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  1. #1
    Senior Member hikingjer's Avatar
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    DIY homemade snow anchors

    Since it's winter and the mountains are covered with snow, the new Speer Winter Tarp or Black Diamond Betamid (if we have to stoop that low) will need stakes for snow camping.

    REI sells snow anchors for tent guylines but they cost $10.50. They look feasible to emulate so I made my own. I used some old ripstop nylon scrap from an old DIY hammock. The piece of nylon is about 11" long and 9" tall. I hemmed its edges, then sewed cord within each end. The cord loops are about 18" long. JoAnn's Fabrics had 14 small plastic rings for $2.29. Each anchor gets 2 rings, one for each string.



    Each string is closed with a bowline knot. 2 snow anchors weigh 2 oz. at most. The snow in the Cascades is wet and normally makes good snowballs so it should stamp down with these anchors enough to hold a tarp guyline.



    I may put an elastic loop on the 2 rings of each anchor to help with snow or wind build-up. Each anchor took about 15 minutes to make. With using skis, ski poles or ice ax and trees for guylines not many of these should be necessary. 2 years ago I made snow stakes out of aluminum moulding from the hardware store.

    I don't know how well these anchors will work. If you have used these, please reply and describe.

  2. #2
    Senior Member Cannibal's Avatar
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    I've 'tried' to use them. I didn't have any luck with them, but I'm stuck (I say that like it's a bad thing?) with mostly powder out here; no good wet "stamping" snow. They don't work very well with powder. Now I just dig down to the frozen earth and punish the soles of my boots.

    However, I used some similar to what you've shown in Florida while camping on one of the barrier islands. They work GREAT in the sand! Just dig a hole, place the "stake", and fill back in with sand. I'm sure they will work wonderfully in a nice heavy snow. Let us know!
    Trust nobody!

  3. #3
    Senior Member KMACK's Avatar
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    I have the Campmor version. Love 'em.

  4. #4
    Senior Member DuctTape's Avatar
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    If it is cold enough and especially when the snow is "dry". I jam a few stick into the snow at location I would like to have stakes and then pour a small amount of water around their base. An hour/two later the sticks are frozen into the snow and I can tie off to them. Moving (temporarily of course) decent sized logs to the hammock location also works well.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by DuctTape View Post
    If it is cold enough and especially when the snow is "dry". I jam a few stick into the snow at location I would like to have stakes and then pour a small amount of water around their base. An hour/two later the sticks are frozen into the snow and I can tie off to them. Moving (temporarily of course) decent sized logs to the hammock location also works well.
    I do the same. Burying snowshoes also works (w/o the water to ice them in...) if you only need two stakes, and that's all I need with the HH stock tarp.

    --Kurt

  6. #6
    Senior Member hikingjer's Avatar
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    Pouring water to freeze in a stick - that's a clever trick. I'll have to try that if conditions are right.

    -------------

    Can't wait to get out and try the new Speer Winter Tarp and PeaPod and DIY anchors on a XC ski & snow camping trip! The days will be long enough in 2 weeks and I should be over this 3+ weeks long bout of bronchitis/cold/asthma.

    -------------------------------------

    I wonder if these 9" x 9" are large enough. What are the dimensions of the fabric for the commercial snow anchors?

  7. #7
    Senior Member fin's Avatar
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    You could also "lay" or "wrap" a log/stick inside your anchor and create a larger/bulkier anchor that way. Then bury the whole ball of wax in the snow. Saves tying off knots that may freeze/jam up on you. I like your anchors - I thought of making some similar, but wanted to buy the REI version first to have something to copy.

  8. #8
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    I know I'm resurrecting a ancient thread here, but I use anchors similar to this to hold my
    single line kites in place on the beach. I made them out of a 1.2 meter by 1.2 meter square of ripstop with 3 meter lengths of webbing stitched diagonally from corner to corner
    and eyes sewn in the ends of the webbing for a carabiner to attach to. Works wonderfully and to unanchor, grab to corners on the same side and pull once the carabiners been unhooked.

  9. #9
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    Great solution. My answer to that much snow is to stay home

  10. #10
    Senior Member lonetracker's Avatar
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    those should work fine.any snow will harden enough to hold them even powder.about 20 to 30 min after snow is disturbed it will harden or set.so bury them with as much snow as possible leaving attachment string sticking out,then do something else for half hour.when you go to set up your tarp they should be ready.it will not get ice hard but will hold a tarp.(if the snow is packy /melty then overnight drop in temps may freeze your anchors in making it hard to break them free)i make snow anchors with whatever is available on site.as said logs are good.burying a 2 foot chunk of branch with a cord wraped around it in the snow works good.when you go to leave just pull the cord out off snow and leave the branch buried.also tie of to shrubs,trees rocks ect.

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