Too Long; Didn't Read (TLDR)
Step 1) Watch the YouTube video below.
Step 2) Links to tent stakes of the winning design:
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Introduction
Tent stakes, the unsung heroes of the outdoors. What other piece of gear do you intentionally step on, hit with rocks, and, all too often, leave behind in the dirt? And yet they remain loyal; straight shooting companions (well, some not so straight anymore), ready to engage the elements to keep your stuff from blowing away.
A couple years ago during a bikepacking trip, my staked down tent was picked up and flipped over by a huge gust of wind. Ever since then, I’ve been itching to test tent stakes, to find out what stake design is best. I’m not looking for a specific brand. More so, what tent stake design and construction best balances weight, durability, and performance. Cost is an important factor too, so I threw that into the mix. I’m focusing on smaller, more portable stakes, like those used in three season backpacking, when every gram counts. After a little research I ordered some of the most popular versions
The Contenders
1. The shepherd hooks. We tested a shorter, ultralight titanium version and a longer, thicker aluminum type.
2. The peg stake. These come in a number of variations, from carbon fiber aluminum tipped, to a basic steel nail. I chose to test just one type as there just didn’t seem to be enough variations of design or construction to test multiple.
3. The “Y” stakes. Thus named for their distinctive “Y” shape when viewed from above. I tested a longer aluminum version with wider flanges, and a short version with slight curves at the end of the flanges.
4. The “V” stakes. Like “Y” stakes, also named for their shape. Due to their variations, I tested a and a titanium version with lots of holes in it (I assume to save weight), a short aluminum alloy version, and a long aluminum version.
So that was the field; 8 stakes of four general types roughly divided into “Long” and “Short” categories.
Determining the Best Stake Angle
I did some initial testing on our tensile tester to determine the best placement angle and stake depth. These variables impact performance significantly. Some companies include best practices with their stakes. The TentLab, for example, recommends a 15-20 degree angle when staking a tent floor, and a 20-30 degree angle when staking guy-lines or vestibules.
MSR has similar instructions on the back of their packaging. But they recommend 10 degrees.
So which is best? The results surprised me. I’ve always placed my stakes at a 30 or even 45 degree angle. Boy was I wrong.Stakes inserted straight down averaged 19.5 N of holding power. Next I drove the stakes at a 10 degree angle. These held at an average of 20.9 N. Next was 20 degrees at 18.2 N. And finally at 30 degrees, only 12.6 N. The clear winner time and again was 10 degrees, followed closely in second by 0 degrees. For the remainder of testing, all stakes were placed at a 10 degree angle to ensure maximum efficiency and consistency.
Performance
Now for the first test: Performance. This was determining the pure holding power of the stake. How well does it stay in the dirt?
From the poorest performer to the best:
Short Shepherd Hook: No surprises here. Very little surface area, very little to grab onto the soil. Finished with a 6.88 N
Short V (Titanium): This one was a surprise! Upon closer inspection when pulling, you could actually see small soil grains leaking through those holes! I would not have imagined that they would make such an impact on performance, but again, it reduces the surface area available to grip the soil. It put this stake squarely in second-to-last place with a 10.80N.
Short Peg: Close performance to the Titanium V with a 11.20N.
Short Y: 13.16N
Short V: 14.61N
Long Shepherd Hook: Third Place at 16.93N
Long Y: Second Place at 20.14N
Long V: 21.35: And our performance winner at a very respectable 21.35N, the humble V stake.
We’ll normalize on a 1-5 point scale, with 5 points being awarded to the victor, and 1 point being awarded as a participation ribbon to the loser.
Stake length was a huge differentiator in performance. And it makes sense. Looking strictly at surface area the longer your stake is, the more surface area you have engaged in the soil and the harder it is going to be to pull it out. But length also adds more material.
Which brings us to our next category, weight.
Weight
In many outdoor pursuits, ounces/grams matter. So while long stakes had the advantage in holding power performance, the small fellas have their moment to shine.
So, from the heaviest (least desirable) to the lightest (most desirable):
Long Y: The heavyweight at 0.54oz/15.2g
Long Shepherd Hook: 0.52oz/14.81g
Long V: 0.42oz/11.81g
Short V (Titanium): Again, this shocked me! The Titanium V was the heaviest of the small stakes at 0.40oz/11.30g
Short V (Alloy): 0.38oz/10.66g
Short Peg:0.36oz/10.32g
Short Y: 0.34oz/9.60g
Short Shepherd Hook: The winner by a big margin at 0.21oz/6.09g
Once again, we’ll normalize on a 1-5 point scale, with 5 points being awarded to the victor, and 1 point being awarded to the loser.
