I am very new to camping. Meaning I haven’t been yet. Having a great time picking choosing and slowing getting the gear together.
What are the best tent pegs for sand? The ones I saw advertised are aluminum with holes in the peg, pig tail types and I’ve seen bags for sand. I’ve also read the article on “deadman” for sand. I’m very aware that any peg with enough wind will pull out. I haven’t seen this topic under search archive before. Thanks.
Steve
Wilmington, NC
Depends on packing space and cost
– Last Updated: Feb-29-04 6:47 PM EST –
The best stake I've used in sand are wooden ones. If it's practical and environmentally sound where you are going you can cut your own. Last summer was the first time that I brought some cheap store-bought garden stakes on a river-sandbar camping trip. These stakes are roughly 1 by 2 inches in diameter and 22 inches long, which it turns out is a lot bigger than what's needed. I found that it was absolutely impossible to pull them out the next morning until I had dug all around them to a depth of nearly a foot! If you have the storage space, there is nothing cheaper than wooden stakes (I got a bag of 25 for the price of ONE aluminum tent stake specially made for sand) and nothing works better.
If packing space is a problem and you don't mind spending the money, those special "sand stakes" work pretty well.
As for burying a "deadman", that's a lot more work than it appears to be, but that works well too. You will need a good shovel and probably a saw or something to cut chunks of tree branches to bury. I hadn't heard about burying bags of sand, but that sounds like it would work well. Again, you'll need to bring a decent shovel, which might be just as bulky as some good tent stakes. Lots of options, I guess.
i just use rocks
wrapped around the guy line. Sand anchors could be dead useful though in a rock deficient area.
Campmor has sand stakes.
The have large trianguler surfaces .
CAMPED ON MANY A BEACH IN SOFLA
and the Keys.
We also need to contend with sea and land breeze cycles in many areas, if not breezy or windy conditions. (All the tent campers who came down during the Bogey & Bacall will recall the winds that weekend of the B&B!)
Holding power transcending that of keeping the tent upright is the important point in my mind. And for up around the middle of the state, where you’ll run into a lot of sandy soils inland, as well as sand, per se, near and along the coast, it’s good to bring sand stakes as well.
Long (16-24") rebar rods with a crook in the end, or significantly lighter 12" Al stakes, again with a crook, with a downward-pointing triangular sheet of thinninsh metal braized on, work for most situations, though I have had both pull out when the wind really picked up and the sand was fine, slick, and more or less loose.
Either isn’t too bad for toting around unless you’re back-packing -for that, get lightweight, self-supporting tents and stake one corner to keep if from blowing away untill you put your gear inside, L.
Loaded correctly into your paddlecraft (appropriately bagged and sharp sharp-ends-sheathed if problematic) I think they’ed be OK in a yak (and just as well if not better in a more commodious, open-top canoe), so you could carry these to camp in between the times and you’d
Paddle on!
-Frank in Miami
Hmm
Or get a free standing tent, if you havent all ready got one. The stakes just keep it from blowing away…
Check Army Surplus Store
The Army has some stakes that work well for windy beaches.
Also constructions stakes.
here’s something…
http://www.bartswatersports.com/catalog.asp?C=164&P=2257
it’s heavy enough to hold a 30 foot powerboat, I think…
old tent poles
I was at last year’s Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium when they discussed camping. The presenter made a great suggestion in using old tent poles for sand stakes. Looked like they were sawn at 1’ to 1.5’ length.
In the Everglades
I have used the normal tent stakes with no problems on sand beaches if the winds are not above 25 knots. If they are forecast for higher I always carry lightweight plastic shopping bags (grocery store type) in a small ziplock. These are very light and take up little space. I dig at least a 6" hole per bag and fill the bag with sand. This is buried with a cord to the guylines. My tent uses 4 bags and has withstood winds to 40 knots.
snow stakes
a light weight option is to use the aluminum u channel snow stakes. They work good and are easy to remove. If you have some end lines that have more tension, there are some made with large fins.
Thanks for info!!
Thanks to all for the advice with tent peg stakes for sand.
Hopefuly others can now do a search and find some great ideas.