Carbon & Ti stakes

Overview

There are so many tent stakes in the market in terms of materials (aluminum, titanium, & carbon fiber) and forms such as a V-shaped, Y-beam, square nail, tube, or shepherd hook. You might find it a bit difficult to tell the differences of their applicability to various ground conditions.

Since I have them all for collection and after many years of use, I pick up the most overall competent as follows.

Ti tube stake

• 15.5 cm long (6.1")
• 8.3g / Ø7.2mm

Titanium is stronger than aluminum. On the same weight basis, a tube is structurally much better than a solid rod in terms of bend resistance and holding power. Therefore, the Ti tube stake is an all-rounder you trust in almost all cases.

Some other tube stakes have separate metal tips, whereas mine is the one-piece construction for max. reliability.

The end cap is also titanium, subject to hammer. But since it's an ultralight stake, please do not hammer violently or step with your full body weight.

Another advantage of a tube is that it won't pull soil out of the ground when removed. So it's easier to clean compared with a Y-beam or V-shaped.

CF short stake

• 12 cm long (4.72")
• 3.2g

This stake is to replace those common Ti shepherd hook (~6g) in the market. Comparatively, the CF stake is extremely light and has more realistic holding power. It supplements my Ti tube stakes and is used at points where high load is not expected. See the "Case study" tab.

This CF stake suits medium hard soil. Use your hand or foot to steadily drive it in. Do not hammer.

The CF short stake is safe for on‐boarding at airports.

High visibility

All stakes have a bright yellow cord through the end to make them easy to see and easy to pull out of the ground.

Case study

Dome tent

For the most common double wall dome tent (two poles crossed at top in "x"):

• Use CF short stakes (3.2g each) at four corners with low load
• Use Ti tube stakes (8.3g each) at side points to pull out the fly
• Six stakes in total: 29.4g

My Pyra1 shelter

• Use Ti tube stakes at four corners and at the door (main points)
• Use CF stakes at the mid of side and back panels (minor points)