Why doesn't anyone talk about tent stakes getting way better in the last 5 years

I pulled out my old Coleman tent last weekend and the stakes were the same bent up wire ones I've had since 2018. Then my buddy showed up with a set of groundhogs he got for like 15 bucks. The difference was night and day. He had his tent locked down in 5 minutes while I was still hammering at soft ground with those flimsy pins. I think cheap aluminum stakes from places like REI or Amazon really changed the game around 2020. Has anyone else noticed the newer style stakes hold way better in rain or loose dirt?

4 comments

4 Comments

paige42726d ago

Wait until you try the screw in style stakes, the ones that look like giant corkscrews. I picked some up last fall for beach camping and they held in straight up sand when everything else just pulled right out. The key is getting ones with the wide threads, not those skinny ones that strip out in hard soil. Honestly the whole stake game leveled up way more than people give it credit for, especially once brands started making them from tempered aluminum that doesn't bend on first rock hit.

kelly.nora26d ago

Have you seen those new V-style stakes that are supposed to grip better than the screw ones? I read a blog post from a hiker who tested like 8 different types and said the corkscrew ones you mention, @paige427, were the only thing that stayed put in loose soil after a storm. She mentioned that the tempered aluminum ones are a real game changer for rocky ground, too.

the_xena16d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, are the V-stakes worth trying at all?

grant.nina16d ago

Wait, aren't the V-stakes actually the corkscrew ones?