Getting the tent stakes in the rocky ground is a huge struggle. Every time you will drive the stakes into the rocky soil, they will start to bend. Bent tent stakes can never be your camping gear. As it is the age of rooftop campers, truck bed tents, and hammock tents, thinking about the best tent stakes for rocky soil might need to be reconsidered.
Tent stakes are used as a substitute in a camping gear but their efficiency is to be prioritized. They will keep you safe when used properly in all types of weather and your tent will be intact with the ground. For the rocky soil, you cannot use any tent stake so it is necessary to use either aluminum, titanium or steel.
Best Tent Stakes for Rocky Soil
We did the hard work for you listed down few of the rocky soil tent stakes for your upcoming camping.
1. MSR Groundhog Tent Stake Kit, 6 Pack
MSR short for Mountain Safety Research a leading innovator in outdoor equipment, started their journey of innovation in outdoor equipment in 1969. Surprisingly MSR started the journey not as a manufacturer but as a news letter covering topics for the safety of mountaineers.
Larry Penberthy the founder of MSR started writing up evaluations on climbing equipment and ways to make improvements to make them safe for use.
MSR started the journey of manufacturing equipment starting with snow fluke anchors, auto belay device, cold weather gloves, ice screw and climbing rope.
Since then they have come a long way from innovating basic climbing tools to manufacturing tents, stoves, water treatment, cookware, snow tools, snow shoes and poles.
MSR was acquired by Cascade Designs in 2001, which also owns Sealine, PackTowl, Ther-a-Rest, Playtypus.
Groundhog Tent Skate Kit belongs to Aluminum 7000 series and available in a pack of 6 skates, made with lightweight aluminum and each skate has a height of 19 centimeters and weighs only 10 grams.
Despite its lightweight the 7000 aluminum series is strong enough to take on the hardest ground. The Y shaped design of the skate provides a firm hold in variety of surfaces. The notch provided at the top is efficient in securing guy lines. A reflective loop at the top makes pulling them out of the ground effortless.
Product Highlights:
- Durable and versatile
- Lightweight
- Easy set-up and removal
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2. RIY Tent Stakes
Escaping the busy life of the cities and spending time with nature is thought provoking and relaxing by breaking the daily lifecycle. Those who want a true outdoor experience prefer to camp in tent.
Dealing with various weather possibilities requires a tent to be secured to the ground. Tent stakes are of utmost importance when considering tent security while camping outdoors.
A tent stake is usually shaped of a spike with a hook or hole towards the top. The stakes can be made of various materials, wood, metal, plastic or any composite material. The stakes are hammered to the ground keeping a tent secured either by attaching to the tent material directly or securing it with the rope.
RIY tent stakes are manufactured using high quality S45C forged steel. The use of steel eliminates the possibility of corrosion, or chances of bending and snapping while hammering to the ground. Each stake has a length of 12 inches and weighs 5.07oz.
The shape of the stake is similar to that of a nail just bigger in size. The big head at the top along with nail shape makes it easier to hammer down the ground regardless of the surface. It can be used well in keeping tents, canopies and landscape trim secured to the ground with the help of a hook towards the head of the stake.
Product Highlights:
- Corrosion-resistant
- Sturdy and strong holding power
- Durable
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3. GroundGrabba Ground Anchor Screw Kit
A company born by the shared passion of camping adventure, exploration and great outdoors between David Levine and Susan Young. The company started with a simple concept of creating unique outdoor gear and accessories to help other outdoor enthusiast to get most out of their adventures.
GroundGrabb aims to provide the best outdoor experience by improved security for tents, canopies and shelters with minimal time and effort required for installation.
GroundGrabb ground anchor kits are made of Galvanized Heat Treated Carbon Steel. The highly treated and high quality material used for manufacturing is unmatched when it comes to durability. Each anchor is 1ft in length and provides the optimal grip needed outdoors.
It takes merely a few seconds to install or remove with the help of a cordless drill or impact wrench. However, the company recommends using Masonry drill bit and pre drilling ½” (12mm) hole when working on hard surfaces.