Durability
Next comes durability testing. Using a very unsophisticated test rig to hold the stake and hit it with a sledgehammer, I was able to simulate striking your stake with a rock and hitting another rock buried in the soil. Stakes were tested to failure, which was determined to be when either A) the stake body or shaft began to deform or warp or B) when the stake tip or head was compromised to the point it would no longer function well.
Round One:
Tied for last place was Short Shepherd Hook and Short V (Titanium): I can’t even make this stuff up. Once again, I was shocked with the results of the Short V (Titanium). You guys are going to think I just had it out for these stakes. I actually smashed up multiple stakes just to see if it was a fluke, and it wasn’t. Each time, the tip of these stakes just curled. As expected, the Short Shepherd Hook bent easily. Both with a poor showing at 2.22J/1.64ft-lb
Round Two:
Long V: Tip curled at 4.45J/3.28ft-lb
Round Three
Long Shepherd Hook: Body began to bend at 6.67J/4.92ft-lb
Round Four
Short V and Short Peg: The aluminum alloy in this version of the Short V proved to be resistant to bending, but the tip broke at 8.9J/6.56ft-lb. The aluminum tubing of the Short peg also deformed at the same force.
And the Winners
The Short and Long Y Stakes. Both of these stakes proved more durable than other designs in both long and short categories. They both experienced some tip blunting, but their Y design held up well with no bends or warps.
Again, we’ll normalize on a 1-5 point scale, with 5 points being awarded to the most durable stakes and 1 point being awarded to the least durable.
Cost
And lastly, I looked at cost. Below you’ll see the average price per stake type. This was determined after shopping around online. There is some variation in price by manufacturer, especially with the well known outdoor brands, but they’re all in the ballpark. In the second column you’ll see the points awarded.
Nobody should be surprised at this point, but the Short V (Titanium) is the most expensive stake we tested, coming in at $3.99 per stake.
Next was the Short Peg at $3.83 per stake. Not much of a surprise, considering the tip, shaft, and head are all components that have to be made separately and then assembled.
Next was the Short V (Alloy) at $3.24. The alloy is TH72M and I have to assume that because it is stronger than aluminum, it is also more expensive to make or manipulate.
The Short Y was next at $2.99 per stake. There are cheaper Y stakes on the market, but surprisingly I could only find a name brand in the short version. Hence the more expensive price point.
The Short Shepherd Hook was next at $2.08 per stake. Not much material needed, but they are titanium.
I would not have thought so at the beginning of this project, but the long stakes were all the most inexpensive. And I think that’s because there is a lot more variety from different manufactures available in these sizes.
In third place was the Long V at $1.24 per stake.
In second, the Long Shepherd Hook at $0.90 cents per stake.
And the winner, the Long Y at a dirt cheap $0.83 cents per stake.
We’ll normalize these results and we have our scores.
Final Rankings
And that brings us to the final rankings. After averaging scores from Performance, Weight, Durability, and Cost, the winner of the best overall stake design goes to…..the Long Y!
And the numbers speak for themselves. It came in first in Durability and Cost and second in Performance. It did take a hit coming in last in the Weight category, but it wasn’t enough to unseat the Long Y as the champ.
The Long V came in a respectable second.
And the Short Y came in third.
And yes, the poor Short V (Titanium). Last place. I’ve used this style of stake for some years now and I was really disappointed with how it did, but that was the reason for the experiment.
Final Thoughts
So what type of stake am I carrying now? Without a doubt the Long Y. The Y design gives it unparalleled strength against deforming or tip bending. It has excellent holding power, is lightweight (enough), and is super cheap. I love that you can find these stakes for less than a dollar a stake online. Links can below and at the beginning of the article. No sweat if you misplace one, or accidently leave one behind. It is truly well balanced and has become my go to stake.
So to wrap up, a few things I learned along the way during this project.
First, stake angle matters. 10 degrees is best, just slightly off vertical.
Second, stake depth matters. During testing I found that if the stake head is even an inch out of the ground, this reduces holding power by 24%. It comes down to the basic mechanics of a lever. The top of the ground acts as a fulcrum, so the more stake exposed above ground, the less force it takes to dislodge it. Don’t settle if your stake hits a rock part way down. Move your stake until you find a spot where you can drive it all the way in.
Third, with the Y stakes, point the bottom of the Y toward your tent. This was counterintuitive to me at first. I thought the top of the Y should be pointing to the tent. I was wrong. When I tested both methods side by side, the base facing the tent had 22% more holding power than the top of the Y facing the tent.
One last pro-tip: Some tents are constructed with adjustable staking points. These are so convenient and I think all tents should have them. If your tent does not have these adjustable points, I’ve started to add a daisy-chain of cord at each tent corner stake down point. This will give you flexibility when it comes time to stake your tent and you keep finding rocks, roots, or hard ground.
Thanks for joining me for this project. We have a patreon page link below if you feel like supporting future reviews and testing. Now get up and get outside!
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