Talked to a park ranger in Yosemite about tent stakes and it wrecked my old setup

I was out camping last month near Yosemite Valley and this ranger named Dave came by my site. He saw my cheap aluminum stakes and just laughed a little. Said I was basically using 'bent paperclips' for the Sierra granite and that I needed steel or titanium ones for hard ground. He showed me how to angle them at 45 degrees into the dirt instead of straight down. Tried his method that night with some borrowed stakes and my tent didnt budge in a gust. Now I swapped out all my stakes for 6 inch MSR Groundhogs and its way more stable. Anyone else get a reality check from a random expert on the trail?

2 comments

2 Comments

olivia_barnes9711d ago

Read somewhere that the angle thing is a game changer for rocky spots, never would have thought of it on my own. Rangers really do know their stuff.

kellyj2311d ago

Those rock angles only help if the soil stays dry, wet clay turns them into disaster waiting to happen.