The anchor from GroundGrabb is equally effective in anchoring outdoor shelters and playground equipment. The anchor system is safe and remains in place even in swear weather conditions.
The anchor kit comes with a Heavy Duty Carry All Bag which is equally strong and ensures the whole kit is kept organized ready for next adventure.
Product Highlights:
- Easy to install
- Ultimate durability and functionality
- Lifetime warranty
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4. BareFour Tent Stakes
BareFour tent stakes are made of S45C high quality forged steel. Forged steel eliminates the chances of snapping and bending and greatly reducing rust. Each peg is about 8” in length and is about 0.4” in diameter.
The peg has a sharp end that minimizes the effort required to hammer it down the hardest surfaces and the significant sized flat head reduces the chances of slipping. The hook near the head of the stake ensures that it doesn’t go below the required depth while the hole allows easy removal with the help of a tent hammer.
An angle of 60 degrees is recommended when pushing the stake in the ground while the hook under the head should be facing the ground. The stake can be pushed to the ground with the help of tent hammer and 1.5 inches of the peg is recommended to be left above the ground.
The package includes a storage bag for organized storage. To increase the life of the stakes it is important to remove any dust or soil on the surface with a dry rag before using a wet rag to clean and dry outdoors. Application of a lubricant is advised while a dry and ventilated space is ideal for storage.
Product Highlights:
- Unbreakable and durable
- Easy to install
- Easy to remove
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5. Hikemax Forged Steel Tent Stakes
When planning an outdoor camping trip the most overlooked part of the gear is a tent stake. Especially with the advancements made in the tent designs ranging from hammock tents to rooftop campers the importance of stakes is easily missed.
Prioritizing efficient stakes on the gear checklist is of utmost importance. When used effectively they ensure the safety in extreme weather conditions and keeping the tent secure to the ground.
Hikemax tent stakes are manufactured using forged S45C steel while an extra layer of electroplated coating. The high quality forged steel construction ensures that the stake can penetrate the rugged terrain without the fear of snapping or bending and electroplated coating minimizes the possibility of corrosion.
The weight of each peg is 67.4g that makes is lightweight but strong enough for various surfaces. The stake has an ideal height of 7.8” inches which is an ideal length to be carried on a backpack and long enough at the same time to secure the tent.
The convenient design with the availability of a hook or a hole just beneath the head of makes it easier to pull the stake out of the ground with a tent hammer.
Product Highlights:
- Ideal for hard and rocky ground
- Unbreakable due to the tensile steel
- Optimized design
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6. MSR Carbon Core Tent Stakes
The idea behind the birth of MSR in 1969 of safer, reliable and better equipment still drives the innovation. MSR has the answer to almost all the requirements of outdoor equipment.
Tent stakes are not always considered to be critical when setting up a tent. Usually the weight of the gear and a person considered to be sufficient when holding the tent to the ground. Having to chase a fully constructed tent is not a pleasing sight to watch and these ting pegs can make a significant difference.
Regardless of the surface whether its grass, dirt, ice or rocks the stakes ensures the tent is pin down to the ground, stopping them from blown away with the wind.
Carbon core tent stakes by MSR are the lightest pegs with an almost unfelt weight of 6g each stake and measuring 6 inches. They are sold as a kit of four tent stakes.
The core of the stake is made of carbon fiber while the outer is made of aluminum to provide the optimum strength needed in toughest terrains. The plastic top with hole for a piece of cord ensures the guy lines are kept in place while pulling the stakes out of the ground easily.
Product Highlights:
- Lightweight
- Aluminum makes it durable
- Carbon fiber core makes it rigid and enhancing the strength
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7. Shepherd’s Hook Titanium Tent Stakes
Aluminium is considered to be light and durable material when manufacturing outdoor gear. Established in 2011 in Southern California, with a passion for innovation TOAKS specializes in producing titanium cookware, cutlery, stoves, flasks, tent stakes and windscreens for outdoors.
