Bushwalk Australia

Some time ago I got a Tarptent Stratospire 2. The pegs are like the ones you get with the double rainbow (i.e., rounded aluminium colour pegs with a silver cap) only twice as long and yellow instead of blue.

I’m finding the pegs to be quite a pain. I used the tent over the weekend and, due to their length, found it very difficult to pull out of the ground. I had to thread some paracord through the caps to leverage them out and found in the process the cap separated from the peg three times. In the end I had to use pliers to grip the capless peg and pull it out that way.

Anyone have experience with this? One option would be to not push the pegs all the way in the ground, but of course this would reduce holding power. Not keen on dragging pliers with me on ultralight hikes so wondering if there are peg replacements – something where each peg is a single piece rather than a piece and cap….

I love these pegs. If you give them a light kick with your boot it loosens them so that they come out quite easily. I have attached small cord loops to mine as well to help pull them out.

Aren't holding power related to how easy or hard it is to pull out? There are so many peg options out there to choose from, to be matched to the expected ground surface.

It's not the holding power that's the issue but rather the caps coming off. Trying to find long pegs without caps that are not too heavy. Most peg options are average length, not the long ones needed for stratospire....

Yes the trick is to give them a light nudge with your boot before you pull them out.

You can get 8" Groundhog pegs ,(also known as Y pegs, (beware of cheap imitations)) that have similar holding power to those Easton.
They can be hard on cold hands.

Since I moved to the country I found out that often , just as I have been going on about tent set ups and that, pretty much everything I need to do has those little pesky details that make the difference.
For example ask anyone that has had to learn how to use a chain saw more than just once or twice...

Kicking the pegs generally works.

I did contemplate tack welding all my peg caps once. If only I had a TIG machine handy.

The pegs supplied with your Tarptent are Easton Tent Stakes.

The only issue I have had is the occasional cap separation. When I get home, I pull out some araldite and mix it, adding some to the cap and to the top of the stake. Push it together and wipe off any excess. Have never had any separate again.

To remove a stuck peg, I usually use another peg and a rock or bit of wood as fulcrum to lever it up. All pegs need a loop attached for this to work.

Thanks. Araldite is a good idea, will give it a try. I've avoided kicking the pegs as didn't want to bend them....

I've avoided kicking the pegs as didn't want to bend them....

Maybe we should have mentioned that you are not meant to pretend to kick from outside the 50 but to kick to yourself.

BTW, if your pegs are stuck frozen, rather than trying to pull them out you tap them (with a rock or piece of wood or ice pick) downwards so that you break the bond .

Some time ago I mentioned how the same product can be almost universally praised in one forum and rubbished by the members of another one.
The Easton pegs are a good example of that.
Not long ago , I can't remember where, several were focusing on those tops coming off, yet recently in a UK forum this thread was started :
http://www.trek-lite.com/index.php?thre ... akes.2074/
same pegs, just a different take on them.

Franco, forum is a place for mob rule at times.

Anyway, we are working towards improving the products all the time but that does take time and money.
Recently we have been testing another material we use, so far every time an alternative is found to be better in some ways it is also worse in others...

I'll weigh in as someone who likes the long yellow Easton pegs. I think they hold far better than standard pegs, and they are lightweight and don't bend. I've only had one break after a friend did a bad job of forcing it into the ground with his boot. I closed the break with pliers and still use the half-length stub as a peg.

As you said, just try without driving them all the way in to the ground (unless the ground is really soft). I put them in a 45* angle. Pull them out by the shaft of the peg rather than the cap. Give the peg a bit of wobble first if it is really firmly stuck in the ground.

It's always good to have a few different types to adapt to the ground you're pitching on. Anyway to answer the original question, I got some of these x3 anchor stakes (http://www.amazon.com/X3-Anchor-Stakes- ... B00B39UUZW) in the 7" version and they seem pretty great. They are very tough, have good holding power, are pretty light (especially for their size), they screw out so removal seems fairly easy and are one piece. Great for soft or soggy ground, or any soil but a pain to hammer in to hard ground where something thinner would be easier.

Thanks Mike - exactly what I was asking for. Will give them a try.

An improvement to the pegs would be to not have peg and cap as separate pieces... It would allow them to be pulled out directly via threaded cord. Something Easton might consider...

Yep, report back with your thoughts if you do get some. I just realised I posted the wrong link to the 9" version rather than the 7" version, so here's the link for the 7" version: http://www.amazon.com/X3-Anchor-Stakes- ... BDD6XFCWNF

I like the line from that Amazon ad " used by US Special Operations" because there is no such thing.
There is United States Special Operation Forces and United States Army Special Forces so that line could be genuinely referring to one of those (using the wrong designation) or simply a line that sounds good.
The MSR Cyclone use a somewhat similar ,twisted, design but I have not seen many comments on those either.

True, the marketing on those stakes is a bit silly and over the top.

The design of the MSR cyclone stakes is similar but with different materials and the cyclones are longer and 3x heavier than the 7" x3 stakes. The 9" x3 stakes are comparable size to the cyclones at 2/3 the weight. I suspect we don't hear much about the cyclone stakes because they are much bigger and heavier than what most people need.