Which tent stakes provide good hold in snow?

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 Getoiu 19 May 2020

I'm searching for a good set of snow stakes. I came across two particular ones by MSR the 'blizzard stake' and 'tough stake'. Has anyone tried them both? Wondering wether one would hold better than the other. 

 Dell 19 May 2020
In reply to Getoiu:

A heavy duty plastic carrier bag filled with snow will anchor your tent nicely. 

 PaulJepson 19 May 2020
In reply to Getoiu:

Yep, bags are great anchors in snow. You can also use the hollow plastic golf practice balls (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Practice-Plastic-Training-Driving-Outdoor/dp/B07W9...)

 ebdon 19 May 2020
In reply to Getoiu:

I've never got stakes or snow specific pegs to work particularly well as they just melt out, bags however work brilliantly although can be very hard to get out if they freeze in

cb294 19 May 2020
In reply to Getoiu:

skis or snow shoes

CB

In reply to Getoiu:

Snow often means skis. Use them and the skiing poles. Plus any bags or anything else you can bury as deadmen.

 Frank R. 19 May 2020
In reply to ebdon:

Not so keen on leaving around adze-hacked bits of frozen trash bags in the morning, but yes, they hold great 

Usually I just bring a few cheap flat & angled big stakes (just some cut aluminium L-profiles, not so nice as the MSR but much cheaper!), bury them as deadmen or use skis etc.

The hollow plastic balls look nice, do they hold well even cut in half for stacking in the pack?

 ebdon 19 May 2020
In reply to Frank R.:

To expand, I think it depends on what your doing, if it's a short overnight camp then snow pegs are fine as are skis, axes etc..

For basecamps of multiple days you need somthing more permanent that wont melt out. And you cant use your kit as you need it! plastic bags work but will be single use as has been said, I have also trashed my nice stuff sacks and tent bags when digging them out. I've got some special snow bag anchors that i think came with my tent. My best anchor was the barrels they give you to shit in in Denali NP

This will also depend a bit on where you are, I.e a very snowy wet glacier vs a dry glacier with ice at the surface (where I've just used screws before!

OP Getoiu 20 May 2020

Thank you all for the replies. You gave me some really handy advises. I've tried axes before but they were a pain to dig out in the morning when everything is frozen. The plastic bags sound great but I don't want to leave anything behind. I might have a look at the plastic balls but really want to try some snow pegs. Just wonder which ones are superior. I understand it depends on the conditions were I camp so I'll be taking some bags as well. The last time I used some Y pegs in bad weather had to chase the tent down the glacier dodging the crevasses above Gonella hut... my but cheeks still remember the feeling of cold sweat dripping down the crack lol on the next night after long summit day (long for our untrained souls) my mate had enough of the tent flapping and dashed off towards the hut. Bottom line-I'm not using any Y pegs on snow again

 Graham 20 May 2020
In reply to Getoiu:

https://www.moosejaw.com/product/msr-snow-sand-tent-anchors_10334713

something like this works really well, but require a certain depth and consistency of snow to use. Skis and poles etc... work well too but are a bit of a pain if you're basecamping and wanting to use them every day without taking your tent down. 

 Big Steve 20 May 2020
In reply to Getoiu:

The best I used were some metal stakes I found in a garden centre years ago. I think they were designed to be some sort of plant support, they look like very chunky extra long tent pegs though. They are strong enough to be really hammered in to all sorts of ground, and were only a couple of quid each.

 AdrianC 20 May 2020
In reply to Getoiu:

If you're worried about leaving plastic then get some bamboo canes and cut them down to around 60 cm length.  Use them in a well stomped T-slot.  Agree with those who have said don't use your gear.

In reply to AdrianC:

Bamboo canes are useful on ice too, because they don't tend to melt out as much as metal items. We used them on a BBC expedition to the Greenland Ice Sheet last year. A power drill and a pretty large drill bit is useful in such cases though...

 vscott 20 May 2020
In reply to Getoiu:

As others have said for a really secure anchor buried snow filled stuff-sacs work best. For quicker setup (e.g. overnight camps) if you don't have skis or snowshoes much cheaper than the purpose made snowstakes  get some corner aluminium from hardware store - 5-10cm side width  (usually sold in 2m lengths so you can get 4x 50cm stakes). Drill a couple of holes in middle of side of each section to thread some cord, and use like a deadman (corner facing towards the load so the sides spread the force out into snowpack).  For a halfway house using a proper deadman at each end of the tent as the main anchor - or just one on the upwind side - then cheaper stakes to just keep the tent shape works ok.  

OP Getoiu 20 May 2020

I think I'll buy some cordura and cut it into rectangles. Much more stronger, smaller and lighter than aluminum stakes. Those tough stakes are 150g each. that adds up to about 1.5kg for a full set.  

Post edited at 11:04
1
 veteye 20 May 2020
In reply to Getoiu:

On Denali, we had Mountain Hardware tents, which had fabric handkerchief sized pockets on the end of the lines, made of the same material as the tent, and these worked well. Maybe you could make something similar out of old outdoor clothing, rucksacs, or similar...?


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