Toaks works on the principle that every ounce of weight counts as a burden regardless of the distance travelled whether its few miles or few hundred. Their products are known to be the lightest available in the market. Toaks won Outdoor Industry Award in 2015 for its innovative Burning Stove STV-11.
Toaks Shepherd’s Hook has been a go to choice when backpacking. Made of aluminium provides strength, resistance against corrosion and lightweight making it an ultimate option for most ground types. It weighs only 0.4oz having a length of 6 3/8” each, and features a hook at the end of the stake making it easy to push and pull out of the ground. Majority of the tents require a set of 6 stakes to keep them secure.
The hook set comes packed in a pouch for organised and easy storage.
Product Highlights:
- Lightweight and durable
- Corrosion resistance
- Easy installation.
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Buying Guide –
While you are on the search for the perfect set of stakes, you need to find the best pair because it will be your key camping gear. However, finding the right pair is challenging. It can get a little tricky and confusing while choosing the perfect stakes because of the huge variety and quality of stakes available in the market.
Therefore, when you are out on the search for the best tent stakes, it is important to analyze each model on the basis of certain factors. This will help you in narrowing your choice and finding the ideal tent stake.
Below are few of the factors that needs to be considered before buying the classic tent stake.
Material to Be Used:
The foremost factor to consider while buying tent stakes is the materialistic composition. To understand the durability, strength and weight of a stake, it is necessary to decide which material needs to be used.
As a backpacker, you mostly want to go with two materials, i.e. Aluminum or Titanium stake. Steel is not a considerable option due to its heavy weight. The recommendation whether to use aluminum or titanium still remains jumbled up.
Titanium is considered as stronger than aluminum but it all depends on the stake design. There are two types of stakes; V- Stakes and Shepherd hooks. Titanium shepherd hooks are a good option to consider because the V-stakes are only good in sand.
The aluminum Y- Beam stakes like MSR Groundhog have double holding power because of them being heavier. Another material that can be considered is Carbon Fiber as well. The material to be used while buying the stakes is a personal preference.
Size:
Another important factor to be considered is the size of the stakes. It is important to note that not all the tent stakes are of the same size. They vary in size especially in terms of width and length.
A crucial part of backpacking is not to take bigger stakes along. However, if you are planning to do car camping, big stakes can be a good choice because they can be easily fixed deep into the ground especially making them the best suitable stake for any weather conditions.
Thin and narrow stakes are a great choice for backpacking because of their easy installment and removal as well. Their lightweight makes them the most suitable choice for your camping because they can be carried anywhere.
You still have to be considerate while choosing the size of the stakes because thin stakes are more prone towards getting damaged and bigger stakes will become a challenge to carry without car. So you have to plan carefully according to the type of camping and then choose the suitable size of the stakes.
Weight:
Weight is not an important factor to consider until you are planning to do backpacking camping. But still it is important to be considerate of the weight. Backpackers still make it a key factor during their travel and camping because of their long journeys and easy moves.
However, if you are planning to stay at one place, a bigger and heavier tent stake will be workable for you. A heavier tent not always means a strong and sturdy one. But a lightweight stake always guarantees a secure and durable tent.
Shape of the tent stake:
The durability and performance of the tent stakes mostly depends on the shape and design of the tent stakes. As we are living in a modern era so in today’s world, there are different shaped tent stakes. Each of the stakes have their own advantages and disadvantages and considering the shape and design of the stakes is also another factor to consider. The most commonly shaped tent stakes are:
- V-shaped tent stakes
- Y- Y-shaped tent stakes
- Nail tent stakes
- Utility tent stakes
- Shepherd’s hook
- Sand/ Snow stakes
Conclusion:
Choosing the best tent stakes for rocky soil is a challenging task but with the right research and efforts, you can get the suitable stakes for your camping. However, if you consider the above mentioned factors before buying the stakes, you will definitely be successful.
Now you know most of the best stakes for rocky soil, you would know the best fit for you. So if you wish to find the perfect pair of stakes, you can consider one of the above-mentioned products because they are durable and widely-used models. The important thing to remember is to choose the size, weight, and design which is tough and is aligned with your needs.