right here.

Sand

As a result of sand is at all times shifting underneath your ft (and tent), it may be additional tough to stake your tent down in it.

With seaside tenting, we advocate you get particular sand/snow stakes to make sure your tent is as safe as potential.

Normally, V-shaped stakes or cyclone stakes are finest for sandy terrain. They’re much bigger to provide them extra floor space, which equals extra grip on the shifting sand particles.

Additionally, these stakes generally have holes all through their size, which permit them to have a fair higher grip.

For V-shaped stakes you’ll push them into the bottom, just like how you’ll push a stake into mushy soil.

In case you’re having a tough time with it staying in a single place, strive digging down together with your fingers till you attain a layer of moist sand, and attempt to stake it there.

In case you’re utilizing a spiral-shaped stake, you’ll wish to twist it into the bottom. Generally, this could take some bodily effort, however it’ll be greater than value it when your tent is tremendous safe within the floor!

Snow & Frozen Floor

Snow and frozen floor can even current difficult staking situations. There are two primary strategies to make use of, relying on in the event you’re staking into snow or into the frozen floor.

In case you’re planning to stake your tent down within the precise snow, you’ll wish to begin by digging a gap within the snow a few foot or two deep.

After getting dug the opening, place your snow stake vertically towards one of many sides of the opening. This stake needs to be just like a sand stake: bigger to provide it extra floor space and floor grip.

When your guylines look tight sufficient, begin filling within the gap till the snow is tightly packed on prime of the stake.

In case you’re staking your tent into frozen floor, the method can be barely completely different.

You should use both a snow-specific stake or an everyday heavy-duty stake to safe your tent in frozen floor.

First, you’ll dig till you make contact with the frozen floor.

Then, stake down your tent to the bottom with the guyline hooked up, dealing with away from the bottom of the tent construction.

Getting your stake to remain securely within the floor could also be a problem in frozen situations the place the bottom is routinely more durable.

Many campers will use a stake hammer for this step, guaranteeing that they’ll get their stake as far into the bottom as they’ll.

Rocky Floor

Rocky floor could be tough to stake your tent down in as a result of there are many obstacles (like rocks) in the way in which of your stakes getting a safe maintain.

Step one in any rocky surroundings is to clear the bottom space of any rocks. Not solely will this save your again from sleeping on bumpy floor, however it’ll additionally make it simpler to stake down your tent.

If you’re within the strategy of staking down your tent, don’t attempt to pressure your stake down into the bottom, particularly in the event you’re dealing with resistance.

It’s seemingly that any resistance is attributable to a rock within the floor. Forcing the stake additional can bend or harm the stake.

If the bottom is so rocky that you would be able to’t get a stake into the bottom, you’ll be able to strive the “Massive Rock, Little Rock” approach.

This method contains utilizing two completely different rocks (one massive, one little) for every guyline you should stake down.

When you’ve tied the guyline across the smaller rock, you place it down on the bottom, pulling the guyline taut.

With the whole lot in place, you then place down the massive rock simply subsequent to the smaller rock to strengthen the construction. Take a look at the video under to be taught extra about this course of.

FAQs

Do All Tents Require Stakes?

Sure, to maintain your tent safe on the bottom, you need to completely be staking each tent you arrange.

Whereas this may appear to be overkill in milder situations, it’s higher to be protected than sorry.

You by no means understand how the situations will change when you’re away on a day hike or asleep within the tent!

Ensuring your tent is staked down will be sure that your tent is as safe as potential.

How Many Stakes Do I Want For My Tent?

This depends upon the dimensions of your tent and the way many individuals it might probably match. Usually, a 2-person tent would require 7–9 tent stakes to remain safe.

The quantity will enhance from there relying on the dimensions of your tent.

Take a look at the desk above to see extra data on the quantity of stakes you’ll want for every measurement of tent.

Can I Use Improvised Gadgets As Tent Stakes?

Sure, however it would have an effect on how efficient the merchandise is in protecting your tent secured to the bottom.

Whereas it’s preferable to make use of actual stakes, you should use sticks or rocks to maintain your guylines taut in a pinch.

It’s at all times extra necessary to have one thing securing your tent than to go away your tent unsecured to the bottom.

Any merchandise that’s not designed for staking down a tent has the potential to interrupt, transfer, or cease working whereas in use.

What If I Lose Some Of My Tent Stakes?

In case you lose a few of your tent stakes, you’ll be able to at all times buy extra! Most tent and outdoor producers promote tent stakes on their very own, so you should purchase a alternative set if wanted.

In case you lose a few of your stakes when you’re on the path, you should use sticks or rocks as an impromptu answer.

Though, they won’t be almost as efficient in protecting your tent safe.

Are There Particular Stakes For Completely different Terrains?

Sure! Many of the stakes we’ve coated above will work within the majority of terrains.

Nonetheless, there are stakes that can work finest for whenever you’re tenting in snow or sand.

Usually, these stakes are normally bigger than basic stakes.

They should have extra floor space and extra connection factors when within the floor to maintain the tent safe.

How Do I Correctly Stake Out A Tent?

Check out our article for the right way to stake a tent to learn an in-depth instance of the right way to do exactly this!

You may inform a tent is staked correctly when the guylines are taut.  

Can I Reuse Tent Stakes For Completely different Tents?

Completely! Most tent stakes are for common use, not tent-specific. You probably have set of stakes that you just like to make use of, you’ll be able to seemingly use it with most tent fashions.

In case you’re establishing camp in sand or snow, you need to use stakes that can keep safe in these environments.

Conclusion

Staking your tent is a vital step in protecting your belongings and your self protected and safe all through your tenting journey.

Due to their benefits, in the event you determine to go for buying your individual set of tent stakes you gained’t remorse it.

Getting them generally is a nice step in turning into a professional out within the woods!

Learn Extra On Tent Stakes Right here!