quick Q about summit stakes

**skar578** · 10-29-2007, 20:48

I went to a small camping store, where they had a lot of nice gear, but I was only looking, and didn't plan on buying anything. I saw 4 small titanium summit stakes (v shaped with holes cut out) and was wondering if all summit stakes were about 4 inches long. would they also be good for clayish soil, or would i also need other stakes?

thanks

**nickelanddime** · 11-08-2007, 16:22

If they are anything like msr groundhogs...
I use mine all the time and the soil here in NC seems to alternate between clay and rock the majority of places I stay... as for needing other stakes, it depends on how much you feel like growling to get them in(I haven't had one pull out yet)

**skar578** · 11-08-2007, 18:07

well, here it is mostly clay or rock, as you experience. I may go with the structurally stable nail pegs so i can drive them in without bending them, like the thinner ascent stakes.

**Rapt** · 11-09-2007, 08:11

I've been meaning to try some of each.... The titanium V stakes seems pretty tough.

**headchange4u** · 11-09-2007, 09:17

I have never used the titanium stakes but I use the aluminum "V" stakes and I have pounded them through some pretty tough ground; ground that has bent the normal peg style tent stake.

**nickelanddime** · 11-09-2007, 11:05

been a while since I looked in a campmor, but I seem to remember some kelty v or y stakes of aluminum with a tag line of "nobendium stakes" or some other equivalent. When you think about it, most nail stakes are nothing more than rod with an L bend at the top so of course they'll bend long before channel v stakes or welded y stakes. The hard anodizing job is just a bonus giving them a .0015"+/- skin coat that is roughly 12x harder than pure aluminum.

**skar578** · 11-09-2007, 20:53

when i say nail peg, i mean like a thick, strait length of Ti, and a hole bore through to make a place to attach the line to it. not a Sheppard hook.

http://www.urbanhart.com/shopsite/ou...entstakes.html

the top right one, not the top left

**nickelanddime** · 11-10-2007, 13:50

oh, interesting, I've seen these in aluminum but not Ti... were you thinking of doing as they say and use it as a pilot and carry shepard hooks for the rest?
I've kind of become a creature of habit in the last few years and there are some things that I find myself unwilling to go back to, one of those things is straight stakes just because I've had so many pull out of soft stuff even when the angle seemed good.
If you get some please let us know how you feel about them, the price for a set of nearly indestructable stakes seems well within reason, and the weight even with all pegs still comes out the same as my set of ground hogs... I might put them on my birthday wish list, I love testing stuff when it's free

**skar578** · 11-10-2007, 18:11

i can get them 6 for $20 at EMS, which comes to about $3.33 each, so it is a little better. Hopefully I will get a summer job at EMS, knocking down the price a little bit.

**warbonnetguy** · 11-10-2007, 18:25

the groundhog stakes are really tough, i have beat on them with a rock on many occasions without them bending. they seem to have great holding power as well.